Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE) has "delayed a decision on whether to start its own sports network," according to sources of the ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS' Chris Walsh, who noted KSE had planned to make the announcement Tuesday but instead continued talks Friday with FSN Rocky Mountain "over extending its existing contract to broadcast" Nuggets and Avalanche games. KSE Senior VP/Marketing Tom Philand: "No decision has been reached, and any announcement has been delayed pending a decision being reached." One source added, "I thought this was pretty much a done deal and that Kroenke would go with a network. But things have changed significantly in the past two weeks" ( ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 1/31 ). SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Andy Bernstein reports on FSN's "last-ditch efforts last week to keep the rights" to the Nuggets and Avalanche. Bernstein adds that Kroenke hired former FSN COO Jim Martin as a consultant, and Martin is "expected to be named CEO of the venture if the teams move forward [with the RSN]." FSN Rocky Mountain GM & VP Tim Griggs said that the net is "prepared for both possibilities." Griggs: "We feel we've made some compelling offers. ... If we weren't able to reach an agreement, we're comfortable with our long-term arrangements with the [Rockies], [Jazz], University of Denver, Big 12 and Pac-10 football, ACC basketball and ... our nightly regional news show" ( SBJ, 2/2 issue ). In Denver, Marc Spears cites a source as saying KSE may "announce the launch" of its RSN prior to the NBA All-Star break (starting February 13). A Kroenke sports network also could bring the WNBA to Denver ( DENVER POST, 2/1 ).
Sponsored content
Additional Sections
