Comcast and CHSN officially have a deal.
Two days after it was first reported that the two sides had come to terms, the cable operator and Chicago regional sports network announced that they have reached a carriage agreement. Per the announcement, viewers will be able to watch CHSN — the exclusive local television home of the Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox — through Comcast’s Xfinity Ultimate TV on channel 200 in Chicagoland beginning on Friday, giving fans the ability to watch CHSN’s Friday Night All Access coverage of the White Sox matchup against the Kansas City Royals.
“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,” Chicago Sports Network president Jason Coyle said in a release. “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.”
Added Comcast Greater Chicago Region Senior Vice President Chris Smith: “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.”
In addition to its linear offering, CHSN offers direct-to-consumer subscriptions for internet customers via CHSN.com, the CHSN app and connected TV platforms including Roku, Apple TV, Google TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung Smart TVs. Subscribers have the ability to purchase plans including $19.99 per month for access to one team or $29.99 monthly for all three teams.
News of Comcast’s agreement with CHSN brings an end to what was a very lengthy and, at times, public negotiation. In the end, the main points here are that the agreement is a multi-year deal placing the RSN on Comcast’s on Ultimate tier (where Comcast has pushed most of its RSNs to), while there aren’t any current changes to CHSN’s digital over-the-air subchannels.
With a new agreement in place, we’ll now see how it affects some of the teams’ subpar ratings, which have undoubtedly been affected by the RSN’s limited distribution.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.