The Vegas Golden Knights and Scripps Sports have signed a multi-year agreement to bring all locally broadcast Golden Knights games for free to residents of Nevada and surrounding states within the team's broadcast territory.

The agreement allows The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) to televise all non-nationally exclusive Golden Knights games with full distribution on cable, satellite and over-the-air television. Financial terms are not being disclosed. The deal has obtained the necessary approvals from the National Hockey League.

Scripps will air Golden Knights games on its local station KMCC-TV, which is currently airing programming from ION, Scripps' national entertainment network. ION programming will continue to be available to Nevadans over-the-air, on pay TV and on connected TV platforms through a move to another Las Vegas broadcast channel.

KMCC, channel 34, will be rebranded as an independent station before the 2023-24 NHL season begins. In addition to the Golden Knights games, the new KMCC will broadcast local and national news, local sports and additional entertainment programming. Scripps also owns the Las Vegas ABC affiliate, KTNV, which will provide a strong marketing platform for KMCC and the Golden Knights telecasts and has carried VGK preseason games since the franchise's inaugural season of 2017-18.

"This deal is a significant win for our fans because they will be able to see our games on television and for free, if they wish," team president and CEO Kerry Bubolz said. "That was our goal in finding a new TV partner. We wanted to serve our fanbase in the best way possible."

The Golden Knights and Scripps are committed to collaborating to provide fans with a direct-to-consumer streaming option as part of this partnership. Details will be announced when plans are finalized.

The Vegas Golden Knights broadcasters, led by the multi-Emmy Award winning duo of Dave Goucher and Shane Hnidy, will remain on the call for Scripps Sports' games.

Broadcasts will include pregame and postgame coverage for every game, with additional distribution into Idaho (Boise, Idaho Falls and Twin Falls), Montana (Billings, Butte-Bozeman, Glendive, Great Falls, Helena and Missoula), Nevada (Reno), Utah (Salt Lake City) and Wyoming (Casper-Riverton and Cheyenne-Scottsbluff).

"We have been impressed by the Golden Knights' commitment to winning and their desire to connect and engage with fans in Vegas and outer markets, as well," said Brian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports. "This is going to be a wonderful partnership, and it's the fans who will benefit most. We launched Scripps Sports with the belief that we could help teams reach more fans through our stations, which do not depend on subscriptions and added fees for the consumer."

The Golden Knights are the first professional sports team to reach a deal with Scripps Sports, which launched in December. It is the second deal Scripps has announced in the past 15 days. The first was an agreement with the WNBA, announced April 20, to televise games on ION on Friday nights during the regular season starting May 26.

 

Source:prnewswire.com

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