Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox Set To Launch Their Own RSN ‘Chicago Sports Network’ This Fall
CHSN will be home to 300+ live games annually
Story Highlights
This fall will mark a new era in the history of Chicago sports broadcasting when a new regional sports network becomes the home of Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox games. Slated to debut in October, Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) will launch across multiple platforms with Blackhawks and Bulls preseason and regular-season games followed by White Sox games starting in 2025.
New Sports Heavyweight: Besides Live Games, 24/7 Multisport Programming Is Set for CHSN
CHSN will deliver more than 300 live Blackhawks, Bulls, and Sox games annually, along with pre/postgame coverage, and 24/7 multisport programming. CHSN will broadcast from production studios located in both United Center and Guaranteed Rate Field. The network, which will be led by President Jason Coyle, is in the midst of building its staff and has begun hiring.
“As we set out to design the network,” he says, “we began and ended every discussion with the simple question: What is best for our fans? What is the best approach to distribution? How can we push the limits of both in-game and studio production? We plan to serve our fans on as many platforms and in as many markets as our rights allow.”
Coyle, who has served in Chicago-based sports-media leadership roles for more than 20 years, was previously CEO of Stadium, the 24/7 digital sports network owned by White Sox and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf ( who purchased a controlling ownership stake in Stadium from Sinclair last year). Reinsdorf also co-owns the United Center with Wirtz Corp., which owns the Blackhawks.
‘Widely Expanded Footprint’: CHSN Teams With Standard Media To Reach More Eyeballs
CHSN is a joint venture of the three teams and Standard Media and will have a widely expanded Midwest footprint: most of Illinois and parts of Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin, pending league approvals.
According to an announcement, the network will launch with agreements in place with traditional cable providers and streaming services and will be available via free, over-the-air broadcast. Announcements will be issued throughout the summer as distribution and other agreements are finalized. Updates will also be shared at CHSN.com.
Standard Media owns four stations from Rhode Island to Nebraska. Based in Nashville, its leaders have decades of experience negotiating distribution deals with cable and streaming services, according to the announcement.
End of an Era: NBC Sports Chicago Is Likely To Sunset
The launch of CHSN likely marks the end of NBC Sports Chicago (previously known as Comcast SportsNet Chicago), which, for two decades, has been the local TV home to the trio of Windy City teams, as well as to the Cubs prior to the launch of Marquee Sports Network in 2020. When the Cubs opted to launch their own regional sports network with Sinclair Broadcast Group following the 2019 MLB season, the Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox each signed a five-year extension with NBC Sports, which expires Oct. 1.
CHSN will carry Bulls and Blackhawks games this fall, and the first CHSN White Sox game will air in 2025. All remaining 2024 White Sox games will continue to be broadcast on NBC Sports Chicago, which has broadcast games for all three teams since 2004.
As the regional-sports sector experiences seismic change — including the ongoing Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy saga and the shutdown of AT&T SportsNet RSNs — many pro sports teams have brought their regional media rights in-house. For example, the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Las Vegas Golden Knights, and Phoenix Coyotes (prior to the franchise’s move to Utah) have launched their own DTC subscription streaming services and made their games available on over-the-air local broadcast stations. In addition, last year, the Houston Rockets and Astros launched Space City Home Network, and Monumental Sports Network went live in Washington, DC, with Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics games.
The hope is that delivering games over the air and on more digital platforms will expose the teams to the widest audience possible. In addition, by holding onto local media rights in the midst of a volatile market, the franchises believe they will have greater control over their own destiny in the future.
