The recent woes of Chicago-area sports fans being unable to watch their favorite teams have been well-documented. But for the first time, we’re able to add real data to the picture.
On Monday, local NHL viewership was reported by Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal. The numbers looked grim for one team in particular, the Chicago Blackhawks. Per Karp, audiences for the team’s local telecasts declined by 78% versus last season, a drop that amounts to about 40,000 homes per game.
The main culprit of this season’s nosedive was the Blackhawks’ new television home. Chicago Sports Network (CHSN), which launched last year as a replacement for NBC Sports Chicago, has been unable to strike a carriage agreement with Comcast, the area’s largest pay TV provider. At issue is an insistence from Comcast that regional sports networks be placed on more premium and expensive tiers, a reality that many such channels across the country have succumbed to in recent years.
CHSN, the television home of the Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox, has been dark on Comcast’s cable systems since its inception on account of this tiering dispute. Comcast customers that want to watch any of these three teams are forced to subscribe to CHSN’s direct-to-consumer streaming service that runs $19.99 per month for one team, or $29.99 per month for all three.
Addressing this issue on Monday, Blackhawks owner Danny Wirtz remarked on the untenable nature of the current arrangement.
“At the end of the day, the availability of our games on TV this past season was unacceptable — and our fans deserve better,” Wirtz said, according to The Athletic. “I am focused on finding potential solutions for next season with our partners at CHSN. We are about to celebrate 100 years of hockey as well as usher in the next generation on the ice. I am committed to ensuring our fans can see that.”
As the Comcast dispute continues, CHSN is looking at alternative methods of getting their broadcasts in front of fans. A recent report in the Chicago Sun-Times indicated that the network could strike a deal with a local over-the-air affiliate to broadcast select games from the trio of CHSN teams.
It’s also possible that the battle between CHSN and Comcast comes to a head soon. Recently, Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf met with FCC chairman Brendan Carr, presumably to put political pressure on Comcast to strike a deal.
Carriage on Comcast’s cable systems would be the easiest way to ensure that Blackhawks viewership rebounds for its 100th season next year. Otherwise, Chicago-area fans may well be left in the dust, again.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.