Comcast, CHSN strike deal; network debuted Friday morning

Lands on ultimate tier

[Editor’s Note: This is an article that was originally published on June 4 and has been updated to reflect recent developments. Updated June 7.]

The long, local nightmare is over for Chicago-area sports fans who are Comcast subscribers – but for a price.

In news surfacing late Wednesday night, the Chicago Sports Network struck a tentative carriage deal with Comcast, the area’s largest cable provider. On Friday, subscribers found the home of the Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox on the carrier, branded as Xfinity on Channel 200.

There is a catch: CHSN is only available on Xfinity’s Ultimate Tier, which is $20 more expensive a month than the Popular tier, which CHSN was angling for. Comcast recently moved regional sports networks to its Ultimate tier, including those owned by its parent company. Until September 30, 2024, the three teams had a two-decade partnership with Comcast in NBC Sports Chicago, but it was dissolved when they launched a new RSN with Standard Media, a small station group based in Nashville, and is a subsidiary of hedge fund Standard General, whose Bally is a partner building a new casino in Chicago’s River West area. Ironically, NBC-owned WMAQ-TV, a former sister station to NBC Sports Chicago, was the first to report on the deal. 

“On behalf of the entire CHSN team, we’re proud to welcome Comcast’s Xfinity TV customers to a network built exclusively for Chicago sports fans,”, said CHSN President Jason Coyle in a press release. “With more than 300 live Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox games each year, along with original programming that highlights Chicago’s pro, college, and high school sports, CHSN delivers the most comprehensive and locally focused coverage available. This deal allows us to reach even more fans across the city and suburbs, deepen connections, and reinforce CHSN as the home for Chicago sports all day, every day.”

CHSN was launched on October 1, 2024, and was immediately made available to other Chicago-area providers, including Astound/RCN, DirecTV, AT&T U-Verse, and the digital subchannels of WJYS Chicago and Gray Media’s WNDU South Bend, Ind., and WIFR Rockford. 

But starting Monday, CHSN will no longer be available on WJYS’ 62.2 and 62.3 channels, as the RSN agreed to remove them, leaving over-the-air viewers and cord-cutters without access, unless they purchase the app (see below.) The deal with Gray Media has also been terminated in Rockford; South Bend, Ind.; and Fort Wayne, Ind., but remains in other markets not in each team’s footprint: Milwaukee; Indianapolis; Des Moines; Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo; Paducah, Ky.; Cedar Rapids, Ia.; and Sioux City, Ia. 

WJYS provided access for cord-cutters in the Chicago area, but was not a success due to the obscure nature of the channel and its weak signal. CHSN’s decision comes as the number of homes using over-the-air antennas has declined significantly, from 32 percent to just 19 percent, or roughly one in five homes in the United States, according to a recent study. Teams such as the Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, and most recently the Tampa Bay Lightning have adapted a combination of over-the-air stations and streaming. However, those teams abandoned RSNs entirely, and the over-the-air stations carrying games have far stronger signals and more name recognition. More recently, the WNBA’s Chicago Sky moved all of its non-network games to Weigel Broadcasting’s WCIU (known as “The U”). 

The situation between CHSN and Comcast often became tense. Earlier this year, Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf spoke at a Crain’s Real Estate Forum, accusing Comcast of “discrimination” and “bad faith” tactics for not carrying CHSN, a claim similar to one made by YES network president Randy Levine in a recent carriage deal dispute with Comcast. Two months ago, Chicago Bulls and White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf met with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, allegedly over the same issues. Although the details of that meeting were never revealed, there were hints it was about the CHSN-Comcast stalemate after Levine thanked President Trump for getting involved, leading to a deal between them and Comcast. 

CHSN launched a direct-to-consumer app this year to reach cord-cutters, with a price point of $19.99 a month for a team, or $29.99 a month, or $349.99 a year for all three. Starting Friday, Xfinity customers will have access to the app for no additional charge.

Nexstar’s WGN-TV recently made overtures to CHSN  to air a limited number of games on their station; it’s not known where negotiations currently stand on that proposal. 

Comcast is expected to move the Cubs-run Marquee Sports Network to the Ultimate tier in 2026. 

[An earlier draft incorrectly stated antenna use in the U.S. from 2024 to 2025.]