The Blackhawks Get More Trouble Dealing with CHSN Carriage
The Blackhawks finally have a competitive team on the ice this season, despite the 2-3-1 start to the season.
They have put up a good fight against the Edmonton Oilers, and Winnipeg Jets, and could end up faring better this spring than last. Remember how bad the injuries were then?
Well, instead of a problem on ice, this time the Blackhawks have an issue with the Chicago Sports Network's carriage. They're in negotiations with Comcast/Xfinity which seems to have gone nowhere fast.
The biggest issue delaying the deal is Comcast's refusal to deal with fees, which has led to CHSN's Jason Coyle making an announcement that the Blackhawks fans may not be able to view the team on local screens anytime soon.
Fortunately, DirecTV reached an agreement with CHSN, but YouTube TV shot down the deal. In the meantime, CHSN's Jason Coyle is pursuing Fubo, as a possible alternate all the while.
The Blackhawks fans are furious while the ball continues to get passed back and forth between the CHSN, and Comcast/Xfinity.
A deal with these two carriers is required for the Blackhawks to reach the majority of their fans.
For now Coyle's statements suggest that Comcast isn't interested and are at an advantage in the negotiations. If CHSN capitulates, that could mean less revenue for the team, the league, and players involved.
This is a real bad deal which could mean the CHSN starts operating at a loss from the beginning.
There's been talk about an "app" for CHSN, but there's no indication that it's ready for launch yet. Which means, Blackhawks fans have to use more, dishonest means of watching the games for now.
For now, it seems that this bet with Jerry Reinsdorf hasn't paid off, and rather than pay NBC Universal, they will take a loss just to maintain a little bit more control over the broadcast.
At this point, was CHSN worth it? You can't even reach your fans.
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