Edmonton Oilers tease return of “all-access, Oil Change-type show”

The Edmonton Oilers are teasing the return of a behind-the-scenes look at the team.

In a vague tweet Monday morning, the Oilers asked what fans would do if they did another show.

The Oilers have been considering doing something like this for some time. The organization did a show between 2010 and 2014 called Oil Change, which provided a look at the day-to-day of the franchise.

The show, produced by Aquilla Productions, won awards in 2013 for best director and best screenwriter. In a 2013 article in The Oklahoman, Aquilla Productions president Don Metz said the show had “over a million hours of downloading that first year on the internet.”

While the show was successful with many fans loving it, it came during some of the toughest days the franchise had seen amid the Decade of Darkness.

As I reported in an exclusive in March 2021, the Oilers had been considering implementing a premium content service dubbed OILERS+.

“We have one of the most avid fan bases in all of pro sports and like everyone, we are all looking for ways to engage, and have a deeper relationship,” Tom Anselmi, president of business and chief operating officer of the Oilers Entertainment Group told OilersNation. “We have a lot of content, and our fans have an insatiable appetite for it.

“We want to get it to them and are considering a new service to do that.”

At the time, the Oilers briefly posted a survey pop-up on their website asking dozens of questions about what fans would want to see. Questions included how surveyees felt about potential content that included: “elevated, in-depth unfiltered 1:1 interviews with players, coaches, management, scouts, other operations personnel and special guests from around the league,” as well as other content that included lifestyle series’ covering the ICE District, Rogers Place, and access to “away from the rink” content that would include players’ families.

Other questions about archived content, and Edmonton and area minor league live streams were posed, too. Surveyees also asked how willing they would be to subscribe for fees ranging from $4-$10.

In regards to the survey, Anselmi told OilersNation the survey was to get an understanding of what fans would want to see.

“This is really about consulting with them, getting their perspective,” he said. “What do our fans want more access to? What is premium content vs. what’s expected? What do we need to do to engage our fans more, and have them want to engage more? What’s the best approach to all of this?”

There’s no word yet about what the suggested all-access show could entail now, but it’s safe to assume OEG got a great understanding of how the market feels about a potential return.

Last season, Amazon Prime debuted a similar behind-the-scenes look at the Toronto Maple Leafs called All or Nothing.