SportsNet Rocky Mountain

SportsNet Rocky Mountain was an American regional sports network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit as part of the AT&T SportsNet brand of networks.[1] Headquartered in Denver, Colorado,[2] the network broadcast regional coverage of sports events throughout the Rocky Mountain region, mainly focusing on professional sports teams based in the Denver metropolitan area, Utah and Nevada.

SportsNet Rocky Mountain
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaColorado
Nevada
Wyoming
Utah
Southern Idaho
western Kansas
western Nebraska
western South Dakota
parts of California
Mohave County, Arizona
Worldwide (via satellite)
NetworkAT&T SportsNet
HeadquartersDenver, Colorado
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format720p (HDTV)
480i (SDTV)
Ownership
OwnerWarner Bros. Discovery
ParentWarner Bros. Discovery Sports
Sister channelsRoot Sports Northwest
History
LaunchedNovember 15, 1988 (1988-11-15)
ClosedOctober 21, 2023 (2023-10-21)
Former namesPrime Sports Network (1988–1989)
Prime Sports Network- Rocky Mountain (1989–1995)
Prime Sports Rocky Mountain (1995–1996)
Fox Sports Rocky Mountain (1996–1999)
Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain (1999–2004)
FSN Rocky Mountain (2004–2011)
Root Sports Rocky Mountain (2011–2017)
AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (2017–2023)

SportsNet Rocky Mountain was available on cable providers throughout Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, Central & Eastern Idaho, northern New Mexico, western Kansas, western Nebraska, western South Dakota, parts of California, including all of San Bernardino County and Mohave County, Arizona; it was also available nationwide on satellite via DirecTV.[3]

The network ceased operations on October 21, 2023.

History

SportsNet Rocky Mountain was originally launched on November 15, 1988, as the Prime Sports Network, a joint venture between Bill Daniels, United Cable (controlled by TCI), and Home Sports Entertainment. The first live event ever shown on the network was a Denver Nuggets – Los Angeles Lakers NBA game. The network was originally broadcast from 5 p.m. to midnight weekdays and 11 a.m. to midnight on weekends. Additional programming included the Denver Zephyrs (minor-league baseball), college games from the Big Eight, the Western Athletic and the Missouri Valley conferences, and University of Denver hockey. Additionally, there was coverage of skiing, hunting, fishing, rodeo, boxing, tennis, and golf.[4]

The network was one of the original members of the Prime Sports Network, a group of regional sports networks formed in 1989 as a partnership between Bill Daniels and TCI. It was officially renamed Prime Sports Network- Rocky Mountain to avoid confusion with the group which now had the same name. However, it still was often referred to on-air as "Prime Sport Network" or simply "PSN". In spring 1995, the network was renamed Prime Sports Rocky Mountain as part of a larger rebranding of Prime's RSNs.

In October 1995, News Corporation, which formed a sports division for the Fox network two years earlier after it obtained the broadcast rights to the National Football Conference and sought to create a group of regional sports networks, acquired a 50% interest in the Prime Network from TCI parent Liberty Media.[5] Later that year on November 1, News Corporation and Liberty Media relaunched the Prime Network affiliates as part of the new Fox Sports Net group, with the Denver-based network officially rebranding as Fox Sports Rocky Mountain.[6] The channel was rebranded as Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain in 2000, as part of a collective brand modification of the FSN networks under the "Fox Sports Net" banner; subsequently in 2004, the channel shortened its name to FSN Rocky Mountain, through the networks' de-emphasis of the "Fox Sports Net" brand.

On December 22, 2006, News Corporation sold its interest in FSN Rocky Mountain and sister networks FSN Utah, FSN Northwest and FSN Pittsburgh to Liberty Media, in an asset trade in which News Corporation also traded its 38.5% ownership stake in satellite provider DirecTV for $550 million in cash and stock, in exchange for Liberty Media's 16.3% stake in the company.[7] On May 4, 2009, DirecTV Group Inc. announced it would become a part of Liberty's entertainment unit, part of which would then be spun off into the separate company under the DirecTV name, in a deal in which Liberty would increase its share in DirecTV from 48% to 54%, with Liberty owner John Malone and his family owning a 24% interest. DirecTV would operate its newly acquired FSN-affiliated networks through DirecTV Sports Networks,[1] a new division formed when the split off from Liberty Media was completed on November 19, 2009.[8]

On December 17, 2010, DirecTV Sports Networks announced that its four Fox Sports Networks-affiliated regional outlets – FSN Rocky Mountain, FSN Pittsburgh, FSN Northwest and FSN Utah – would be relaunched under the "Root Sports" brand.[9] The network officially rebranded as Root Sports Rocky Mountain on April 1, 2011, with The Dan Patrick Show as the first program to air under the new brand. For nominal purposes, the Root Sports networks continued to carry programming distributed mainly to the Fox Sports regional networks to provide supplementary sports and entertainment programming.

On June 12, 2017, AT&T Sports Networks announced that the network, along with Root Sports Southwest, Root Sports Pittsburgh, and Root Sports Utah, will rebrand under the name AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, with all network programming and on-air talent remaining intact.[10][11] The name change took effect on July 14, 2017.

On October 1, 2021, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, along with sister networks AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, and Root Sports Northwest, was removed from Dish Network satellite and Sling streaming TV services.[12]

On February 24, 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it would leave the RSN business.[13][14] Originally scheduled for a winddown by March 31, WBD and Major League Baseball would later agree to sustain RSN operations through the end of the MLB season.[15] In August, John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal reported that AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain was likely to be shuttered, and that the Rockies were considering a deal with Altitude Sports and Entertainment or assigning their local television rights to MLB.[16] It was later confirmed that the network will shut down by the end of 2023, with full-time employees laid off on October 6.[17] The network was subsequently rebranded as SportsNet Rocky Mountain, removing AT&T's name, for its last three weeks of operation. SportsNet Rocky Mountain was supposed to operate until the end of 2023. However, the channel officially ceased operations on October 21, 2023. After the channel ceased operations, DirecTV viewers saw the following message "SportsNet Rocky Mountain plans to discontinue its local operation for all satellite, cable, and streaming providers. Select Golden Knights (NHL) and Jazz (NBA) games can be found on local channels, national telecasts, another regional sports network, and team apps. Please check the guide for your area."

SportsNet Rocky Mountain was one of two regional sports networks that shut down on the same day, the other being Bally Sports Arizona, which, along with SportsNet Rocky Mountain, were sister networks under the ownership of News Corporation's Fox Sports Net from 1996 until the former was sold to Liberty Media in 2008.

Former programming

Professional sports

AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain held the regional cable television rights to MLB's Colorado Rockies from 1997 until 2023, and the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces from 2018 until the 2023 season. The network aired pregame and postgame shows before and after all Rockies games that it produced, as well as postgame shows for additional Golden Knights games that it did not televise. Additionally, the station produced and aired several Rockies insider programs, including The Club: Colorado Rockies, Rockies Double Play, and Rockies Real Time, and one Golden Knights insider program, Knight Life. The network did not air any ancillary shows for any of their other professional sports programming, with some rare exceptions, including a 2018 documentary titled Hot Rod: The Untold Story of Hot Rod Hundley, that chronicled the life and career of the former Utah Jazz announcer.

The channel formerly served as the regional cable broadcaster of the NBA's Denver Nuggets and the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, losing the broadcast rights in 2004 when the owner of both teams, Stan Kroenke, launched the competing regional sports network Altitude Sports and Entertainment. The station also served as the regional home of select Western Hockey League broadcasts, beginning with the 2009–10 season and ending with the 2014–15 season. Beginning with the team's inception in 2017, the Las Vegas sub-feed was also the exclusive broadcast home of the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights. On March 4, 2023, following the announcement that Warner Bros. Discovery would exit the RSN business, the Knights signed an exclusive multi-year over-the-air agreement with the E.W. Scripps Company's KMCC-TV and KTNV beginning with the 2023–24 season, ending the team's broadcasts on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain after six seasons.[18] The Utah Jazz announced on June 20, 2023 that they too would be leaving the network in favor of moving their games back to KJZZ-TV.[19]

College and high school sports

Regional subfeeds

West subfeed

On May 23, 2017, it was announced that the network had acquired the regional cable rights to the new Vegas Golden Knights NHL expansion team. These telecasts are available in all of Nevada, and parts of Arizona, and California, including all of San Bernardino County, as well as Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho. The games are also made available on sister network Root Sports Northwest in northern Idaho and Montana.[22][23][24]

In June 2018, AT&T SportsNet acquired rights to the newly relocated Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA.[25]

Utah subfeed
See also: Root Sports Utah

In late 1989, TCI launched Prime Sports Network-Utah as a replacement from their game-only Jazz Cable Network. Although it originally was considered a separate network, at some point it began to operate as a subfeed with almost identical programming. The main feature of this Utah-based network had always been Utah Jazz basketball games. Over the years it was known as Prime Sports Intermountain West, Fox Sports Utah and finally Root Sports Utah. When AT&T took over the network all Utah branding was dropped and it now operates as a true subfeed. Jazz games produced by AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain were also available in Idaho and Montana on sister network Root Sports Northwest.

Former on-air staff

Announcer parings and hosts
Colorado Rockies
  • Kelsey Wingert – Rockies pre-game and post-game host, on field reporter
  • Jenny Cavnar – Rockies pre-game and post-game host, fill in play by play, on field reporter
  • Drew Goodman – Rockies play-by-play and college basketball and football play-by-play
  • Jeff Huson – Rockies color analyst, pre-game and post-game analyst
  • George Frazier D – Rockies color analyst
  • Alanna Rizzo - Rockies postgame anchor and sideline reporter
  • Marc Stout – Rockies pre-game and post-game host, on field reporter
  • Ryan Spilborghs – Rockies color analyst, pre-game and post-game analyst, on field reporter[26]
  • Cory Sullivan – Rockies pre-game and post-game analyst
  • Jack Corrigan – Rockies fill in play by play
Colorado Avalanche
Denver Nuggets
Las Vegas Aces
  • Anne Marie Anderson – Aces play-by-play
  • Rushia Brown – Aces color commentary
  • Amanda Pflugrad – Aces sideline reporter
  • Katy Winge – Aces sideline reporter
Utah Jazz
Vegas Golden Knights
College sports
  • Ceal Barry – college basketball analyst
  • Sherdrick Bonner – college football analyst
  • Drew Goodman – college basketball and football play-by-play announcer
  • Charlie Host – college hockey analyst
  • Mark Johnson – college football analyst
  • Jay Leeuwenburg – college football analyst
  • Taylor McGregor – college football sideline reporter
  • Tim Neverett – college sports play-by-play, fill-in Rockies play-by-play announcer, and Rockies postgame anchor
  • Brad Thompson – college football sideline reporter
  • Darius Walker – college football analyst
  • Ari Wolfe – college football play-by-play announcer
Hosts and reporters
  • Keith Bleyer – Rocky Mountain Sports Report reporter
  • Darian Boyle – Rocky Mountain Sports Report reporter and Rockies Weekly host
  • Chuck Garfien – Rocky Mountain Sports Report anchor and reporter
  • Chick Hernandez – Rocky Mountain Sports Report anchor
  • Barry LeBrock – Rocky Mountain Sports Report anchor
  • Tim Ring – Rocky Mountain Sports Report anchor
  • Marc Soicher – Rocky Mountain Sports Report anchor
  • Charissa Thompson – Rockies Weekly host and College Football and Basketball reporter

D Denotes person is deceased.

References
  1. Todd Spangler (May 4, 2009). "DirecTV, Liberty Media Announce Spin-Off Plan". Multichannel News. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  2. "Denver.com: FSN Rocky Mountain / FSN Utah". Denver.com. Boulevards. Archived from the original on 2011-07-09. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  3. "AT&T SPORTSNET TO BE AVAILABLE ON DIRECTV, U-VERSE and CENTURYLINK IN LAS VEGAS AND SURROUNDING AREAS". 8 September 2017.
  4. "Rocky Mountain sports network launches tomorrow" (PDF). Broadcasting Magazine: 52. November 14, 1988. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  5. R. Thomas Umstead (July 8, 1996). "Liberty Sports regionals will become Fox Sports net". Multichannel News. The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  6. "FOX SPORTS NET DEBUTS ON NOV. 1". The Columbian. Columbian Publishing Company. Associated Press. September 13, 1996. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  7. "News Corp. Reaches Deal with Liberty Media". The New York Times. December 22, 2006. Archived from the original on 2015-04-16. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  8. Mike Reynolds (November 20, 2009). "Liberty Sports Rebrands As DirecTV Sports Networks". Multichannel News. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  9. "'Root Sports' new name for sports networks". Denver Business Journal. American City Business Journals. December 17, 2010.
  10. "Root Sports regional nets now part of "AT&T Sports Networks"". Awful Announcing. 2016-04-09. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  11. "AT&T SPORTS NETWORKS WILL REBRAND ROOT SPORTS IN SUMMER 2017". ROOT SPORTS. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  12. "DISH removes AT&T SportsNet". AT&T SportsNet. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  13. "Warner Bros. Discovery tells teams it is leaving RSN business". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  14. Weprin, Alex (2023-02-24). "Warner Bros. Discovery Seeks to Exit Regional Sports Networks Business". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  15. Lucia, Joe (2023-04-11). "Warner Bros. Discovery, MLB nearing deal to keep RSNs running through 2023 season". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  16. "Sports Media: WBD Sports closer to exit from nearly all of its RSN business". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. 2023-08-28. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  17. "AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain shutting down, leaving Rockies broadcasts in limbo for 2024, sources say". The Denver Post. 2023-09-05. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  18. "Vegas Golden Knights, Scripps Sports announce 'historic' broadcast partnership". KTNV. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  19. "Utah Jazz will air games free, sell streaming packages to fans next season". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  20. "Pioneers, Altitude Sports Announce Expanded Partnership". University of Denver Athletics. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  21. "Scripps TV stations to air Big Sky Conference games starting in 2022". MontanaSports.com (MTSPX). 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  22. "ROOT SPORTS Rocky Mountain To Become Golden Knights' Television Home". Vegas Golden Knights. May 23, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  23. ndelgreco (May 23, 2017). "ROOT SPORTS TO BECOME OFFICIAL TELEVISION HOME OF THE VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS". AT&T SportsNet. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  24. "Golden Knights officially announce TV deal with ROOT SPORTS". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  25. "Aces announce TV, radio deals for WNBA home games". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2018-06-01. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
  26. Thomas Harding (February 6, 2014). "Spilborghs joins Rockies' broadcast team". MLB.com. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
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