Blackhawks Chair & CEO Danny Wirtz said the goal of Chicago Sports Network’s model, which includes their over-the-air option, was to try “to be ubiquitous” in their coverage of the Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox, according to Scott Powers of THE ATHLETIC. Wirtz said, “We had aspirations to be on all cable providers and streaming services and, of course, launching a DTC product, which was new for us as well.” He added those goals have “not been hit yet,” but “that’s still our goal.” When asked is there still hope for carriage on Comcast, Wirtz said, “We’ve had very positive conversations with them. Our hope is still to get a deal done.” Wirtz: “Our metrics that would sort of indicate brand health are still in a really good place. Our attendance is in line with our expectations. The way our members are buying and then using and showing up to games is a good indicator. … Broadcast television or our games being seen by more people is an absolute growth engine for us, it’s an amplifier of our brand, and it’s really important we get that right, so that is still a critical piece.” Wirtz added there is “a lot to be done here and there’s a lot of untapped opportunity, both within agreements that we’re hoping to make, the development of our direct-to-consumer product.” Wirtz: “There’s a lot there before we would consider a change in direction” (THE ATHLETIC, 3/17).
Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz aiming for ubiquity with CHSN model
