After a five-year hiatus on popular cable television in the Colorado market, Altitude Sports has agreed to a deal with Xfinity, more commonly known as Comcast, to broadcast Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche games again.

In a press release shared by Altitude TV, Xfinity TV (Comcast) customers “will now have access to all live game broadcasts of the KSE-owned Denver Nuggets (NBA) and Colorado Avalanche (NHL).”

“We are thrilled to once again make Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche games available on Comcast and Xfinity platforms in Colorado and the surrounding region,” said KSE Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke. “This is the best possible outcome for Nuggets Nation and Avs Faithful, who now have a straightforward way to see every game on one service.”

The Xfinity coverage map extends throughout Colorado and New Mexico, as well as into parts of Arizona and Kansas. In addition, Comcast had reported served close to 90% of television households in the Denver area over five years ago when the television dispute first originated. While many fans had pivoted away from Comcast and found other pathways, a resolution of this local dispute was always the best way to bring Nuggets and Avalanche games to local fans.

According to the press release, Altitude will appear on Comcast channels as soon as today, February 4th, 2025. Access to the MSE package (More Sports and Entertainment) on Xfinity will be a purchasable option for Xfinity customers at $15.95 per month.

“The real winners today are the fans,” said Mayor Mike Johnston in the release. “In 20 years we’ll tell our children and grandchildren what it was like to watch Nathan MacKinnon and Nikola Jokić in their primes. This agreement gives fans more options on how to easily access games and ensures they won’t miss a second of the action. I’m thankful that Altitude and Comcast came to the table and worked together to close this deal. Their teamwork will benefit the fans, the players, and the city.”

In recent years, Altitude has explored a variety of options to bring as many fans as many games as they could without Comcast’s help. From DISH and DirecTV, to Fubo, to Channel 20, to the introduction of Altitude+, there have been a variety of half measures offered, and Altitude should be commended for at least providing options.

But this is the big one. Comcast was always the best option for Nuggets and Avalanche fans because of the monopolization of the local television market. Comcast continued to use that as negotiation leverage in the dispute and Altitude refused to budge on their stance, choosing to survive on segments of local Nuggets fandom. Now that this dispute has been resolved, fans will have an opportunity to watch in a much easier, more reasonable way.

For a long time, Nuggets fans bemoaned missing the prime years of Nikola Jokic, the best Nuggets player in franchise history. Avalanche fans can say the same for Nathan Mackinnon and Cale Makar, two unbelievable talents on the ice. Both franchises have won championships within the last five years, and only a fraction of local fans were able to see those seasons. Fans had to jump through hoops to see their favorite teams, to find options, legal or otherwise, to see history in the making.

Fans don’t get those years back, and it was shameful that this wasn’t resolved in full before those seasons occurred.

Still, there’s a true resolution now, and that deserves to be celebrated at long last. A new generation of fans will get to watch the rest of the prime years of two teams with championship aspirations. Is that good enough to make up for what’s happened? Probably not, but it’s a good start.

Congratulations to the talented and hard working folks at Altitude that were simply trying to broadcast the game as best as they could. They were caught in the crossfire of a major dispute. Here’s hoping they continue to have an opportunity to share Nuggets games with even more local fans across Colorado.

Check out the full press release by Altitude here.