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Altitude Sports resolves Nuggets and Avalanche TV outages | Colorado avalanche

Avalanche and Nuggets fans' long-term suffering with limited access to TV games is finally over.

Altitude Sports — a regional sports network (RSN) owned by Stan Kroenke — announced Thursday that it will launch a direct-to-consumer streaming service called Altitude+ in October.

The subscription-based app costs $19.95/month for access to all Nuggets and Avalanche games that are not exclusive to a national network.

Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE) has also reached a broadcast agreement with TEGNA.

Local broadcasters 9NEWS and My20 will split 20 Nuggets games and 20 Avalanche games in the upcoming NBA and NHL seasons with free over-the-air (OTA) broadcasts.

Comcast-Altitude TV failure: Will Kroenke Sports join the over-the-air broadcast movement?

“Thanks to the vision and creativity of my father and our leadership team, the hard work of many in this organization, and a great partner in TEGNA, we are excited to deliver a comprehensive solution so our fans can watch all Nuggets and Avs games.” this season and beyond,” KSE Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke said in a press release. “As we enter Ball Arena's 25th season and not only celebrate the past but also look to the future, it is fitting that we introduce the next evolution of our Altitude Sports network, Altitude+ and games on 9NEWS and My20 includes. This innovative model will allow our fans to accompany us every step of the way this season to bring both the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy and the Stanley Cup back to Denver.”

Comcast, the state's largest cable provider, has not carried Altitude Sports since 2019 due to a contract dispute. In Colorado, there are no RSN channels on Comcast's regular video service.

The sports media landscape was rapidly evolving as the subscriber base for traditional cable shrank. Altitude Sports is also available on DirecTV and FuboTV. KSE joins a growing list of professional sports teams that are bypassing the traditional RSN model to expand distribution of game broadcasts.

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Comcast subscribers in Colorado have missed five consecutive seasons of Altitude TV while two franchises achieved historic success. The Avalanche won the 2022 Stanley Cup and Nathan Mackinnon was named the NHL's Most Valuable Player last season. The Nuggets were NBA champions in 2023 and Nikola Jokic won the league's MVP three times (2021, 2022, 2024).

It has been more than five years – or 1,852 days – since Altitude Sports' contract with Comcast expired on September 1, 2019.

The most recent change came seven months ago when Altitude TV's long-time managing director Matt Hutchings resigned from KSE. He was replaced by Kevin Demoff, president of the Kroenke-owned Los Angeles Rams, as the new KSE president of team and media operations.

Kevin Demoff is leading Kroenke Sports' revamped effort to resolve the Comcast-Altitude TV outage

In March, Demoff said Altitude Sports was “exploring every opportunity” to expand distribution of local game broadcasts, including OTA, streaming and traditional cable. Earlier this month, Comcast told the Denver Gazette that it remains open to a deal with Altitude Sports that “reflects the changing consumer video market,” spokeswoman Leslie Oliver said.

Altitude Sports will produce Avalanche and Nuggets games that will air on Altitude+/OTA broadcasts with the same on-air talent. Starting next month, the Altitude+ app will be available to download on iOS and Android devices.

“When I joined KSE last March, I said the most important thing we can do with Altitude Sports is to give it a new perspective so that our fans can see our great teams and the generational players we have here in “Denver was allowed to do so,” Demoff said in a press release. “Thanks to the leadership and support of Stan and Josh, our team was able to develop this unique model that gives our fans the opportunity to watch all Nuggets and Avs games in a variety of ways.” I commend all of our distribution partners for this Thank you for working with us to find a creative solution to bring Altitude Sports to our fans.”

The Avs begin their regular season on October 9th against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas. The Nuggets' regular season opener is October 24 against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Ball Arena.

Comcast Open to Altitude TV Deal Reflecting 'Changing Consumer Video Market' | Sports Business Insider

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