Blue Jackets Still Have No Broadcast Deal As Season Approaches
The team's own "How to Watch" page currently offers nothing beyond an email sign-up form. Team vice president Todd Sharrock said in late August an announcement was expected "hopefully by Labor Day," which falls on September 7, just over three weeks before Columbus opens its season October 1 against Buffalo.
Collapse That's Been Building Since February
The root of the problem goes back to the collapse of the Blue Jackets' longtime regional network.
FanDuel Sports Network Ohio's parent company, Main Street Sports Group, notified the state it was shuttering operations back in February, laying off 27 employees, part of a bigger wind-down that affected seven NHL teams altogether: Columbus, Minnesota, Nashville, Detroit, Los Angeles, Carolina, and St. Louis.
Most of those clubs have since landed on a replacement. Detroit launched its own Detroit SportsNet, the Kings folded into a channel already owned by the Angels, and Carolina built its own team-owned network.
Columbus has yet to announce anything comparable.
The team has confirmed NHL Productions, the league's in-house production arm, will handle producing the actual broadcasts, but that only solves the production side. No channel, no streaming platform, and no price have been announced.
Sharrock has said the club anticipates a similar setup to before, a mix of cable and satellite carriage, a streaming option, and a set of games airing free over the air, but none of that is locked in yet.
Team Already Buried On National TV Too
Even once local coverage is sorted out, Columbus fans won't have much of a national safety net.
The Blue Jackets will reportedly appear on national broadcasts just twice all season, an ESPN+ game against Florida on November 10 and a TNT game against Philadelphia on April 8, the fewest of any team in the Eastern Conference, where every other club has at least ten national appearances.
