Today, the Colorado Avalanche will head to the Rogers Arena in Vancouver to take on the Canucks. With a two-match winning streak, Jared Bednar‘s boys will be feeling confident and will undoubtedly aim to secure their first away win of the week. Naturally, Colorado fans can’t wait to watch the action unfold on the other side of the border. But wait! There’s more to be excited about!
Comcast users have had to deal with the pain of not being able to watch Altitude TV for more than half a decade. After Pac-12 Network and AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain called it quits, there have been no regional sports network channels on Comcast’s regular services in Colorado. But all that could change, and soon!
Colorado Avalanche fans could relive the glory days
A post by Guerilla Sports’ Jesse Montano on X from February 3 revealed that Comcast and Altitude TV might be looking to finally put their dispute in the rearview mirror. “I’m being told Altitude TV and Comcast have come to an agreement to put Avs/and Nuggets games back on TV in Colorado,” Montano’s update reads, highlighting that the development would be just as joyous for the Denver Nuggets fans as for the Colorado Avalanche loyalists. However, considering watching something as simple as an NHL or an NBA match has become a difficult thing in the past five years, the industry insider has his reservations still.
Sounds like this is happening. I’m being told Altitude TV and Comcast have come to an agreement to put Avs/and Nuggets games back on TV in Colorado.
As I have all along, I will remain skeptical until the games are on my TV, but this sounds like it’s for real. https://t.co/CPejTpazew
— Jesse Montano (@jessemontano_) February 3, 2025
“ I will remain skeptical until the games are on my TV, but this sounds like it’s for real,” Jesse still couldn’t help but feel the optimism in his guts. It update comes after Montano claimed that the two broadcasting networks made “some significant progress,” in resolving their dispute. But obviously, the troubling thoughts cannot be kept a lid on either by the Colorado Avalanche fans.
And yet, fans can’t help but feel overjoyed in knowing the state’s largest cable provider could be en route to bringing back KSE telecast on TV. So what exactly happened that led to the blackout in the first place?
Changing media landscape made its impacts felt
In 2020, a changing TV consumer market forced many cable operators to reanalyze their businesses. The re-evaluation led to a 15-year partnership between Altitude TV and Comcast to expire. Altitude was cited as not having as much following as many other regional sports networks because of its aim to act independently, which led Comcast to refuse to pay for Altitude TV and AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain simultaneously. The fact that both these RSNs covered more or less the same territory bolstered the decision.
The hopes of watching the Colorado Avalanche on the Comcast network became slimmer when Altitude TV further noted its disappointment over how Chicago’s Marquee Sports Network signed a deal with Comcast to broadcast Cubs games. “What makes Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche fans any different? Why has Comcast decided that Marquee Sports Network should be offered fair, market-based terms but not Altitude?” Altitude TV president Matt Hutchings said in a statement in July 2020. KSE also filed a lawsuit against Comcast alleging breach of federal and antitrust laws, and even though the lawsuit was settled, they still couldn’t work out the contract issues.
But KSE’s president of team and media operations Kevin Demoff later noted, “Ensuring our fans can watch their favorite teams remains my highest priority. As the local sports media landscape evolves rapidly, we are studying every possibility to deliver for our fans,” and it looks like the progress in discussions with Comcast once again is a step in that direction! So how does it make you, a Colorado Avalanche fan, feel? Tell us in a comment below.
The post NHL Reporter Reveals Possible Broadcasting Deal to Reawake Colorado Avalanche Fans’ Hopes After 5-Year Conflict appeared first on EssentiallySports.
