The Avalanche are three games into the NHL season and Altitude Sports TV subscribers through Comcast, DirecTV and Dish are still in the dark with little hope for a quick resolution.
“We want to have our games on the air,” said Matt Hutchings, president of Altitude Sports, on the network’s 92.5-FM radio station this week. “We’ve tried hard…It’s kind of, ‘Hey, this is the deal guys. Take it or leave it.'”
Yet, as both sides remain deadlocked in negotiations, at least one blacked-out provider has addressed the financial impact on consumers. Leslie Oliver, director of media and external communications at Comcast, told The Denver Post that subscribers missing Avalanche and possibly Nuggets games will soon receive this message: “Effective with this bill, we have reduced the Regional Sports Network Fee. You will see an adjustment for the Regional Sports Network Fee in the ‘Credits’ section.”
The exact price reduction depends on where the customer lives and the service area.
“We know how much Nuggets and Avalanche fans want to watch their teams this season,” Oliver said in an emailed statement. “We’ve provided Altitude with some options to ensure Nuggets and Avalanche fans can enjoy the games on Comcast, but unfortunately Altitude has rejected them. We would like to reach an agreement with Altitude while avoiding driving up the costs for our customers. In the meantime, we are applying a partial credit to our customers’ Regional Network Fee.”
Negotiations remained in a stalemate.
“I hope it gets solved in the near future,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “So we can get back on the air for our fans.”
