Avalanche, Nuggets Announce New Streaming Service; Games on Broadcast Channels
‘Altitude+’ will give fans who cannot otherwise watch Avs and Nuggets games a way to stream each contest.
The 2024 offseason has seen a multitude of NBA and NHL teams craft new broadcast and streaming arrangements to give fans more access to games. The regional sports network (RSN) model is fast becoming untenable, and teams want to help meet fans where they are by giving them multiple ways to watch. The Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets can now be added to the list, as the two clubs announced on Thursday that starting in 2024 they’ll be available on a new streaming service, while several games from each will also be broadcast on local over-the-air (OTA) stations.
Key Details:
- The Avs and Nuggets are joining Altitude+, an in-market streaming service that will offer games for $19.95 per month.
- Each team will also play 20 games on 9News and its sister station My20.
- Comcast, which serves a huge portion of Denver-area homes, has blacked out the linear Altitude channel since 2019.
The new streaming service Altitude+ will offer live streams of all Avalanche and Nuggets games not playing on national channels such as ESPN and TNT. The streamer will cost $20 per month and will launch to customers in October. As of now, it does not appear the service will offer a season-long plan. Altitude+ will be available in parts of nine states total, though what content you’ll be able to watch depends on your location.
In addition to the streaming service, the Avs and Nuggets will also play 20 games each on local OTA channels. The NBC-affiliated 9NEWS (KUSA-TV) will get 10 games from each club, and its sister station My20 (KTVD-TV) will also broadcast the contests. These channels are available free to every Denver-area viewer with an OTA antenna.
All Avs and Nuggets games not appearing on these local channels or on national channels will still air on Altitude, the regional sports network owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE), controlled by the same family that owns the teams themselves.
“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.”
Will Altitude+ Help End Comcast Blackout of Altitude?
Fans in Colorado are rejoicing at the news of Altitude+, particularly customers who are subscribed to Comcast’s Xfinity TV plans. Altitude has been unavailable on Comcast since 2019, after a particularly nasty carriage fight left the RSN blacked out on Xfinity TV as both sides blamed the other for the schism.
At long last, viewers have a way around that blackout that doesn’t necessitate canceling their current pay-TV plan or signing up for a service like DIRECTV STREAM or Fubo to watch. For $20 per month, viewers can now stream all Avs and Nuggets games not playing on national channels without the need for a cable subscription.
Perhaps the fact that these games will be available outside pay-TV for the first time will incentivize Comcast to come back to the negotiating table. But there’s also the distinct possibility that Comcast feels it’s gotten along fine without having Altitude, and will see no reason to revisit carriage talks with the channel even with the new streaming option in place.
The Avs and Nuggets have each won a championship in their respective leagues in the past five years, each with a huge portion of the audience unable to watch thanks to Comcast’s blackout of Altitude. Starting in 2024, the two teams will be available to stream live with no pay-TV subscription required.
| DTV STREAM | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% OFF | Sign Up | |||
| $79.99 | $94.99 | $76.99 | $28 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| Altitude | + $29 | ✓ | - | - | - | - | - | |
Altitude+
Altitude+ is a streaming service offering live Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche games. Users can also see Air Force Academy Athletics (football, hockey, basketball), University of Denver Athletics (hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, volleyball, gymnastics and lacrosse), Colorado State Athletics (football) and other regional sports, entertainment, and public service programming.