Chicago Sports Network and Comcast announced a carriage agreement that puts the network on the cable provider’s Xfinity system starting Friday, in time for the Royals-White Sox night game. The deal ends a blackout of more than eight months that kept Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks games off the air for about 1 million Comcast customers.
The channel will be available on Xfinity’s Ultimate programming tier on Channel 200, the same spot that the teams’ former home, NBC Sports Chicago, occupied before being shut down Sept. 30. CHSN Plus eventually will be available on Ch. 201. Comcast has been moving regional sports networks across the country to its highest-priced tier because of the high cost of sports programming.
CHSN made a key concession, at Comcast’s behest, agreeing to sunset over-the-air signals Monday in several markets, including Chicago, where the network has appeared on WJYS subchannels 62.2 and 62.3. The change gives Comcast exclusivity of the signal in those areas. Other markets affected are Peoria and Rockford in Illinois and South Bend and Fort Wayne in Indiana.
The network’s OTA signal will remain available in these markets: Indianapolis; Milwaukee; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Des Moines, Iowa; Paducah/Cape Girardeau/Harrisburg, Kentucky; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Sioux City, Iowa.
OTA distribution was a big part of CHSN’s business plan, which aimed to increase the network’s footprint within its teams’ territory to sell advertising. It was never meant to replace distribution it couldn’t achieve locally, but it didn’t sit well with Comcast, which questioned why it should pay for programming that was available for free. Though CHSN will sunset some OTA signals, it likely will begin appearing on cable in those markets.
Subscribers to Comcast’s Popular tier, where NBCSCH existed, will need to pay another $20 per month for the Ultimate tier. Customers had been receiving a monthly credit of $8.85 to offset the loss of NBCSCH. CHSN’s direct-to-consumer service costs $19.99 per month for one team and $29.99 for all three. The network also is available on Astound/RCN and AT&T U-Verse cable, DirecTV satellite and steaming and streaming service FuboTV.
“On behalf of the entire CHSN team, we’re proud to welcome Comcast’s Xfinity TV customers to a network built exclusively for Chicago sports fans,” CHSN president Jason Coyle said. “With more than 300 live Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox games each year, along with original programming that highlights Chicago’s pro, college, and high school sports, CHSN delivers the most comprehensive and locally focused coverage available. This deal allows us to reach even more fans across the city and suburbs, deepen connections, and reinforce CHSN as the home for Chicago sports all day, every day.”
“We are excited to bring the White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks to fans across the region with the launch of CHSN for Xfinity TV and Comcast Business customers,” said Chris Smith, senior vice president of Comcast’s greater Chicago region.
Comcast’s blackout of CHSN marked the first time in the city’s sports history that local games were kept from such a large audience. The Blackhawks were the first team to feel the effects when the network launched Oct. 1, and their fans let them know how frustrated they were.
“Today’s announcement that Chicago Sports Network will now be available on Comcast marks the realization of the original vision for our games reaching to the widest audience possible,” Blackhawks chairman Danny Wirtz said. “Blackhawks fans have been incredibly patient over the past year as CHSN has worked to create widespread availability of our games, and I couldn’t be more excited for what this means for them. This agreement puts us back in the homes of many Chicagoans who have been missing our coverage, ensuring sports fans across the city are able to enjoy exciting Blackhawks hockey as well as all the programming we have planned for our Centennial celebration next season.”
The market’s other RSN, the Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network, is expected to remain on the Popular tier through the season and move to the Ultimate tier before next season.