Seattle Kraken fans will have a new place to root for the pro hockey team next season.
The franchise announced an innovative new broadcast deal Thursday that will bring games to Amazon Prime Video and Tegna stations KING 5 and KONG in the Seattle area.
The move is a departure from regional cable broadcaster ROOT Sports, where Kraken games have been televised for the past three seasons.
As part of the multi-year agreements, KING 5 and KONG will broadcast all non-nationally televised Kraken games — more than 70 in total — for free over the air.
Prime Video will stream all non-nationally televised games for Prime members in Washington, Oregon and Alaska, including pre-season, regular season and the first round of playoffs. The Kraken are the first NHL team to have Prime Video as a direct streaming partner.
Amazon is already a major player in the franchise:
- The tech giant bought naming rights to Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena back in 2020 when the old KeyArena was being redeveloped.
- Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is part of the team’s ownership group.
- The company’s name is on team helmets and its cashierless “Just Walk Out” technology is used throughout the arena.
And Amazon is no stranger to going after the valuable streaming rights to sports broadcasts, most notably with its “Thursday Night Football” deal with the NFL, which runs through 2033. Last year, the company also announced a seven-year content deal with NASCAR to stream five NASCAR Cup Series races beginning in 2025.
Prime subscribers who pay $139 per year or $14.99 per month get access to the live sports streams, and those in the Pacific Northwest will now be able to watch Kraken games, as well. Amazon touted a boost in U.S. Prime signups during its first exclusive stream of an NFL game in 2022.
“Seattle Kraken hockey is synonymous with the Pacific Northwest, and we’re thrilled to bring Prime members in Washington, Oregon and Alaska access to Kraken games on Prime Video,” Charlie Neiman, head of sports partnerships for Prime Video, said in a news release. “Live Kraken games add to our growing selection of premium live sports and deliver additional value for Prime members throughout the Kraken home footprint.”
KING 5, an NBC affiliate, will be the official television partner for the Kraken. John Forslund, JT Brown, Eddie Olczyk, Alison Lukan and Nick Olczyk will continue broadcasting games next season.
All non-nationally televised games will be broadcast on Tegna’s KONG, with a number of games throughout the season simulcast on KING 5. In addition, games will be broadcast free over the air on Tegna stations KGW, the NBC affiliate in Portland, and KREM, the CBS affiliate in Spokane, Wash. Additional markets in the Pacific Northwest will be added.
The Arizona Coyotes and Las Vegas Golden Knights also broadcast games over the air. After a new TV deal last year, Coyotes President Xavier Gutierrez said it was necessary to reach more households, serve the fan base and capture new fans.
ROOT Sports continues to be home for Seattle Mariners baseball games.
