Colorado Avalanche fans will now be able to catch games via a new streaming service this season. The new streaming service offered on Altitude will feature a significant chunk of the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets games this season.
The announcement comes on the heels of a new partnership between Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and broadcaster Tegna.
The deal promises fans an opportunity to catch Avalanche and Nuggets games following issues with cable company Comcast stemming back to 2019. The dispute between Kroenke and Comcast led to Altitude’s removal from Comcast’s channel offering.
Following legal proceedings, Kroenke and Comcast reached a settlement, allowing Kroenke to launch its streaming service on an app called Altitude+. Fans can subscribe to the platform for $19.99 a month to access both NHL and NBA content.
It’s worth pointing out that a chunk of games will not be available on the Altitude+ app since ESPN holds the rights to a specific number of games throughout the season. ESPN’s rights are part of the TV deal between the NHL and the sports broadcasting giant.
The Colorado Avalanche officially open the regular season on the road against the Vegas Golden Knights on October 9th. The Avs’ home opener will be on October 12th when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Colorado Avalanche games available for free this season
Part of the new offerings involved in the new Colorado Avalanche streaming service will be 20 free games available on Tegna partner stations 9News and My20. While it’s unclear which specific games will be broadcast on these channels, fans will have a chance to catch a fair number of games without subscribing to Altitude+.
It’s worth pointing out that this new product offering is crucial amid issues between clubs and broadcasters. For example, the bankruptcy of Bally Sports led to clubs like the Anaheim Ducks and Dallas Stars leaving the nationwide broadcaster to sign deals with regional broadcasting partners.
As for the Avs, this new deal promises to be the beginning of a bigger venture into larger broadcasting partnerships. These partnerships will allow fans an opportunity to catch games that were previously blacked out due to rights issues.
Colorado Avalanche fans outside of the Denver area will also have a great opportunity to catch live Avs games by subscribing to the service. In all, the new Altitude+ service could provide Colorado Fans with a long-awaited network that could potentially carry most, if not all, Avalanche games at some point down the road.