Chicago Sports Network, Comcast still talking as channel’s first regular-season game nears

Chicago Sports Network and Comcast continue to negotiate a carriage deal, with an industry source describing talks as day to day and hour to hour as the network approaches its first regular-season game Friday night, when the Blackhawks visit the Jets.

CHSN, which launched Oct. 1 as the new home of the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks, is available on DirecTV satellite, DirecTV Stream and U-Verse and Astound/RCN cable. But Comcast is the largest TV provider in the Chicago area. CHSN also is available over the air via antenna.

The biggest points of contention between CHSN and Comcast are likely channel placement and cost. Comcast has been moving regional sports networks to its highest programming tier because of the high cost of carrying sports. Though Comcast’s coverage will allow it to pay less to carry the channel than smaller providers, its sports audience is a fraction of its total audience.

While the network is expected to appear on Comcast’s Xfinity system eventually, it likely won't find carriage on YouTube TV, the most popular live-TV streaming service. YouTube has dropped most regional sports networks, including the Bally Sports-branded networks, and it has never carried the Cubs' Marquee Sports Network.

CHSN is replacing NBC Sports Chicago, which shut down Sept. 30. With help from parent company NBCUniveral, NBCSCH had wide distribution on live-TV streamers, including YouTube and Hulu. CHSN is a joint venture between the teams and Standard Media, a private company based in Nashville, Tennessee.