The Chicago Blackhawks’ primary network, Chicago Sports Network, continues to face a significant problem for local fans. Most Blackhawks supporters are still unable to legally watch the games.
Fans are questioning, “Why is this ongoing issue not resolved?” The persistent greed and arrogance of the ownership of the Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox has forced supporters to seek legal alternatives for viewing games. Previously, while the Hawks were on NBC SportsNet Chicago, NBC Universal handled negotiations and broadcasting fees. Instead of partnering with a reputable media company like NBC or even the Sinclair Media Group, which operates Marquee, the teams chose an obscure and cost-effective option.
The franchise owners selected Standard Media, a company that is largely unknown to the public but was deemed inadequate for negotiating broadcasting deals and carriage fees by many in the media industry.
Jeff Agrest of the Chicago Sun-Times noted that Standard Media owns only four stations and is a subsidiary of Standard General, a hedge fund that recently failed to merge with Tegna, which operates 64 stations. Standard General also manages Bally’s casinos, which previously branded Diamond Sports Group’s bankrupt regional sports networks.
For Blackhawks fans without Comcast/Xfinity, there is now another viewing option thanks to a deal CHSN struck with FuboTV. FuboTV charges a monthly fee of $79.99 and requires an additional regional sports package for $14.99 to access CHSN. This adds a third way to watch Blackhawks games, alongside DirecTV and local antenna options.
While some consider using an antenna to be the easiest choice, others have encountered challenges with it. Mark Lazerus shared his frustrating experience trying to catch a Blackhawks game before ultimately giving up.
This scenario highlights why antennas became outdated as a technology back in the 1980s.
