Golden Knights select ROOT SPORTS as TV provider
The Golden Knights have decided to use ROOT SPORTS as the network to televise their games this fall.
ROOT will show all Knights games live with the exception of any national television appearance on NBC or NBC Sports Network. A news conference is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, when details on the deal will be announced.
Though ROOT is currently not available on Cox Cable or CenturyLink’s Prism system, negotiations are being held with both companies to add ROOT to the menu in time for the start of the NHL season in October. ROOT currently reaches satellite subscribers on DirecTV and Dish Network.
Knights majority owner Bill Foley has said on numerous occasions he wanted to take advantage of the team’s broadcast territory allotted it by the NHL. That includes Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and parts of Western Arizona and Western Colorado along with Eastern Southern California. ROOT Rocky Mountain and ROOT Northwest meet those needs.
The team recently announced its radio home on Fox Sports Radio in Las Vegas and is working with Lotus Broadcasting on developing a network of 15 to 20 radio stations to carry the team’s games beyond Las Vegas to northern Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Montana.
By going with a regional sports network, the Knights are bypassing local over-the-air TV. The team is insisting that all 82 games be televised live and none of the local TV stations would or could meet their stipulation.
The team also talked to Fox Sports West and Fox Sports West 2 (Prime Ticket), which already has NHL inventory with the Los Angeles Kings (FSW) and Anaheim Ducks (FSW2) before deciding to go with ROOT.
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Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow @stevecarprj on Twitter.
About ROOT SPORTS regional television
* Owned by AT&T
* Headquarters in San Francisco
* Available on DirecTV and Dish satellite television and select cable companies in various markets
* Regional networks include ROOT Pittsburgh (Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, West Virginia and Western New York); ROOT Rocky Mountain (Northeastern Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Western Kansas, Western South Dakota, Western Nebraska ); ROOT Northwest (Idaho, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Alaska)
