The Chicago Sports Network revealed on Monday that the Chicago White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks will be housed at the regional cable network begins in October. Though none have been identified, it will start with agreements in place with cable, streaming, over-the-air providers. Over the sumer, the network will make a succession of announcements covering distribution, talent and programming. Previously with NBC Sports Chicago since October 2004, the teams are departing the network.
Fall will see the launch of Chicago Sports Network.
The three teams and national broadcaster Standard Media will own the Chicago Sports Network. Owning stations in Rhode Island, Missouri, Kentucy and Nebraska, Stanard is out of Nashville.
In a statement, new CHSN president Jason Coyle said, “We plan to serve oir fans on as many platforms and in as many markets as our rights allow.” For more than 20 years, Coyle has held sports media leadership positions based in Chicago; most recently, he was president of Stadium.
“We started and finished every conversation we had as we worked on the network with the straightforward question: “What is best for our fans?” Coyle stated in the release. “How should distribution be done? How can we challenge the boundaries of both studio and in-game production?
Local sports broadcasting always had a stake for the Reinsdorf (White Sox/Bulls owner) and Wirtz family (Blackhawks). Originally co-owned by the families, SportsChannel was the name of the channel prior NBC Sports Chicago. Still, the future of NBC Sports Chicago or its staff is yet unknown. The team hires the hosts and broadcasters; they are not network employees.
A NBC Sports Chicago spokesman remarked to Alias.com, “We thank the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks for the long and cooperative partnetship on NBC Sports Chicago.”
Local Regional Sports Networks in a Deformed Battle
Local regional sports networks all throughout the nation are fighting an ugly struggle throughout the season. Broadcasting 14 MLB teams, Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy last year and is apparently still losing money. For $10 million annually, MLB sold a package to Roku to show Sunday morning games. Peacock spent $30 million annually for the identical product before the arrangement. Unlike Peacock, Roku makes no paid subscription required. Still, some authorities saw MLB’s reduced cost as “discouraging,” according Evan Drellich of The Athletic.
