The Seattle Kraken are doubling down on their free, over-the-air television model, announcing a multi-year extension of their broadcast partnership with TEGNA Inc. that keeps games widely accessible throughout the Pacific Northwest while reinforcing a strategy that has significantly expanded the team’s reach.
Since launching the Kraken Hockey Network ahead of last season, the NHL franchise has prioritized broad distribution over a traditional cable-first approach, and that decision has paid dividends in the form of sharply increased audience numbers across a five-state footprint.
Team executives say the agreement with TEGNA has tripled viewership compared to prior distribution models, while placing games in more than four million homes through a collection of local affiliates.
For Ryan Schaber, the team’s vice president overseeing KHN broadcasts, the impact has extended beyond metrics and into everyday conversations around Seattle-area youth sports fields and gyms.
“Just a huge amount of people have come up to me and said, ‘Oh, great, I can watch the games now! I didn’t have access before and now I do!’” Schaber said. “It’s really great. I actually hear that a lot and it makes me feel good because I think we’ve always done good work and put on a good product. But the fact so many people can see it now is just great.”
The extension ensures that all locally produced, non-national broadcasts will continue airing on KONG in Seattle, with select games simulcast on KING 5, the local NBC affiliate. Viewers in Spokane and Portland will also receive games on TEGNA-owned stations, and the company is collaborating with additional partners to broaden over-the-air access across Washington, Oregon and Alaska.
Importantly, the arrangement does not alter the team’s separate streaming agreement that allows Amazon Prime members to watch games through Prime Video, a component that complements the broadcast model rather than replacing it.
The timing of the renewal comes as the Kraken resume play from the Winter Olympic break within striking distance of the Pacific Division lead.
In a statement, TEGNA’s senior vice president of sports rights, Brad Ramsey, said the partnership has delivered on its original promise of increasing access while providing advertisers with new opportunities tied to local sports programming.
“We have done exactly what we set out to do, giving more fans, in more homes, access to more games than ever before,” said Ramsey. “We are more committed than ever to serving local fans with the content they care most about, and our advertising partners with solutions that help them move the needle.”
KING 5, TEGNA and the Kraken will jointly handle advertising and sponsorship sales for local telecasts under the renewed agreement.
Beyond live games, ancillary programming such as the weekly Kraken Home Ice show on KING 5 will remain part of the package, helping integrate team storytelling with broader regional sports coverage. Schaber said collaboration with established on-air talent across TEGNA properties strengthens that connection, particularly in a market where the company also holds Seahawks rights and national sports inventory.
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