CHGO Digest: CHSN suggests 'switch' without Comcast carriage

Good morning, friends!

The bye week is over and now it’s back to work for the Bears. Despite a 4-2 start – the team’s best since 2020 – Caleb Williams and co. sit in last place in the NFC North through seven weeks.

The division is a gauntlet, and the Bears, Lions, Vikings and Packers might be among the NFC’s top five or six teams. But it’s unlikely that every team in a division makes the playoffs. How unlikely? It hasn’t happened since it became possible when the NFL expanded the playoffs to 14 teams five years ago.

That leaves the Bears 11 weeks to separate themselves from the Pack…

Onto Week 8.

— Patrick Norton

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Lacking carriage agreement, CHSN blames Comcast

It’s been a shaky launch for the new Chicago Sports Network. For customers able to watch, they’ve seen CHSN scrap their “Chicago First” initiative that displayed the Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox first on the scorebug regardless of the home team, and now they’ve seen the network abandon their unique, vertical scorebugs altogether, returning to a tradition horizontal format.

Those with Xfinity, or internet streaming providers Fubo, YouTubeTV and Hulu+, haven’t seen those things. At first, it seemed like the network’s inability to strike a deal with the cable provider was a negotiating tactic to land CHSN on Comcast’s “Popular TV” package – a step below the company’s “Ultimate TV” tier. However, a statement from the network has left fans with little hope of seeing their teams in the near future without a switch.

• The statement, released as network head Jason Coyle met with media before the Blackhawks game at the United Center on Saturday night, said, “We have been trying to formally negotiate with Xfinity/Comcast for months and have made multiple offers, without receiving any counter-offers in return.” Asked at the presser by CHGO’s Jay Zawaski about the back-and-forth between the network and distributor, Coyle said the network hadn’t even been presented with a “take-it-or-leave-it” offer.

• CHSN has carriage on DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, U-Verse, Astound/RCN, and several over-the-air (antenna) channels. The network’s statement on Saturday night added, “Currently, the only option for Xfinity/Comcast subscribers to watch Blackhawks and Bulls games is to switch to one of the providers … or utilize an antenna to take advantage of the free over-the-air access option.”

• Coyle mentioned on Saturday that an app with direct-to-consumer capability is almost ready to launch. However, the network has held off releasing the product until they have more clarity on the situation with Comcast.

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🐻⛳The Desert Duel🌵🏈

Coming with us to watch Caleb Williams and the Bears take on Kyler Murray’s Cardinals? Join us on the links for an unforgettable ALLCITY battle between CHGO and PHNX at Raven Golf Club in Phoenix. Still debating making the trip? What are you waiting for!?

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Roundup: Jayden Daniels banged up, Bulls season tips off Tuesday

• The long-awaited matchup between No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels might have to wait a bit longer. Daniels left Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers in the first quarter with an apparent rib injury and did not return. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn didn’t have an update on the quarterback’s health after the game, but Daniels returned to the sideline in sweats during the second half, waving the crowd. Marcus Mariota replaced Daniels, throwing 205 yards and two touchdowns in Washington’s beatdown of the Panthers, 40-7.

• Only the Bulls, only the Bulls! The Bulls are back, tipping off their 2024-25 regular season on Wednesday night in New Orleans. Despite bringing in several new, young faces, it’s a similar core in Chicago. The Bulls’ front office wouldn’t commit to a full teardown in the offseason, holding onto Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic despite losing DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso. But with players like Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey, a youth movement is on the horizon.

🔎 GO DEEPER | Will Gottlieb dives into how the Bulls will handle life post-DeRozan, and who’s best suited to fill his shoes.

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ALL NFL Sunday Huddle

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Join us for an upcoming CHGO event!

🌵 11/1 – 11/4 | CHGO Bears Road Trip to Arizona, including Desert Duel
🍻 11/10 | CHGO Bears Tailgate at Wabash & Cermak! — Week 10 vs. Patriots