Hawkvision was a short-lived subscription TV

Pay TV

Pay television, premium television, or premium channels refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by both analog and digital cable and satellite, but also increasingly via digital terrestrial and internet television...

 service founded by Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...

 owner Bill Wirtz

Bill Wirtz

William Wadsworth "Dollar Bill" Wirtz was the chief executive officer and controlling shareholder of the family-owned Wirtz Corporation. He was best known as the owner of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League, who are part of Wirtz Corp's holdings...

. The service broadcast Chicago Blackhawks games. It operated in conjunction with Chicago's local SportsChannel outfit and access cost $

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

29.95 per month.

Overview

In 1992, Wirtz, who had a reputation for stubbornness and frugality, ended all Blackhawks broadcast agreements with network and cable television

Cable television

Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...

outlets. While vilified for this decision by many Blackhawks fans, he felt that broadcasting regular home games was unfair to the team's season-ticket holders. Only Blackhawks games picked up by national broadcasters (which only happened when the Blackhawks made the playoffs) were shown on regular TV.

Hawkvision only broadcast for a short time, ending after the season. However, regular Blackhawk home games would not resume airing on TV until the season (after Wirtz died).