How Kraken fans outside of Seattle can watch games live following Root Sports departure

Following the end of the Seattle Kraken’s 2023-24 season, the young team announced its departure from Root Sports coverage.

Root Sports is a regional sports network owned by the Seattle Mariners featuring live sports and related coverage. Since the Kraken’s inaugural season in 2021, the hockey games were regularly live on Root Sports.

The announcement this April promised a massive change in viewing for Kraken fans, with goals of low costs for viewers.

As the opening game of the 2024-25 season against St. Louis on Oct. 8 approaches, here are all the ways Kraken fans outside of western Washington can watch games live.

Watch live Kraken games outside Seattle

This season, Kraken fans will get their games through the Kraken Hockey Network, featuring many of the same faces from Root Sports’ Kraken coverage, including John Forslund, Eddie Olczyk, JT Brown, Piper Shaw and Alison Lukan. Both Ian Furness and PNW sports veteran Linda Cohn are joining the team this year, according to official team announcements.

The Kraken Hockey Network rolled out with the preseason, with new graphics and game-time stats for viewers. The network partners with several organizations to offer hockey fans multiple options for viewing. A team news release from Sept. 16 states the move assures 96% of fans in Washington, Oregon and Alaska will be able to watch at no additional cost through their existing cable and Prime streaming services.

The Kraken have partnered with TEGNA, a media company operating local stations across the region. In Seattle, games will be on KONG (and occasionally simulcast with KING). Outside of Seattle, if you’re watching on your cable plan, or at a local bar or restaurant, you’ll use these channels:

• Tri-Cities/Yakima: KAPP/KVEW
• Spokane: KREM/KSKN
• Juneau, Alaska: KYEX
• Anchorage, Alaska: KAUU
• Portland, Oregon: KGW
• Eugene, Oregon: KEVU/KLSR

If you don’t have a cable package, purchasing an antenna will give you access to Over the Air stations.

Additionally, the Kraken became the first NHL team to partner directly with Prime Video. All 72 locally-broadcast games will also be available on Prime Video in Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Oregon, according to the team’s Senior Vice President of Broadcast and Media Relations Chris Brumwell.

Brumwell told the Herald that no other team in any of the Big 4 sports organizations officers all their local games on Prime. These games are included with a standard Prime membership.

“The aim is to super-size fan access to games and eliminate subscription costs across the Pacific Northwest,” stated Bob Condor, the team editor and chief, via press release.

Nationally broadcast 2024-25 Kraken games

All but ten games will be locally broadcast this season, according to the news release.

A select ten will be nationally televised by ESPN, ABC or TNT:

• Oct. 8 - Home/season opener vs. St. Louis Blues - ESPN, ESPN+
• Oct. 22 - Home vs. Colorado Avalanche - ESPN, ESPN+
• Nov. 20 - Home vs. Nashville Predators - TNT, truTV
• Dec. 5 - Away vs. New York Islanders - ESPN+
• Jan. 30 - Home vs. San Jose Sharks - ESPN
• Feb. 6 - Home vs. Toronto Maple Leafs - ESPN+
• March 6 - Away vs. Nashville Predators - ESPN
• March 8 - Away vs. Philadelphia Flyers - ABC, ESPN+
• March 19 - Away vs. Minnesota Wild - TNT
• April 15 - Final game of the regular season at home vs. Los Angeles Kings - ESPN

These games will not be available on TEGNA channels or Prime Video. However, games on ESPN will be available on Hulu, and games on TNT will be available on Max.

For fans outside of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, you’ll need an ESPN+ or NHL Center Ice subscription to watch games live, according to Brumwell.

Listen to Kraken games

If radio coverage is more your speed, the Kraken use anchor station Sports Radio KJR 93.3 FM and iHeart Radio to reach more than two dozen affiliate stations across the team’s broadcast region. They have the third-highest number of affiliate radio stations in the league, beat only by long-time franchises Pittsburgh and Minnesota, according to the news release.

Tune in for game coverage with Everett Fitzhugh and Al Kinisky, plus pre- and post-game coverage with Mike Benton. Outside of the Seattle area in Washington, use these stations:

• Spokane: KIX 99.3 FM
• Tri-Cities: KJOX 1340 AM
• Yakima: KBBO 1390 AM
• Ellensburg: KXLE 95.3 FM
• Aberdeen: KSWW 102.1 FM
• Colfax: KRAO 102.5 FM .3 FM
• Bellingham: KPUG 1170 AM, KGMI 790 AM
• Shelton: KMAS 1030 AM and 103.3 FM
• Mount Vernon: KAPS 660 AM and 102.1 FM
• Port Angeles: KONP 1450 AM and 101.7 FM
• Forks: KBDB 96.7 FM
• Olympia: KAYO 96.9 FM, KGY 95

In Oregon, use:

• Portland: KPJ 620 AM
• Astoria: KCRX 102.3 FM
• Hood River/The Dalles: KIHR 1340 AM and 98.3 FM
• Corvallis: KEJO 1240 AM

In Alaska, use:

• Anchorage: KTZN 550 AM
• Juneau: KTKU 105.1 FM
• Ketchikan: KTKN 930 AM and 95.7 FM
• Kenai: KSRM 920 AM
• Sitka: KIFW 1230 AM
• Kodiak Island: KVOK 560 AM and 98.7 FM
• Fairbanks: KKED 104.7 FM

In Idaho, use KOFE 1240 AM and in Montana, use KKVU 102.9 FM.