Over a year ago, the White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks announced that they were partnering with Standard Media Group to create the new television broadcast home for all three teams, which eventually became Chicago Sports Network (CHSN for short). Starting in October, the network went live missing one small little thing: a carriage agreement with Comcast, the largest cable provider in Chicago.
Ratings for the Blackhawks this past season, their first on the new network, were down 78% from the previous year on NBC Sports Chicago. The Bulls were looking at a 63% decrease as of February. The White Sox, coming off a season where they set the MLB record for losses in a year, were not exactly worth the $29.99 the network was charging for streaming.
Well, that all changes today. Word broke yesterday that the fledgling network had finally reached agreement with Comcast to be added to their channel line-up. They are expected to be placed on the Ultimate tier plan, which will add $20 to your cable bill if you are not already subscribed. The Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network is expected to be moved to the same tier following this season. With live sports seemingly one of the few reasons to keep cable, it seems that providers are looking to soak their customers for as much as they can before everything moves to streaming.
