AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain is an American regional sports network that is owned by the AT&T Sports Networks subsidiary of AT&T Inc., as part of the AT&T SportsNet brand of networks, and is an affiliate of Fox Sports Networks. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, the network broadcasts 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.
AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain is available on cable providers throughout Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, Southern 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 is also available nationwide on satellite via DirecTV and Dish Network.
Video AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain
History
AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain was originally launched in November 1988 as the Prime Sports Network, a joint venture between Bill Daniels and Tele-Communications Inc. The channel was one of the original members of the Prime Network, a group of regional sports networks with the Los Angeles-based Prime Ticket (now Fox Sports West) as its flagship outlet. The network was later renamed Prime Sports Rocky Mountain in 1990.
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. 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. 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. 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, a new division formed when the split off from Liberty Media was completed on November 19, 2009.
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. 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 April 8, 2016, DirecTV Sports Networks rebranded under the AT&T name as AT&T Sports Networks.
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. The name change took effect on July 14, 2017.
Maps AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain
Programming
Professional sports
AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain holds the regional cable television rights to MLB's Colorado Rockies, the NBA's Utah Jazz, the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, and Major League Rugby's Glendale Raptors and Utah Warriors. The network airs pregame and postgame shows before and after all Rockies, Jazz, Golden Knights, and Aces games that it produces, as well as postgame shows for additional Golden Knights games that it does not televise. Additionally, the station produces and airs several Rockies insider programs, including The Club: Colorado Rockies, Rockies Double Play, Rockies Rewind, and Rockies Real Time. Currently, the network does not air any ancillary programming (other than the pregame and postgame shows) for the Jazz, Golden Knights, or either of the MLR teams, 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.
College sports
The network also carries many collegiate sports events, including Mountain West Conference football and basketball, Big Sky Conference football, West Coast Conference basketball, Pac-12 Conference football and basketball game replays, and, as a result of the network's continued affiliation with Fox Sports Networks, events from the Big 12, Big East, and Atlantic Coast conferences. The channel also airs various collegiate and high school insider programming, including Colorado Prep Spotlight, Lobo Football with Bob Davie, Lobo Basketball with Craig Neal, Inside Wyoming Football with Craig Bohl, Inside Wyoming Basketball with Allen Edwards, and Rams Report with Mike Bobo.
Former programming
Professional sports
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.
College and high school sports
The network was previously the home of Denver Pioneers hockey and men's and women's basketball, until Altitude Sports and Entertainment took over coverage beginning with the 2016-17 season. Additionally, the channel served as the official TV home of the Colorado Buffaloes until 2012, producing and airing all football and men's basketball games not picked up by national networks, as well as select other sporting events and a heavy amount of insider programs. The creation of the Pac-12 Network ended the Buffs' longtime relationship with the network, though re-airs of some football and basketball games continue to air. Colorado High School Activities Association football was also a network staple until Altitude took over broadcasting rights beginning with the 2013 season.
Channel 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. In turn, Colorado Avalanche games ceased to continue airing in those markets. As part of the Golden Knights deal and the network's expansion into all of Nevada and parts of Arizona and California on September 15, 2017, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain West launched. The West subfeed broadcasts Vegas Golden Knights games and content as well as WNBA's Las Vegas Aces and Nevada & UNLV Football and Basketball games.
Utah subfeed
Since at least 1990, a subfeed of AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain has been operated in the state of Utah that televises Utah Jazz basketball games. The Utah subfeed is available in the entire state of Utah and select areas of Idaho and Wyoming. Jazz games produced by AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain are also available in Idaho and Montana on sister-network Root Sports Northwest. The sub-feed was originally known as Prime Sports Intermountain West, later becoming Fox Sports Utah and Root Sports Utah. Currently the Utah subfeed does not have any different on-air branding from the main network. The most recent carriage deal with the Jazz was an exclusive 12-year agreement signed on October 20, 2009, ending the team's broadcasts on KJZZ-TV (channel 14).
On-air staff
Current on-air staff
- Colorado Rockies
- Jenny Cavnar - Rockies pre-game and post-game host, fill in play by play
- Drew Goodman - Rockies play-by-play and college basketball play-by-play
- Jeff Huson - Rockies analyst
- Tracy Ringolsby - Rockies pre-game and post-game analyst
- Ryan Spilborghs - Rockies pre-game and post-game analyst
- Cory Sullivan - Rockies pre-game and post-game analyst
- Conor McGahey - Rockies pre-game and post-game host, on field reporter
- Las Vegas Aces
- Anne Marie Anderson - Aces play-by-play
- Rushia Brown - Aces color commentary
- Katy Winge - Aces sideline reporter
- Amanda Pflugrad - Aces sideline reporter
- Utah Jazz
- Thurl Bailey - Jazz Live studio analyst
- Craig Bolerjack - Utah Jazz play-by-play
- Ron Boone - Utah Jazz color commentary
- Steve Brown - Utah Jazz sideline reporter
- Alema Harrington - Jazz Live studio host
- Matt Harpring - Utah Jazz color commentary
- Phil Johnson - Jazz Live studio analyst
- Vegas Golden Knights
- Dave Goucher - Golden Knights play-by-play
- Shane Hnidy - Golden Knights analyst
- Brad May - Golden Knights studio analyst
- Nick Gismondi - Golden Knights studio host
- Conor McGahey - Golden Knights studio host
- Gary Lawless - Golden Knights reporter
- Eric Lacroix - Golden Knights studio analyst
- College sports
- Ceal Barry - college basketball analyst
- Sherdrick Bonner - college football analyst
- Drew Goodman - college basketball play-by-play announcer
- Charlie Host - college hockey analyst
- Mark Johnson - college football analyst
- Jay Leeuwenburg - college football analyst
References
External links
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia