Comcast credits for defunct NBC Sports Chicago could be good sign for Chicago Sports Network

Finally, we have some good news for Comcast customers in the company’s carriage dispute with the fledgling Chicago Sports Network.

No, the new home of the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks won’t appear where the defunct NBC Sports Chicago did on Xfinity systems just yet.

But monthly credits are coming!

“We are automatically applying a monthly credit to customers’ Regional Sports Network [RSN] fees because NBC Sports Chicago is no longer available,” a Comcast spokesperson said. “Customers are receiving emails and bill messages to inform them that no action is needed to get this credit.”

Comcast’s regional-sports fee is $19.20 (you can find it on your bill under “service fees”). Customers paid that for access to Big Ten Network, Marquee Sports Network and NBCSCH. With NBCSCH out of the picture, Comcast will credit customers $8.85 monthly, according to an email they’re receiving.

“We’ll continue to apply this credit to your monthly bill until your RSN fee is adjusted,” the email says.

So we’ve got that going for us, which is nice.

But there’s more. Industry insiders see the credits as a positive sign in negotiations between Comcast and CHSN, which has yet to appear on the area’s largest cable provider since launching Oct. 1. They say giving customers credits, rather than adjusting the RSN fee, indicates that Comcast expects to carry CHSN at some point and that an RSN blackout similar to ones other markets have experienced is unlikely.

If Comcast had no plans to carry the channel, it would lower the fee and be done with it. But by keeping it at $19.20 and crediting customers as talks continue, Comcast is hedging its bet. It can stop giving the credits and establish a new fee when an agreement is reached. Customers could end up seeing the fee reduced as CHSN negotiates for carriage at a discount.

It’s a subtle message, but it beats the acrimony that fans are feeling. Comcast customers who can’t wait any longer have other options. CHSN is available on U-Verse and Astound/RCN cable, DirecTV satellite and DirecTV Stream and Fubo streaming services. It’s also available via antenna over the air on WJYS subchannels 62.2 and 62.3.

And at the pace of talks with Comcast, CHSN could launch its direct-to-consumer service before it appears on Xfinity. Initially, the network was being cautious about releasing the platform out of respect for its distributors. But with a dozen on board and Comcast still holding out, CHSN could have its DTC service available soon.

In the meantime, the network is trying to remind fans without the channel that there are ways to watch it, not to stick it to Comcast but to keep itself on fans’ radars. CHSN even got some outside help this week from Chicago sports-media mogul David Kaplan, who showed viewers of his “REKAP” show on YouTube how to connect an antenna to a TV.

“This was our idea,” Kaplan said of himself and partner Ryan McGuffey. “So many friends of mine say, I can’t figure out this antenna. At the office, we need to watch games here. We got the antenna, and I said we should do a video on how easy it is, and here’s how you do it. I tweeted it and said, you guys [at CHSN] ought to watch this video.”

CHSN posted the video to its X page Tuesday, and it has received more than 156,000 views. It has another 7,300 views on Kaplan’s YouTube page. CHSN has never intended antennas to be a primary means of distribution. It’s meant for fans who will never subscribe to cable or who can’t afford to. But it’s coming in handy for now.

Meanwhile, Marquee continues to work under short-term extensions as broadcast partner Sinclair negotiates with Comcast for its array of network affiliates. Marquee is still on Xfinity’s Popular TV tier, but like CHSN, it will have to accept moving to the Ultimate TV tier, which will cost customers another $20 per month. It’s part of Comcast’s plan to move all RSNs to its most expensive channel package.

Remote patrol

• The Red Stars’ quarterfinal match at 7 p.m. Friday at Orlando will air exclusively on Prime Video, marking the streamer’s first NWSL playoff game. Play-by-play voice Mike Watts, analyst Heather O'Reilly and sideline analyst Britney Eurton will have the call.
  
• With No. 10 Notre Dame playing in prime time Saturday, the “Big Ten Saturday Night” crew of Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge and Kathryn Tappen will call the Irish’s game against Florida State at 6:30.
  
• Kevin Kugler, Daryl Johnston and reporter Laura Okmin will call the Patriots-Bears game at noon Sunday on Fox. In just two weeks, the Bears dropped from CBS’ No. 1 crew to Fox’s No. 5 crew.