Through the first 14 games of the Blackhawks’ season, the worst part isn’t anything happening on the ice. That’s because the majority of Chicago-area fans can’t even watch their teams on TV yet. The rollout of the new network, Chicago Sports Network (CHSN), has been a complete disaster. The group has reached an agreement with carriers like FuboTV and DirecTV, and does offer a somewhat spotty over-the-air broadcast for consumers with antennas. However, they haven’t yet caught on with Comcast, Hulu, YouTubeTV and more, meaning they have yet to reach the majority of regional fans.
On Wednesday, it became clear that the network hasn’t just been a big letdown for fans, but for players, too. Captain Nick Foligno fired a subtle shot at CHSN after a frustrating loss to Detroit.
“We’ve got to figure it out at home, especially while we’re not on TV. We’ve got to find a way to get our fans excited about us playing here.”
– Nick Foligno
The Blackhawks clearly haven’t been getting it done at the United Center so far this season, having gone 1-4 with their only win coming almost a month ago against the Sharks. That makes Foligno’s take a pretty interesting one – if fans can’t watch their team on the road, the Blackhawks need to get the job done at home.
But if Foligno’s comments are any indication, CHSN’s woes have made a disastrous impact on not only their finances and the fans’ convenience, but also on the team itself. He seems to feel that it’s not just the Blackhawks’ lack of success that has dulled Chicago’s excitement, but also the fans’ ability to watch their team. Could CHSN figuring things out actually help the Blackhawks on the ice?
On the bright side, it looks like there is hope on the horizon for the network to become available to the rest of the regional audience. Jeff Agrest of the Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday afternoon that Comcast is applying a monthly credit to customers’ Regional Sports Network fees in the absence of NBC Sports Chicago. That’s important news because if there was no plan to carry CHSN on Comcast, the service would instead simply adjust their fee. With Comcast opting for monthly credits, it seems it’s not a matter of if, but when the two sides will reach an agreement.
Additionally, CHSN is expected to be close to releasing its one-of-a-kind app, which has been in the works but wasn’t released out of respect to the other distributors. Now that many either have reached a deal or are still holding out, that app could be released any day now.
