When the Golden Knights announced their new TV deal with Scripps Sports, there were many questions from the fan base. From streaming to over-the-air to cable, you name it, fans in Vegas were concerned with how they’d be able to watch their favorite team play.
A little more than a month into Scripps’ first season, every single one of those questions has been answered and the new deal has been a smashing success.
Scripps Sports is available to every household in the valley via the over-the-air signal, it was picked up and activated by all cable providers before the first preseason game, and the new streaming service, KnightTime+, launched and worked out any kinks well before Opening Night.
Simply put, it’s good to be a Golden Knights fan, and they are proving it.
According to a recent press release from Scripps, ratings for the first five locally broadcast Golden Knights games are up 135% compared to VGK games on ESPN and TNT last season.
The reigning NHL Stanley Cup champions are drawing an average 8.5 household rating in Las Vegas, according to Comscore data. The Golden Knights games, which broadcast on Scripps’ new independent station Vegas 34 (KMCC), were played on Oct. 12, 14, 17, 19 and 21. The highest-rated game was Oct. 21 against Dallas (10.5 rating). -Scripps Press Release
For comparison sake, in 2017-18, VGK’s inaugural season, they had an average rating of 1.87. The numbers started off much higher with an early preseason game pulling a 5.0. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final that year delivered an 11.1 rating. Yes, that’s right, a random regular season game against Dallas a few weeks ago almost matched one of the most historic games in the history of this sport.
The numbers jumped significantly in Year 2 to an average of 3.4. The highest game that year was a Tuesday night affair with Buffalo that drew a 4.7. In the playoffs, the Golden Knights vs Sharks series capped out at 11.1.
No matter how you slice it, the Golden Knights have become can’t-miss TV every single night on Scripps Sports. Obviously, you can thank the giant banner hanging in the rafters that says Stanley Cup Champions on it, but you can also thank Scripps Sports, who have made VGK games easier than ever to watch.
Today the Golden Knights announced their new TV home, unveiling a multi-year partnership with the newly formed Scripps Sports set to begin in the 2023-24 season. The partnership promises to offer all locally broadcast regular season games, every preseason game, and the first round of the playoffs for free to the entire Golden Knights broadcast territory.