DENVER & TYSONS, Va.—Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) has announced a broadcast rights agreement with Tegna for 20 Denver Nuggets games and 20 Colorado Avalanche games to be shown for free over-the-air on Denver’s 9NEWS (KUSA-TV) and My20 (KTVD-TV).
KSE, which owns the Nuggets and the Avalanche teams, also announced a new subscription-based direct-to-consumer platform coming in October, Altitude+, that will offer Nuggets and Avalanche games not exclusive to a national network. The Altitude Sports network will continue to carry local games for subscribers of DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, Fubo, and Spectrum TV.
“Thanks to the vision and creativity of my father and our leadership team, the hard work of many across this organization, and a tremendous partner in Tegna, we are thrilled to deliver a comprehensive solution so that our fans can watch all Nuggets and Avs games this season and beyond,” said Josh Kroenke, KSE vice chairman. “As we embark on the 25th season of Ball Arena and not only celebrate the past but look toward the future, it is fitting that we introduce the next evolution of our Altitude Sports network that includes Altitude+ and games on 9NEWS and My20. Thanks to this innovative model, our fans can be with us every step of the way this season in our quest to bring both the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy and the Stanley Cup back to Denver.”
9NEWS and My20 are sister stations, owned by Tegna and operating out of the same building on Speer Boulevard. Of the 20 live games per team set for over-the-air broadcast, 10 will be on 9NEWS, the NBC affiliate and local news powerhouse.
“We’ve worked with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment for more than 25 years, and we’re thrilled to take our relationship to the next level as the official over-the-air broadcast home of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche,” said Mark Cornetta, senior vice president, media operations, Tegna. “With both teams coming off recent championships, the demand from fans is at an all-time high. Today, there are even more reasons for fans to celebrate with the ability to watch Nuggets and Avs games for free over-the-air.”
Games airing on 9NEWS and My20 will be produced by Altitude Sports and will feature the same talent, with Chris Marlowe, Scott Hastings, Vic Lombardi, Christopher Dempsey, Katy Winge, and Bill Hanzlik on Nuggets coverage, and Marc Moser, Mark Rycroft, Kyle Keefe, and John-Michael Liles for Avs games.
The broadcast agreement with Tegna will enable nearly 3.5 million people in the Denver metro area to access games over-the-air.
In advance of the Nuggets and Avalanche seasons, Altitude Sports continues to be available throughout its nine-state territory on DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, Fubo, and Spectrum TV. Fans can also find Altitude Sports on Spectrum TV in parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and Montana. Fans can visit www.altitudesports.com/how-to-watch to find a provider in their area.
“When I joined KSE last March, I said the most important thing we can do with Altitude Sports is give it a fresh perspective so that our fans can see our amazing teams and the generational players we are fortunate to have here in Denver,” said Kevin Demoff, KSE president of team and media operations. “Thanks to the leadership and support of Stan and Josh, our team was able to develop this unique model giving our fans an opportunity to watch all Nuggets and Avs games in a variety of ways. I want to thank all of our distribution partners for working with us to come up with a creative solution to get Altitude Sports to our fans.”
Every Altitude Sports broadcast of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche will be available on Altitude+, the new streaming home of Altitude Sports coming in October. Altitude+ will be available as a direct-to-consumer streaming service for $19.95 per month.
Fans who live in Altitude’s nine-state broadcast territory will have access to all of Altitude’s programming, including live Nuggets and Avalanche games, plus pre- and post-game coverage, full episodes of Altitude Sports originals, and regional collegiate coverage of Colorado State, University of Denver, and Air Force Academy athletics.
Altitude+ also will be available as a TV Everywhere (TVE) service at no additional cost for customers who currently subscribe to a TV package from a distribution partner that includes Altitude Sports.
“Altitude+ will make our live game broadcasts more accessible to a broader audience,” said Demoff. “We have a first-class crew with some of the best on-air talent in the NBA and NHL. I’m excited for those fans that haven’t been able to watch games on Altitude on a regular basis – they’re in for a show.”
Altitude+ will first be available for download on iOS and Android devices, with connected smart TV apps to follow soon after, ensuring that Nuggets Nation and Avs Faithful can enjoy content wherever they are on their preferred device.
For more information about Altitude+ visit AltitudeSports.com/Altitudeplus and sign up to receive updates on the upcoming launch.
