Our continued wait to see how and where (and, frankly, when) we’ll be able to watch Chicago Sports Network, the new home of the Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox, is slowly starting to get some clarification.
On Monday morning, Chicago Sports Network announced channel numbers for an over-the-air agreement beginning when the network goes live on Oct. 1. The OTA agreement, with Millennial Telecommunications’ WJYS TV, will have games “televised on Channel 62.2 and Channel 62.3. Both channels will convert over to HD and carry full-time CHSN programming beginning Oct. 1.”
The good news for those who have no clue how to do the whole over-the-air thing is there’s a detailed FAQ on how to buy and install a digital antenna can be on CHSN.com, which updated over the weekend.
From the release:
โFan-first has been our north star,โ said Jason Coyle, Chicago Sports Network president. โWe are making our content available on the platforms that our fans can watch. For those households who, for whatever reason, choose over-the-air as their primary viewing platform, they now have an opportunity to see the games and build even stronger connections with the teams and personalities they love.”
For the roughly 600,000 Chicago Designated Market Area (DMA) homes without a pay-TV service, an over-the-air antenna that receives all of the channels will be necessary to see the games. Visit this website for guidance on selecting and installing an antenna and scanning for channels.
Other Chicago Sports Network Updates
- As we previously shared, Jeff Agrest of the Chicago Sun-Times has reported the first digital/cable distribution deal is reportedly being worked out with DirecTV — it has not yet been announced, however.
- We also shared late last week the studio teams for both the Blackhawks and Bulls broadcasts.
- One other update: we previously shared the question/concern that the Blackhawks play their first three preseason games in September… and CHSN doesn’t go live until Oct. 1. Over the weekend, CHGO reported the Blackhawks will stream their first preseason game — at home vs. Detroit on Sept. 25 — and is working on options with the Blues and Wild to find a way to get those road preseason games to a Chicago audience. So stay tuned here for something formal hopefully soon.