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Blackhawks owner Danny Wirtz expresses frustration over CHSN and reveals his new plan for streaming

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Ryan Hall
October 16, 2024 (8:58)

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Photo credit: HAWKSINSIDER / NHL

Blackhawks owner and chairman Danny Wirtz expressed his frustration and acknowledging fan anger after sitting down with the Chicago Sun-Times regarding the rollout of CHSN.

This rollout was supposed to go smoothly as the Chicago Blackhawks, bulls and White Sox decided to create their own network to show their games to their fan base as NBC decided to disband their regional coverage.

Since the rollout on October 1st, the network has been plagued with problems which include reaching out to the public through technology and streaming troubles that have made fans quite angry along with blackouts. The biggest issue they are facing is the fact they do not have a carriage agreement with other services including Comcast, Hulu or Fubo along with YouTube which have chosen not to participate and would help expand the network's reach to the Chicago area.

«Our goal has been, and continues to be, to ensure that our games are in as many fans' pockets as possible, in whatever form that can take,» Wirtz said. «I acknowledge that, as we're doing this interview, it's not where we want [it] to be. We're disappointed we haven't reached full distribution of our goals, but we're hopeful that we're going to get there.»

The Wirtz corporation is continuing to work hard to try to resolve this lack of agreement and he remains hopeful that something will be resolved sooner rather than later.

«We are negotiating,» Wirtz said. «We're very flexible. Unfortunately, in these cases, it takes two sides to find the value in this, so that's where we're at right now. But I'm hopeful.»

The other side of this issue is that it's beginning to hurt the bottom line for the corporation as the Blackhawks have been remaining relatively invisible to many fans on their televisions. It's safe to say at this will be at the forefront of how to settle this problem and hopefully CHSN can have a better future.

«What used to be more guaranteed media rights has shifted [to where] we're sort of in control of our revenue based on ad revenue,» Wirtz said. «The model has shifted. We're betting on ourselves that we can get back up there. In the short term, it's a factor.»

The Blackhawks will return home to have their home opener along while celebrating the 30 year anniversary of their arena The United Center. They will take on the lowly San Jose Sharks on October 17th and game time will be at 8:30 PM eastern.

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Gary Bettman just hinted at horrible news for NHL viewership and games on cable TV look to go extinct

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