SEATTLE—The Seattle Kraken have inked new multi-year agreements with Tegna and Prime Video that will expand access to their games over broadcast stations and streaming in the Pacific Northwest.
The deals, which begin next season, will see coverage of games that had aired on the regional sports network Root Sports move to broadcast and streaming and is part of an industry-wide trend that has seen RSN's lose sports rights to broadcast and streaming.
Starting next season, Tegna stations KING 5 and KONG in Seattle will broadcast all non-nationally televised games – more than 70 in total – for free over the air. KING 5 becomes the official television partner of the Seattle Kraken, taking fans behind the scenes with exclusive Kraken coverage led by Sports Director, Paul Silvi.
In addition, Prime Video will stream all non-nationally televised games for Prime members in Washington, Oregon and Alaska, which will include pre-season, regular season and the first round of playoffs. The Kraken are the first NHL team to partner directly with the streamer.
All non-nationally televised games will be broadcast on Tegna's KONG, with a number of games throughout the season simulcast on Tegna's NBC affiliate, KING 5. In addition, games will be broadcast free over the air on Tegna stations KGW, the NBC affiliate in Portland, and KREM, the CBS affiliate in Spokane. Tegna will work with additional broadcast companies in the coming weeks to expand free over-the-air broadcast access to all available television markets in Washington, Oregon and Alaska, the station group said.
The move marks a departure from Root Sports who broadcast the NHL's newest franchise's games during their first three seasons.
"Root has been a terrific partner for us; we have appreciated their support as we determined our broadcast plans moving forward," said Kraken owner, Sam Holloway. "Today's announcement is a game changer for our fans. Our goal is to increase the ways they can watch our games – whether they're cheering us on at home or on the go. To have both Tegna and Prime Video as trusted partners is a dream come true. I can't wait for more fans to fall in love with Kraken hockey."
"Our collaboration with the Seattle Kraken marks a significant milestone in our commitment to celebrating the essence of local sports on local broadcast television," said Dave Lougee, president and CEO, Tegna. "We look forward to bringing every thrilling moment of Kraken hockey to all viewers in the Pacific Northwest as we build on our long-standing commitment to the region."
"Seattle Kraken hockey is synonymous with the Pacific Northwest, and we're thrilled to bring Prime members in Washington, Oregon and Alaska access to Kraken games on Prime Video," said Charlie Neiman, head of sports partnerships, Prime Video. "Live Kraken games add to our growing selection of premium live sports and deliver additional value for Prime members throughout the Kraken home footprint."
John Forslund, JT Brown, Eddie Olczyk, Alison Lukan and Nick Olczyk will continue broadcasting the games next season. Legendary play-by-play announcer John Forslund joined the team in 2021 alongside newly retired NHLer JT Brown and analytics expert, Alison Lukan. In season two, the team grew to include Stanley Cup-winner and U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer Eddie Olczyk in the booth, and award-winning broadcaster Nick Olczyk at the desk. The team's broadcast has been widely praised and was named number one in The Athletic's 2023 NHL broadcast rankings, voted by fans.
KING 5, Tegna, and the Kraken will lead advertising and sponsorship sales for all local games.
