Gray Television has made a deal with Tegna and the Seattle Kraken to air Kraken National Hockey League games in two Alaska markets.
Tegna earlier made a deal to broadcast 70 regular season Kraken games on KING and KONG, its stations in Seattle, as well as KGW in Portland, Oregon, and KREM and KSKN in Spokane, Washington.
Gray’s KAUU Anchorage and KYEX Juneau will also air the games.
Tegna said additional broadcasters in Washington and Oregon are expected to be added to the Kraken broadcast network.
“Gray’s leading Alaskan television stations are proud to partner with the Kraken and Tegna to bring Kraken games to free over-the-air television in Anchorage and Juneau,” Sandy Breland, chief operating officer of Gray Media, said. “Gray’s stations and the Kraken are both a key part of the culture in the Pacific Northwest, making this a great win for viewers and fans.”
With cord-cutting contributing to the collapse of regional sports networks on cable, more leagues and teams are putting games on local broadcast stations, counting on getting added reach by putting games over the air.
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“We couldn’t be more excited or more proud to partner with Tegna and Gray Media to expand our broadcast reach into Anchorage and Juneau,” said Jeff Webster, chief commercial officer for the Seattle Kraken. “We’ve built an incredible relationship with the hockey community in Alaska over the years and it’s important that we continue to foster that connection. This partnership is another example of our commitment to making Kraken hockey accessible for our fans in Alaska and beyond.”
The Kraken will open the season by facing off against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 8.
“Our partnership with the Kraken is all about their passionate fans and delivering more games to more people in more homes,” Tegna senior VP, media operations Brad Ramsey said. “We are thrilled with the early momentum we are seeing from advertisers and sponsors in Seattle, Portland and Spokane, and grateful to our friends at Gray for helping us expand free over-the-air Kraken games beyond the continental United States.”
