The two parties have been locked in a dispute that has blacked out Nuggets and Avalanche games for Front Range viewers for more than two years.
DENVER — Altitude Sports and Comcast have agreed to try mediation in an effort to end their long-running dispute that has kept Nuggets and Avalanche fans on the Front Range from watching most of those teams’ games on TV for more than two years, according to an Altitude news release.
The release says attorneys for both parties appeared in federal court Thursday before Judge William J. Martinez for a status conference to update the court on developments in the case.
Before that status conference, representatives from Altitude reached out to Comcast to suggest mediation to reach a settlement that would be agreeable to both parties, the release says.
> Video above: Altitude Sports accuses Comcast of trying to put the network out of business, aired in November 2019.
Martinez was supportive of the approach, and Altitude and Comcast agreed to move forward with mediation. The plan is to file a joint motion by Monday with the name of the agreed upon mediator, according to the release.
Altitude said it would make a revised offer to Comcast ahead of mediation with the aim of ending the dispute.
“It is our hope that by working through a mediator, Altitude will be able to return to Comcast without raising the price for our fans to watch their local teams,” said Matt Hutchings, chief operating officer for Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, in a statement. “We have worked diligently toward that goal.”
The stalemate between the network and providers started more than two years ago, when Altitude’s contracts with Comcast, DISH Network and DirecTV expired at the same time. To date, DirecTV is the only major provider that has worked out an agreement with Altitude.
“We continue to remain open to options that could allow Comcast to show the games in a way that avoids raising rates for our customers regardless of whether they watch the channel,” Comcast said in an emailed statement when asked for comment.
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