How to Watch Nuggets Games Since Comcast and Altitude Are Still Fighting

The Denver Nuggets kick off the NBA season tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray swept in the Western Conference Finals last year en route to the franchise’s first championship.

The opening-night game — broadcast by TNT — is one of the few Nuggets showdowns that most Denver-area viewers will be able to watch on television this season, thanks to the ongoing dispute between Altitude TV and Comcast.

Altitude is the Stan Kroenke-owned television channel that holds the local media rights for the Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche. Since August 2019, Comcast and DISH Network customers haven’t been able to get the channel after the cable companies dropped it because of broadcasting fees they claim were just too high to make financial sense. DIRECTV also dropped Altitude, but the two parties reached an agreement in October 2019.

“As much as the fans are frustrated, no one is more frustrated than myself or my father in this matter,” Josh Kroenke, son of Stan and Nuggets president and governor, told media on October 2. “We’re trying to figure out a resolution, because we want to show the best teams in the leagues, and we have the Avs and the Nuggets.”

After four years of fighting, including legal spars after Altitude filed a lawsuit alleging Comcast violated antitrust laws by trying to eliminate the Kroenke channel, Comcast and Altitude still haven’t come to a deal.

“Instead of pursuing baseless litigation, Altitude should engage in responsible commercial negotiations that would allow Comcast to distribute its programming to those customers who want it without driving up costs for customers who do not,” Comcast blasted at the time of the initial 2019 lawsuit.

The parties settled the case this May, but it didn’t lead to Altitude TV returning to the air for 90 percent of the Denver market that subscribes to the broadcasting giant. Comcast still insists that to carry the channel for the general population, it would cost too much for customers who don’t care about sports, and Altitude insists the price it wants to charge is fair.

"Comcast and Dish are both insisting upon massive reductions in price and distribution from Altitude," an Altitude TV web page details. "Neither has changed their stance, even as their competitor DIRECTV has reached an agreement with Altitude that demonstrates that they value the content and fans throughout the region."

The dispute has caused plenty of frustration for fans. “Missing out on more Nuggets and Avs action blows — although not enough for me to pony up more dough to Comcast,” Westword senior contributor Michael Roberts concluded in May.

Luckily, the Nuggets being good (and defending champs) means that Denverites will get to see at least 22 out of the team's approximately eighty games this season on national television, spread out among different dates and locations via ESPN, TNT and ABC. There are also eight more broadcasts scheduled for NBA TV, but those are blacked out by Altitude.

Tonight, TNT’s Inside the NBA — the legendary analysis show featuring the antics of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith — will be live and on site in Denver. The game tips off at 5:30 p.m., but starting at 3 p.m. fans can pop by the “NBA on TNT American Express Road Show" fan event at the Tivoli Quad on the Auraria campus. There they can watch the pre-game trophy-hoisting festivities and the game itself.

The event will include plenty of fun activities as well as musical performances by the Chainsmokers and Dermot Kennedy after the game.

If a sports bar is more your style, check out Westword’s list of best places to watch the Nuggets or hit up a watch party around town, like the one at the Monkey Barrel, 4401 Tejon Street.

For those who don’t want to go out, you can buy a FuboTV package that carries Altitude TV. The network pitched the streaming service — designed for sports fans who want to cut the cable cord — as a win last season. But with packages starting at $70 per month, many people weren’t pleased with the option.

“It’s a very frustrating thing for us, and I can assure you we’re doing all we can,” Kroenke said on October 2. “We want the best for the fans, and that’s to see their teams.” 

Westword sympathizes with Avs and Nuggets fans, so we're forced to present what has (sadly) become the most reliable way to watch: illegal streaming.

Streams tend to be a minute or so behind the live action, or even more depending on which service you use, so be sure to stay off social media when using them. We won't share exactly which sites we frequent (wouldn’t want to get our favorite pirates in trouble), but they’re not hard to find.

Go, Nuggets! Best of luck getting them on your screen.