The Vegas Golden Knights will have a new media home next fall.
Per an announcement from the Golden Knights, Scripps Sports has picked up the Knights’ local rights. Games will air on KMCC, currently an ION affiliate. However, it will be rebranded in the coming months, with ION programming to another Scripps station in the market.
https://twitter.com/GoldenKnights/status/1654214314243547138?s=20
A DTC option will also be launched, and games will still be called by the duo of Dave Goucher and Shane Hnidy.
Here’s more about KMCC’s rebranding from the team’s release.
KMCC, channel 34, will be rebranded as an independent station before the 2023-24 NHL season begins. In addition to the Golden Knights games, the new KMCC will broadcast local and national news, local sports and additional entertainment programming. Scripps also owns the Las Vegas ABC affiliate, KTNV, which will provide a strong marketing platform for KMCC and the Golden Knights telecasts and has carried VGK preseason games since the franchise’s inaugural season of 2017-18.
The release also touts the size of the team’s footprint through the deal with Scripps, which extends into five states.
Broadcasts will include pregame and postgame coverage for every game, with additional distribution into Idaho (Boise, Idaho Falls and Twin Falls), Montana (Billings, Butte-Bozeman, Glendive, Great Falls, Helena and Missoula), Nevada (Reno), Utah (Salt Lake City) and Wyoming (Casper-Riverton and Cheyenne-Scottsbluff).
Terms of the deal have not been reported.
Golden Knights games previously aired on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, but needed a new home for the 2023-24 season following Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to shut down its RSNs following the 2023 MLB season.
This is the second sports deal signed by Scripps since it launched the Scripps Sports division last year. In April, Scripps signed a deal with the WNBA to air Friday night games this season. Last week, the Phoenix Suns and Mercury abandoned Bally Sports Arizona for a deal with Gray Television and Kiswe, though Bally operator Diamond Sports Group has filed a lawsuit against the two teams.
The Knights’ decision to go with Scripps instead of starting a new RSN throws the local media future of the Oakland Athletics when (if?) the team moves to Las Vegas. In April, I discussed where A’s games could air locally if the team moves to Las Vegas as desired, and I mused that a lot would depend on what would happen with the Golden Knights’ media rights. With joining the Golden Knights on a new RSN off the board for now, the A’s have one more potential headache to deal with.
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.