Unsolved glitch behind problems with TNT's Blackhawks broadcast in Chicago

A technical glitch was the reason behind TNT’s broadcast of the Bruins-Blackhawks game Wednesday either being blacked out or disappearing from TV screens, the Sun-Times has learned.

Hawks fans without access to Chicago Sports Network thought they were getting a reprieve when the team announced that the national broadcast of the game would not be blacked out in the Chicago market. But that’s not how it turned out.

YouTube TV subscribers never saw the game, while Comcast customers saw about half of the first period before the feed disappeared. It was the latest frustration for fans who lost access to games when the Hawks, Bulls and White Sox moved from NBC Sports Chicago to CHSN this season.

TNT initially blacked out the game locally, which is common practice for nonexclusive broadcasts. The NHL lifted the blackout, but normally such decisions are made 48 hours in advance because providers need time to recalibrate their system. The league and network are trying to figure out what happened.