Jettisoned by Comcast and Dish Network in 2019, regional sports network Altitude Sports has faced a tough climb in the Mile High City, where Comcast is the dominant cable provider. 

On Thursday, Altitude Sports -- the exclusive RSN home of the NBA's Denver Nuggets and NHL's Colorado Avalanche -- signed a carriage agreement with virtual pay TV service fubo TV, which will run the channel in 10 Rocky Mountain-centric and adjacent states: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Northern New Mexico, Northeast Nevada and Southwest South Dakota.

The inclusion of a virtual MVPD to its carriage portfolio adds to distribution Altitude already has on Charter Communications linear cable outside the Denver region, as well as on DirecTV linear satellite and the IP-delivered DirecTV Stream. 

Notably, Altitude is also available via ATSC 3.0-based pay TV service Evoca, which also delivers AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, home of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies, in an ultra-skinny bundle of mainly broadcast channels and RSNs delivered for only $25 a month. 

RSN Finds a Way

Certainly, the ability to tie themselves to lucrative RSN contracts can make the difference between boon or bust for pro sports teams and collegiate athletic conferences. 

In Next TV's home market, the Los Angeles Dodgers have thrived on a 25-year, $8.35 billion contract signed with the erstwhile Time Warner Cable in 2013 for carriage on SportsNet LA, now owned by Charter Communications. The Dodgers, which just finished with an all-time National League best 110 wins, have made the postseason 10 consecutive seasons, with the team able to withstand sizable luxury tax penalties each year. 

Conversely, the lightly regarded Pac-12 network -- available only via fubo TV and Sling TV in the all-important Southern California market -- has been signaled out as catalyst for a decision made by lynchpin Pac-12 schools USC and UCLA to leave the conference in 2024 and head to the Big Ten, a league far more flush with RSN coin. 

In August, the Big Ten Network signed a new carriage deal that will net its 16 constituents more than $1 billion dollars a year. 

Conversely, the Pac-12 Network earned only $43 million in the COVID-impacted 2020 collegiate athletic season after generating $118 million in 2019. The RSN hopes to up its revenue with its own pending new TV deal, but that will likely look nothing like the largesse negotiated by the Big Ten or SEC. 

With national TV deals with Fox Sports and ESPN factored in, all told, the Pac-12's media efforts generated only $30 million for the conference's 12 programs in 2022.

It's no wonder that UCLA, which recently reported debt of $102.8 million for its athletic department, agreed to join USC in making a radical shift in conference affiliation. 

Big Clients Call for Creative Distribution

Owned by Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, Altitude Sports recently lost distribution of Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids, after MLS signed a 10-year deal with Apple TV. 

Indeed, the tech giants pose a grave competitive risk for regional sports channels, as the pay TV ecosystem dwindles. Their distribution partners may not be willing to pay more, but their league and team constituents are beginning to have more TV revenue options. 

Next TV couldn't find program licensing information for the Nuggets, a perennial NBA playoff contender featuring back-to-back MVP winner Nikola Jokić, and the Avalanche, which are coming off the franchise's third Stanley Cup win in June. 

Suffice it to say that with both franchises at the top of their respective games, Altitude Sports needs to keep its head and revenue up. 

FuboTV said it reached a carriage deal with Altitude Sports which will enable it to stream games of the Denver Nuggets and the Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.

Altitude Sports has been blacked out on Comcast Cable since 2019.

The regional sports network will be available on FuboTV in 10 Rocky Mountain states just before the starts of the NBA and NHL seasons. 

Altitude will have 74 regular-season games from the NBA’s Nuggets and 69 regular-season Avalanche NHL games. It also will have Colorado Mammoth lacrosse games.

Financial terms were not disclosed. 

“We’re thrilled to expand FuboTV’s leading sports coverage with the addition of Altitude Sports and bring fans of the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Mammoth an affordable streaming option in the seasons ahead,” said Todd Mathers, senior VP, content strategy and acquisition, FuboTV. “FuboTV is a leading choice for hometown sports, alongside our national and international sports coverage. Today’s distribution partnership means fans across the Rockies will be able to stream all available home games for some of the most loved teams in the region.”

FuboTV now carries a dozen regional sports networks in its base package. It streams more than 50,000 live sporting events annually. 

“We couldn’t be more excited that Altitude Sports will be added to FuboTV’s Pro Package,” said Matt Hutchings, president and CEO of KSE Media Ventures. “FuboTV becomes the newest streaming option for our fans as we continue to expand Altitude’s distribution throughout the Rocky Mountain Region. Best of all, FuboTV values those fans and provides them a great option for following their hometown teams.” ■

Regional sports network Altitude Sports and Entertainment made good on its promise that Dish Network customers would be without its Colorado sports team coverage unless its carriage deal was renewed by midnight, going dark to the satellite TV service’s subscribers as the clock struck 12 on Aug. 29.

The blackout affected Dish customers in nine states -- Colorado, Utah, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, South Dakota and Wyoming.

Altitude Sports and Entertainment is owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, the sports team and arena vehicle of billionaire Stan Kroenke. Altitude carries games from the NHL Colorado Avalanche, the NBA Denver Nuggets, Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids, the National Lacrosse League’s Colorado Mammoth and college sports from the University of Denver. On Wednesday, the channel warned it could go dark at midnight Wednesday if a deal with Dish isn’t reached. The channel also has renewal agreements with DirecTV and Comcast that expire on Saturday (Aug. 31). 

The blackout comes as preseason games for the Avalanche (Sept. 17) and the Nuggets (Oct. 8) draw near. 

In a press release Thursday, Dish blamed the blackout on Altitude’s demand that a new deal includes a guaranteed minimum of subscribers, as well as high affiliate fees.

“This comes down to Altitude demanding payment on a guaranteed minimum number of customers,” said Dish senior vice president of programming Andy LeCuyer in a press release. “We’re no longer going to support the broken regional sports TV business model that seeks to have the majority of pay-TV customers pay for the few who watch.”

Dish directed customers to its DishPromise.com website for more information.

According to Altitude, Dish, DirecTV and Comcast have carried the RSN for 15 years, but despite the network’s good-faith efforts to negotiate, the distributors “want to play by their own rules and are making unrealistic demands on Altitude. Their actions will affect hundreds of thousands of regional sports fans and negatively impact hundreds of local businesses that continue to support their home teams.”

This is the second regional sports network to go dark for Dish customers. In July, 15 Fox RSNs and the YES Network went dark after Dish could not reach a deal. Dish chairman Charlie Ergen warned that unless a compromise is made, the Fox RSNs may never be carried by the satellite TV service provider. 

Dish also is in negotiations with Disney regarding five networks -- FX, FXX, FXM, National Geographic and National Geographic WILD -- that were scheduled to go dark on Aug. 28. Disney granted Dish an extension to avoid a blackout, and sources said talks were progressing. 

 Altitude Sports & Entertainment veteran Ben Boylan has been elevated to president of the regional sports network. 

Boylan, who has been with the RSN home to the NBA Denver Nuggets and NHL Colorado Avalanche since its launch a decade ago,  will oversee television operations, including production, programming, creative services, marketing, and distribution efforts. Additionally, Boylan will also oversee all Nuggets and Avalanche radio operations.

At the RSN, he succeeds Kim Carver, who last month announced that she would be departing KSE Media Ventures, where she served as president and CEO of Altitude and president of World Fishing Network. 

Boylan has been with Altitude Sports since its bow in 2004. Over the past two years, he has served as  senior vice president of media sales, focusing on sponsorship sales for the Nuggets and  Avalanche, for the Denver-based RSN that counts some 3.1 million homes in 10 states. Boylan started with Altitude as the network's local sales manager in 2004 and was promoted to general sales manager in 2005.

Boylan began his career at KOA Radio in 1986 in promotions, followed by talk show producer, before moving on to advertising sales. Boylan transitioned to Prime Sports Net as an account executive in 1991, which later became Fox Sports Network. He was promoted to local sales manager and national sales manager during his 13 years with Fox.

 “We’re excited to have someone who has seen the progression of our business from the beginning elevate to the position of president, KSE Media Ventures president and CEO Matt Hutchings. “With over 25 years of experience in the industry, Ben is uniquely positioned to take us to the next level.”

Noted Boylan: “I am humbled by this opportunity.  It’s an honor to lead this incredible group and I look forward to building upon the solid foundation of our team programming as well as the Altitude brand.”

In the wake of Carver’s departure, Jim Liberatore was named president and CEO of World Fishing Network. Liberatore remains CEO of Outdoor Channel, the outdoor lifestyle network owned by KSE Media Ventures, a unit of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, the Denver-based sports conglomerate owned by billionaire Stan Kroenke. KSE owns half of the dedicated angling lifestyle service.

http://www.multichannel.com/news/people/liberatore-named-world-fishing-net-ceo/385836