Earlier this year, the NHL Vegas Golden Knights left AT&T SportsNet for a deal with Scripps to air the games on free broadcast TV. Now, Scripps has reported that viewership has more than doubled during the first five games compared to the same period last yefar.
The Golden Knights are averaging an 8.5 household rating in Las Vegas, which Scripps said represents an increase of 135% compared to all major telecasts on ESPN and TNT last season.
“The viewership and engagement we are seeing for the Golden Knights this year have grown incredibly and should dispel any doubts about the power of an over-the-air broadcast channel to serve sports fans,” Scripps Sports President Brian Lawlor said. “The Golden Knights wanted to reach more of their fans, and they clearly are.”
Likely helping with viewership has been the Golden Knights’ hot start to the season. The team sits atop of the Western Conference and boasts the best record in the league.
“This partnership with Scripps Sports has allowed more of our fans to access our games on TV than ever before,” Golden Knights President Kerry Bubolz said. “With the team’s success as defending Stanley Cup champions and our 9-0-1 start, we couldn’t have asked for a better time to provide this enhanced access for our fans in the Las Vegas Valley and beyond.”
Local fans will find their Golden Knights games on the local Scripps-owned ION network on KMCC-TV, which they can catch for free with an antenna. But the streaming service, called KnightTime+, will cost $69.99 a season, or $6.99 for a single game. This is far cheaper than many other similar RSN streaming services. The service is now available online HERE.
“Engagement with our direct-to-consumer app is well ahead of our projections,” Bubolz said. “The Golden Knights have a dedicated fan base. We are thrilled to make games available on multiple platforms, allowing our fans to access games on any device, serving them wherever they are.”
Scripps said the KnightTime+ streaming service is getting more than 1 million minutes of streaming per week.
This jump in viewership will likely be closely watched by other team owners as they decide on whether to renew with other RSNs like Bally Sports if the network survives.
Correction: We updated the story to list the correct RSN.