The Seattle Kraken is the latest NHL team to ditch cable in favor of broadcast television and streaming.
On Thursday, the Kraken announced their games would air on Tegna-owned KONG beginning in the 2024-25 season, with 15 games also being simulcast on KING 5 in Seattle.
In Washington, Oregon, and Alaska, Kraken games can also be streamed with a Prime Video membership for no additional cost.
Tegna-owned affiliates KGW and KREM will air the Kraken in Portland and Spokane, respectively. The company is also attempting to add more affiliates to that pool.
Kraken games aired on Root Sports Northwest during the franchise’s first three seasons. While the regional sports network (RSN) is losing the Kraken, it still owns the rights to the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Mariners (who now own 100% of the RSN).
“Root has been a terrific partner for us; we have appreciated their support as we determined our broadcast plans moving forward,” said Kraken owner, Sam Holloway. “Today’s announcement is a game changer for our fans. Our goal is to increase the ways they can watch our games – whether they’re cheering us on at home or on the go. To have both TEGNA and Prime Video as trusted partners is a dream come true. I can’t wait for more fans to fall in love with Kraken hockey.”
The Kraken’s announcement also says that broadcasters John Forslund, JT Brown, Eddie Olczyk, Alison Lukan, and Nick Olczyk will all return for the 2024-25 season.
Seattle is the first NHL team to sign a streaming deal with Amazon, though more may make the jump next fall as part of the company’s investment in the Diamond Sports Group and their plan to absorb the company’s streaming operations.
They’re also the latest NHL team to move from an RSN to broadcast television, following in the footsteps of the Vegas Golden Knights and Arizona Coyotes (both before and after the franchise’s move to Utah). This is the second media rights deal Tegna has struck this week, following a pact with the Indiana Fever of the WNBA.
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.