Chicago Sports Network (CHSN), Comcast yet to reach agreement as first regular-season broadcast nears

The news of Comcast’s agreement to carry Marquee Sports Network came a little more than nine hours before the Chicago Cubs’ season-opening game in 2020. Marquee posted the news on Twitter at 8:56 a.m. on July 24, 2020. First pitch that day was at 6:10 p.m.

Will Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) have such news to provide on Friday as it’s scheduled to broadcast its first regular-season game of any of its three teams (Blackhawks, Bulls, White Sox) on Friday night? The Chicago Blackhawks will play the Winnipeg Jets with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. As of 1 p.m. Friday, there was no announcement of CHSN’s carriage on Comcast.

Comcast and CHSN have been in negotiations for some time and continued to talk on Friday. A Comcast spokesperson acknowledged discussions late week, and an email to Comcast on Friday morning wasn’t answered. CHSN provided the following statement Friday afternoon.

“We continue to be in active negotiations with multiple providers and we hope to share more updates soon,” a CHSN spokesperson wrote in an email.

Although more and more TV viewers have cut the cord and are spread out over different services, Comcast is still considered the major carrier in the Chicago area. Carriage on Comcast and having a direct-to-consumer option were thought of as the two biggest routes to success for CSHN. CHSN does have an interest in creating a direct-to-consumer option, but it is believed a Comcast agreement has to come first.

Comcast and CHSN are expected to reach an agreement at some point. Whether that comes before Friday’s Blackhawks game broadcast is yet to be determined. If an agreement doesn’t arrive before Friday’s game, it will be thought of a public relations loss. Fans have already been vocal about their displeasure in not being able to access CHSN through Comcast or elsewhere. When the Blackhawks posted on X about Friday being a game day, a majority of the responses were about fans’ inability to watch the game.

Aside from Comcast, CHSN is expected to land other carriage in time. Fubo and Hulu are among the other services CHSN is negotiating with, a network source said. YouTube TV is unlikely at this point. While CHSN has pursued carriage there, YouTube TV has shown less interest in carrying regional sports networks over the last few years.

CHSN is currently available over the air through a digital antenna and is being carried by DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, U-verse and Astound. Over the air, CHSN is available on channels 62.2 and 62.3 in Chicago, 19.3 and 19.4 in Rockford and 16.2 and 16.4 in South Bend, Ind. The network is also expected to be available over the air in Champaign, Peoria, Quincy and Springfield in Illinois, in Indianapolis, and in parts of Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan and Wisconsin, but those channels have yet to be announced.

(Photo: Jon Greenberg / The Athletic)