Chicago Sports Network's showdown with Comcast irking fans
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A rendering of the Bulls broadcast studio at the United Center. Photo: Courtesty of CHSN/Michael Kramer/MPKScenic
The Bulls take on the Bucks tonight in Milwaukee, but Chicago fans will be hard-pressed to watch it.
The big picture: The new Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) has yet to secure a carriage deal with Comcast and other cable providers, effectively blacking out Bulls and Blackhawks games for millions of viewers.
Context: CHSN launched Oct. 1, taking over for the now-defunct NBC Sports Chicago. The venture, co-owned by Jerry Reinsdorf and the Wirtz family, airs Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox games.
- It also broadcasts pre-and post-game shows from the United Center and Guaranteed Rate Field studios.
State of play: Since debuting, CHSN has secured contracts with DirecTV and other small cable and streaming services, as well as offering the channel for free to digital antenna users.
- But not with Comcast, which is the biggest cable provider in town, serving over a million Chicago customers.
- Also, not with YouTube TV.
The intrigue: The channel has trumpeted the free antenna use, reportedly rankling Comcast, which doesn't want to charge premiums for a regional sports network that you can get for free elsewhere.
Reality check: Fans have reported the free digital channel signal is weak and unreliable.
The latest: The negotiations are getting ugly as the pressure ramps up from disgruntled fans. CHSN president Jason Coyle said Comcast isn't even responding to their "discounted" offers, so the network is urging fans to complain directly to the cable giant.
Between the lines: One big problem is that regional sports networks nationwide are failing, mostly because viewers are using streaming options instead of paying premium prices for cable packages. In Chicago, Comcast charges almost $20 a month for local sports packages, which used to include NBC Sports Chicago.
Yes, but: CHSN doesn't offer a standalone subscription for streaming access to its content. They say that is in the works.
Flashback: Chicago sports fans are well aware of blackouts. Blackhawks ownership famously kept their games off television until 2007 because they felt it competed with selling tickets.
The bottom line: The local blackout is frustrating viewers, which could have a lasting impact on how fans enjoy Chicago sports.