NBC Sports Chicago Inks New Rights Deals With White Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks

Cubs are expected to depart the RSN after 2019 and launch their own with Sinclair

NBC Sports Chicago and the White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks have signed new multi-year media-rights deals covering exclusive local, multiplatform game coverage of all three teams starting with the 2019-20 season. Each deal is subject to formal documentation and pending respective MLB, NBA, and NHL approval. Financial terms were not released.

Although the trio of deals means that NBC Sports Chicago will continue to serve as the live-sports heavyweight in the Chicago market, it will likely no longer be carrying Cubs games after the upcoming season. The Cubs franchise, currently a rights partner and partial owner of NBC Sports Chicago, will reportedly leave the RSN after the 2019 season and launch its own in Chicago — dubbed “Marquee” — as part of a deal with Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Under terms of the new deals, NBC Sports Chicago and NBC Sports Chicago+ will be the exclusive regional home for all regular-season White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks games; preseason/spring training; and the first round of postseason coverage for the Bulls and Blackhawks. This new agreement also enables continuation of all games to be streamed on NBCSportsChicago.com and the MyTeams by NBC Sports app.

“The Chicago White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks have provided countless memorable moments for this city’s fans, and NBC Sports Chicago has been dedicated to immersive coverage of each and every one,” says David Preschlack, president, NBC Sports Regional Networks and Platform & Content Strategy. “This is a significant agreement, and we are proud to continue to provide the most comprehensive, multiplatform coverage of these historic franchises.”

Under the terms of the previous NBC Sports Chicago deals, NBCUniversal owns 20% of the RSN, the Cubs and Blackhawks own 20% apiece, and Chicago Bulls and White Sox Chairman/owner Jerry Reinsdorf owns a majority 40% interest. It was not announced how these new deals and the Cubs’ impending departure will impact ownership shares of the RSN.

“We are very pleased to extend our relationship with our partners at NBC Sports Chicago,” says Reinsdorf. “In addition to being the experts in consistently delivering the finest game and surrounding coverage in the business, it is their year-round commitment to providing our fans with innovative and entertaining multiplatform content that makes NBC Sports Chicago among the very best in the regional sports industry. Chicago sports fans are the greatest, and we are pleased that this agreement allows for the very best access to Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox live action and content.”

Says Chicago Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz, “Blackhawks fans should be very excited that we are continuing our partnership with NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to raising the bar on our game-day broadcasts, NBC Sports Chicago has elevated non–game-day television coverage and evolved their digital and social-media platforms into some of the most viewer-friendly in the industry.”