Chicago Sports Network is expected to launch on Comcast cable Friday on Xfinity’s Ultimate tier, the Sun-Times has learned, finally putting the new home of the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks on the area’s dominant cable operator. Network officials did not return requests for comment. NBC 5 Chicago was the first to report the deal.
CHSN launched Oct. 1, 2024, with agreements with Astound/RCN cable and DirecTV satellite and streaming, but it has been blacked out for Comcast’s 1 million Chicago-area customers. The network knew its path to wide distribution would be bumpy, especially with Comcast, which has been moving regional sports networks across the country to its highest programming tier.
That move was a sticking point in negotiations with CHSN, who demanded appearing on the lesser-expensive and more widely viewed Popular tier. Also hindering talks was CHSN’s availability on over-the-air TV. Comcast had issues with charging its customers for a channel that was available for free, even though the OTA signal on WJYS subchannels 62.2 and 62.3 wasn’t always reliable.
Xfinity’s Ultimate tier will cost customers an additional $20 per month. Customers had been receiving a monthly credit of $8.85 to offset the loss of NBC Sports Chicago, which went off the air Sept. 30.
While CHSN will air on the Ultimate tier, the Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network is expected to remain on the Popular tier through the season and move to the Ultimate tier before next season.