The Avalanche and Nuggets will enter their fifth consecutive seasons without locally broadcast games on the state’s largest cable provider.

Will the Comcast-Altitude TV blackout ever be resolved?

“Trust me, as much as the fans are frustrated, no one is more frustrated than myself or my father (Stan) in this matter,” Josh Kroenke, Avalanche and Nuggets team president, said in a Monday news conference at Ball Arena. “We’re trying to figure out a resolution, because we want to show the best teams in (the NBA and NHL). … It’s a very frustrating thing for us and I can assure you we’re doing all we can.”

Since September 2019 — when the carriage agreement between Comcast and Kroenke-owned Altitude TV expired — the Avalanche and Nuggets ownership group has sought a resolution. But those strategies failed.

A quick refresher:

• Kroenke Sports and Entertainment filed an antitrust lawsuit in November 2019 against Comcast in federal court. KSE claimed the cable giant negotiated with terms that “make no economic sense” to either buy or eliminate Altitude. The parties settled last March without a new contract.

• KSE also targeted Comcast in the court of public opinion. Altitude TV, three years into the blackout, launched an online petition “to demand that Comcast put our regional sports network back on the air immediately” that has since collected more than 50,000 signatures. KSE started an advertising campaign last fall with a digital billboard driven around the city by truck that read: Why Did Comcast Dump Us? Fans are still waiting for answers. “We remain open to proposals from Altitude that would put consumers and fans first and allow us to make the games available on our platforms to those who want to watch them without raising rates for all of our customers,” Comcast spokeswoman Leslie Oliver said last week. Altitude TV remains available on DirecTV and Fubo TV.

The Denver Gazette reached out to multiple KSE officials for updates on contract negotiations with Comcast. KSE declined to respond. Josh Kroenke offered sympathy Monday, but no specific action plan, for the independent RSN’s future in Year 5 of the Comcast blackout.

“We’re looking at everything,” Kroenke said.

Below is a detailed analysis of three paths to widen distribution of locally broadcast Avalanche and Nuggets games.

1. Add MLB and renew Comcast talks: The Colorado Rockies are searching for a new RSN home with AT&T Sportsnet Rocky Mountain broadcasting its final game Sunday from Coors Field. It makes plenty of regional sense to join Altitude TV, and more important, gives KSE more leverage in renewed contract talks with Comcast. Growth is imperative for Altitude TV to survive in a volatile RSN market.

Unfortunately, it’s not guaranteed to work. The 100-loss Rockies are rarely must-see television. It’s unclear if their ratings would move the needle for Comcast. It’s also possible the team is picked up by another large RSN chain or opts for the league to stream their games on MLB.TV.

Bottom line: KSE should aggressively pitch to acquire Colorado Rockies TV broadcast rights.

2. Embrace over-the-air and streaming: Some professional sports teams are bypassing the broken RSN model. The NBA’s Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns will broadcast all their games this season on over-the-air television available for free in their local markets. They’re also unrolling a-la-carte subscription services to stream games. With “Jazz+,” fans within a 150-mile radius of the arena in Salt Lake can buy individual games for $5, a monthly subscription for $15.50 or an annual pass for $125.50 (per ESPN).

It’s unclear if or when the model will be profitable. Kroenke said he has relationships with the ownership groups in Utah and Phoenix. Has KSE considered doing the same thing?

“They’ve done very interesting things there,” Kroenke said. “Our model is slightly different here in Denver. But we’re looking at it all.”

3. Make clean exit from RSN business: Josh Kroenke, in a July 2022 news conference, said that KSE is funding Altitude TV at “a major loss” while seeking a carriage agreement with Comcast. Meanwhile, giants like Bally Sports are facing bankruptcy. What does KSE have to gain by staying in a crumbling RSN industry?

Avalanche and Nuggets team owner Stan Kroenke’s net worth is estimated at $14.6 billion (per Forbes) with much of his wealth tied to real estate. KSE is pushing to develop land around Ball Arena and Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Those plans are moving forward while the Altitude-Comcast stalemate lingers. KSE’s inability to reach a deal after four years is a reflection of its business priorities.

It might be time for a new RSN to broadcast Avalanche and Nuggets games.