By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – @tvanswerman

TV Answer Man, I heard that Comcast settled its lawsuit with Altitude. So does that mean that Comcast will start carrying the Nuggets games again? — Bernie, Denver. 

Bernie, Comcast and the Colorado-based Altitude Sports channel have been engaged in a bitter dispute since the cable operator lost the regional sports network in September 2019 when their carriage pact expired.

Altitude has the local TV rights to the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, but the blackout has made it very difficult for Denver area fans to watch their favorite teams. Comcast is the largest cable operator in the market. DIRECTV carries Altitude, but Dish does not.

After the fee fight began, Altitude sued Comcast, claiming it used illegal negotiating tactics to either purchase the channel or force it out of business. The cable op denied the charge and the two have been occasionally appearing in court to defend their positions.

Click Amazon: See Today’s 1-Day-Only Deals!

However, there is news. Comcast and Altitude announced last week that they have settled their lawsuit. But…the settlement does not include carriage.

“Comcast controls its cable system and continues to do the wrong thing by denying the fans who pay Comcast a lot of money in large part to watch the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche,” Altitude said in a statement released Friday night.

“Comcast has been clear all along that we want to make the games available to the fans who want to watch them without making everyone else pay,” the cable operator countered in its statement.

This begs the question: What did they settle if the blackout continues? Well, neither company would comment on the terms of the agreement.

The settlement is clearly bad news for Denver sports fans who were rooting for it to trigger an end to the blackout. Now there seems to be no vehicle in place to resolve their differences except for a breakthrough in negotiations. And considering this impasse is more than three years old, that doesn’t seem likely anytime soon.

The blackout is also more evidence that regional sports networks are in peril due to carriage issues and overpayment to the leagues and teams for their broadcast rights. Diamond Sports, which runs Bally Sports, declared bankruptcy last week and Warner Bros. Discovery is threatening to stop broadcasts on its AT&T-named RSNs by month’s end.

Bernie, sorry I don’t have better news. But happy viewing and stay safe!

Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman