Altitude Inks ESPN Syndication Deal

Kroenke Sports Enterprises’ Altitude Sports & Entertainment reached a multiyear programming deal with ESPN Syndication Sales, the Denver-based regional sports network said Tuesday.

Altitude will gain rights to 35 games per year, with at least 15 originating from Division I schools within its telecast territory, such as the University of Colorado, Colorado State University and Air Force Academy.

Highlights of the agreement include live Big 12 Conference men’s basketball, Mountain West Conference men’s basketball and football, Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball and football, as well as hoops and gridiron contest from the Sun Belt Conference, Conference USA, the Big East Conference and the Big Ten Conference.

Altitude also gains access to ESPN’s library of taped sports productions and other ESPN Syndication programming, including NCAA championship contests.

“Joining with ESPN Syndication gives Altitude rights to televise local college sports that fans and viewers in our area are passionate about,” Altitude CEO Jim Martin said in a prepared statement.

“This agreement significantly enhances our college-sports programming and makes us very strong in both professional-sports product and regional college-sports product,” he added.

Altitude is scheduled to launch in September with programming highlighted by the National Hockey League’s Colorado Avalanche and the National Basketball Association’s Denver Nuggets.