In May, Scripps and the NHL Vegas Golden Knights announced a deal to bring their games to free broadcast TV in-market and offer a streaming options for fans. Today, the Vegas Golden Knights is making good on the streaming end with a deal for streaming platform provider ViewLift to manage the team’s online service and details on the subscription pricing.
Local fans will find their Gold 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
“The creation of KnightTime+ is a significant advancement for our organization and, most importantly, our incredible fanbase that can’t get enough of the Golden Knights,” said Vegas Golden Knights President and CEO Kerry Bubolz in a statement online today. “Thanks to our collaboration with Scripps Sports and ViewLift, KnightTime+ ensures that the Golden Knights are now more accessible than ever before. KnightTime+ is the answer for all fans in our territory interested in streaming live and on-demand coverage of the Vegas Golden Knights.”
“The Stanley Cup champions and their fans deserve the best broadcast and streaming deal in the NHL,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports. “We know how important it is to the Golden Knights to make available all Scripps Sports-produced games to their fans on every device and video platform.”
KMCC, channel 34, will be rebranded as an independent station before the 2023-24 NHL season begins. Scripps also owns the Las Vegas ABC affiliate, KTNV, which will provide a strong marketing platform for KMCC and the Golden Knights telecasts.
The team cut ties with AT&T SportsNet in May, raising the question of whether regional sports networks even have a role in the new video market. Last month, Warner Bros. Discovery said it plans to shut down all of its AT&T SportsNet RSNs by the end of the year.
The Golden Knights aren’t the only ones moving to free broadcast TV. The Phoenix Suns in April was the major NBA team to cut ties with Bally Sports and is now going to make their games free over the air thanks to a partnership with Gray Television. With this deal starting in the fall, fans of the Phoenix Suns and the WNBA Phoenix Mercury will be able to watch the games for free over the air on KTVK and KPHE. With the expansion of KPHE, the Suns will now be free to watch over the air in all three of Arizona’s TV markets, a move that it celebrated by giving away free antennas.