While we’re all somewhat patiently waiting to learn anything — anything — about the new Chicago Sports Network from the actual source, Jeff Agrest at the dropped a report that isn’t going to calm any Blackhawks’ fans concerns.
My first concern is (rather importantly I tend to think) what the heck are we supposed to do about the first half of the Blackhawks’ preseason schedule that’s played before Oct. 1 when the new network launches?
Well, how do you feel about radio, folks?
Well that sucks! The Blackhawks play three preseason games — only one of which is at the United Center — . They host the Red Wings on Sept. 25 and then play road games in Detroit and St. Louis on the 27th and 28th of September.
According to Agrest’s story, CHSN is “nearing” a deal to seamlessly take the place of NBC Sports Chicago for DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-Verse TV subscribers. When the new network launches on Oct. 1 (that’s 18 days, folks).
If you’re like me, you probably also wondered “Hey, what about the majority of us who don’t have DirecTV?”
CHSN’s biggest challenge regarding distribution is negotiating a carr꧋iage agreement with Comcast, the largest cable provider in the market. Its Xfinity service is believed to be in roughly half of households. Comcast has been moving regional sports networks to its highest programming tier, Ultimate TV, because of the high cost of carrying sports.
In July, Cubs president of b♛usin👍ess operations Crane Kenney told The Score that he was concerned about the team’s Marquee Sports Network maintaining carriage on Xfinity when their agreement expires at the end of September.
When I last shared an update with very limited information from a Scott Powers story earlier this week, he mentioned CHSN potentially leveraging the “must-carry law” to get on the air at a lower price point. But that would cost the network — read: the owners of the three involved teams — money.
So this is where we’re at: less than three weeks from preseason games being ghosted on a local audience and less than four weeks from the regular season beginning for the Blackhawks and… still as clear as mud.
Not great.
