CHICAGO — Chicago Sports Network, the new television home of the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox, reached agreement with another carrier, just as the regular seasons for two of those teams get into full swing.
But you still won’t be able to watch this week’s three Bulls games and three Blackhawks games on Comcast, Chicagoland’s main cable provider, as of now.
Last week Friday, CHSN announced that it has reached a multi-year agreement with Fubo, a popular streaming service. Fubo will carry Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox games — when they start in the spring — on its Pro base channel plan.
The agreement was in place in time for Fubo to carry the Bulls’ game last Friday night against the Bucks in Milwaukee.
With Fubo added to the mix, CHSN is now available on two streaming platforms after previously reaching a carriage agreement with satellite giant DIRECTV, which includes DIRECTV Stream.
“Fubo continues to deliver more access for sports fans to watch their favorite teams, and they have made it clear that Chicago sports and their fans are an important part of that growth,” Jason Coyle, CHSN president, said in a statement. “As we continue to aim to be on every platform where our fans watch, we are excited about the opportunity the Fubo platform provides our fans through their flexible billing terms and availability everywhere.”
CHSN is also available on cable services U-verse and Astound Broadband, and it reached an over-the-air agreement with Millennial Communications’ WJYS-TV (click HERE to see how to watch).
However, the network has still not reached an agreement with Comcast, Chicagoland’s largest cable provider, leaving fans — and even pro athletes who play in Chicago — frustrated, according to a recent Tribune report. That report says the negotiations continue to be at an impasse because Comcast does not want to pay CHSN a cut of subscriber fees while some viewers are getting the network over-the-air for free.
Additionally, although CHSN now has an agreement with Fubo, two other major streaming services — YouTube and Hulu — have gone away from regional sports networks altogether and thus would not likely be inclined to provide CHSN.
So while CHSN’s availability has certainly increased, it continues to be in a piecemeal fashion, with many fans still unable to watch on cable.