Altitude waives exclusive broadcast rights for NBA and NHL playoffs and is exploring streaming options

In the never-ending saga between Altitude Sports and Comcast/DISH Network, the Kroenke-owned network has announced that they have waived their exclusive broadcast rights for both the Avalanche and Nugget’s first-round playoff runs.

“Altitude, by virtue of a multiyear agreement with the NHL, has agreed to waive its exclusive broadcast rights in Denver for the first round of the Avalanche’s playoff run. Under NBA rules, Altitude has also waived its exclusivity for Nugget’s first-round playoff games.”

Effectively, this means that first-round Avalanche playoff games, that will be shown nationally on NBCSN, NHL Network, and CNBC, will be available throughout the Denver metro area. In the case of the Nuggets, any of their first-round playoff games being shown on TNT and ESPN will also be available in Denver. These playoff games will also be available on Altitude via DIRECTV and Charter Cable.”

https://www.altitudesports.com/news/territorial-rights-for-playoffs/

The feud between Altitude and Comcast/DISH Network has been going on for almost a full year (Altitude and DIRECTV did reach a deal in October 2019), meaning that many fans of the Colorado Rapids haven’t seen any of the away games since Robin Fraser took over.

The announcement also mentioned that Altitude is “actively pursuing O.T.T. (Over-The-Top) streaming distribution deals that would expand and augment Altitude’s coverage.” We were told that streaming was not an option before, so this is a new development.

There was no mention of the Rapids’ regular season games in the announcement.