Are the Comcast Network and CSN+ Now the Same Thing? Anyone Know the Current Status of CSN+ in Hano

[HanoverPretzel]

So, I had Comcast cable up in Hanover, PA a couple years ago. They carried Comcast Sports Network Mid-Atlantic (Which carries most Capitals and Wizards games) and CSN+ (Which carries whichever team isn't on the main channel when CSN has the rights to both games on the same night at the same time) for a while, but then they dumped CSN+, which meant Comcast customers in my area couldn't get all the Capitals games. For that and other reasons, I wound up switching to Dish.

Well, a couple months into next season, my contract with Dish expires. It's possible that it might even be financially advantageous for me to pay the last couple months of my EFT (Would be like $30 to leave 2 months early) if I can get a good winback offer and bundle my Internet right around the start of hockey season.

But I need to know- is CSN+ back on Comcast cable in the area? I don't want to miss any Capitals games.

Right now, the CSNWashington.com channel finder is still listing channel "0" for CSN MA+. However, the channel listing on the Comcast cables site shows that the Mid-Atlantic version of "The Comcast Network" is available in the region and lists a channel number. Is the Comcast Network basically CSN+ with extra programming when the games aren't on? Would all the CSN+ games be on there?

Can anyone actually in Hanover, PA with Comcast cable verify whether the CSN+ games were shown locally or not this past season?

 

[Juan]

Did u check the overflow channels?(yes comcast has them too) Seems kinda dumb that comcast would dump its on channel

 

[HanoverPretzel]

Seems kinda dumb that comcast would dump its on channel

Yeah, it does. But they did it. The conspiracy theory in me notes that Comcast owns the Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia 76ers, and thus really cares about having Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia and it's overflow games like 2 1/2 hours or more from Philly, but sometimes gives the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards the short end of the stick, less than two hours from DC (Where games have always been shown- We used to be a Baltimore/Washington only market cable sports wise, the introduction of the Philly RSN is a new thing). There could be some corporate politics in play here. Or simply some "Eh, we've got an awful lot of RSNs now in the market (4), maybe one will charge us less if we cut their alternate channel (Even though they own that particular RSN)".

I actually would call them and they'd have no idea what I was talking about. It could have been just been a bureaucratic screw up, because the areas to east and west of me both had CSN+. We also had C-SPAN (1) and C-SPAN 3, but no C-SPAN 2 for a while. I mentioned it to someone as an aside (I'm not really that into C-SPAN, I just happened to mention it) and they said "No, you have C-SPAN2, it's channel [whatever]". I flicked to that channel while on the phone with him and nothing came up, and the channel wasn't listed in the guide. I think sometimes these large companies intend to have stuff available, and maybe think they do, and they don't, but they're so large that it never really penetrates that a localized problem exists so they can fix it (Or it takes a while- I do note that their online channel lineup listing now does include C-SPAN2).

So, I was placed in the ironic position of having to switch away from Comcast cable to watch some Comcast Sportsnet (Mid-Atlantic) Plus games. I mean, there were financial reasons and other stuff in play there as well, but that was one consideration. And it might be what prevents me from switching back if they haven't resolved the situation yet. I mean, to me, it's basic that I want to be able to watch my local teams' games. That is probably the main reason I have cable or satellite in the first place.