 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, and Wisconsin |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 480i/720p/1080iHDTV over-the air and linear 4KUHDTV streaming and linear (TBD), select events |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | |
| Key people | Jason Coyle, CEO |
| History | |
| Founded | 2024 |
| Launched | October 1, 2024; 13 months ago (2024-10-01) |
| Replaced | NBC Sports Chicago |
| Closed | June 9, 2025 (2025-06-09) (select OTA affiliates) |
| Replaced by | Stadium (select OTA affiliates) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | www |
| Website | chsn |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| DirecTV Stream | Internet Protocol television |
| FuboTV | Internet Protocol television |
Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) is an Americanregional sports network owned byStandard Media, theWirtz Corporation, owner of theChicago Blackhawks, andJerry Reinsdorf, owner of theChicago Bulls andWhite Sox franchises. It launched after the teams' contracts withNBC Sports Chicago expired on October 1, 2024.
The network is distributed via multiple platforms, including viasubchannels of broadcast television stations within its teams' broadcast regions, agreements with pay television providers, and a direct-to-consumer app.
In 2004,Jerry Reinsdorf,Bill Wirtz, and theTribune Company—the owners of the Bulls and White Sox, Blackhawks, and Cubs respectively—formed a new regional sports network withComcast known asComcast SportsNet Chicago (later named NBC Sports Chicago). The network was jointly owned by the four teams, while Comcast held a 30% stake and handle operations.[1][2] The Cubs departed the network after 2019, formingMarquee withSinclair Broadcast Group as the exclusive broadcaster of all regional Cubs games;[3][4] that same year, NBC Sports Chicago signed a five-year extension with the Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox, making it the exclusive home of all three teams through the end of the 2023–24 season.[5][6][7]
In April 2024, theChicago Sun-Times reported that the three teams were in negotiations withStadium to assume their regional rights after the conclusion of their contract with NBC Sports Chicago.[8] Stadium is owned by the White Sox's investment arm Silver Chalice and had previously been a joint venture with Sinclair until they sold their stake in 2023.[9] In May 2024,The Athletic subsequently reported an agreement withStandard Media that would involve a newly launched multi-platform regional sports network;[10] theSun-Times later reported that Standard Media would primarily serve as a funding and distribution partner and that Stadium was to serve as the teams' new home.[11]
On June 3, 2024, the three teams and Standard Media officially announced Chicago Sports Network, led by former Stadium CEO Jason Coyle.[12][13] Unlike mostregional sports networks, Chicago Sports Network is availableover-the-air and throughpay-TV and streaming services.[14] Social media accounts used by NBC Sports Chicago transitioned to being operated by Chicago Sports Network at the end of September 2024.[15]
Chicago Sports Network holds the regional television rights to the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball, the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks, the NBA's Chicago Bulls and the NBA G League's Windy City Bulls. The network produces its pre-game and post-game shows in studios in theUnited Center andRate Field.[12][16][17]
Chicago Sports Network's flagship program isThe Chicago Lead, a daily sports program covering all Chicago sports teams including local college and high school sports. In addition, the network also airsThe Big College Football Show andThe Big Pro Football Show, focusing on college football and theNational Football League, respectively.[18][19]
The network's common motif is using thesix-pointed star and colors of Chicago'smunicipal flag within its graphical elements. The network attempted to switch to placing the Chicago team's score first within its debut game graphics (traditionally reserved for the visiting team in order to place 'Chicago's teams first', as was described on-air), but was switched back to the traditional visitor/home presentation after viewer feedback (and derision, especially when the Chicago team was behind and losing); the scoreboard, presented vertically in the top-left corner and obstructing the left basket, was also switched to a traditional bottom-right bug.[20]
On September 12, 2024, it was reported that the network was nearing its first carriage agreement with DirecTV that would have it taking over the channel positions formerly occupied by NBC Sports Chicago.[21] On September 18, the agreement with DirecTV was confirmed.[22] On September 30, the network reached an agreement with Astound RCN,[23] and streaming serviceFubo was added on October 25.[24] The network was also added to NITCO in Northwest Indiana and MTCO, a small regional internet and streaming-TV provider in Central Illinois.[25][26]
Carriage onDish Network, which has shifted to refusing RSN carriage due to high distribution fees, is not expected to be pursued.[27] Carriage onYouTube TV is also not expected to be pursued due to their lack of interest in adding RSNs.[28]
In April 2025, it was reported thatWGN-TV was interested in carrying a subset of CHSN's games.[29]
On October 10, 2024, it was reported that negotiations were ongoing between CHSN andComcast, the Chicago area's primary cable TV provider.[28] Both parties were unable to reach an agreement prior to the network's launch due to adispute over tier placement.[30] CHSN stated that it had reduced its fee to below what NBC Sports Chicago was receiving from Comcast but still had yet to receive an offer. As a result of the ongoing negotiations, CHSN had withheld its standalone streaming app, as CHSN believed its release would further hinder a deal with Comcast.[31] By the end of October, CHSN had sent three offers to Comcast but received no offer in return, with its third offer including a move to Comcast's Ultimate tier and a much lower fee than NBC Sports Chicago's.[32] In March 2025, a report in theChicago Tribune suggested that Comcast was insisting on the discontinuation of CHSN's over-the-air broadcasts to finalize a deal.[33] On June 4, 2025, it was announced that Comcast and CHSN agreed to a tentative deal to put CHSN on Comcast’s ultimate tier. The network launched on June 6 on the cable provider on channel 200, NBC Sports Chicago's former channel number.[34]
On September 15, 2024, Chicago Sports Network announced its over-the-air coverage in theChicago market through a two-channel lease for the main channel and an overflow channel (both in1080ihigh definition) on the digital subcarriers ofWJYS (channel 62), a station licensed toHammond, Indiana, with full-market coverage from theWillis Tower.[35] The subchannels for CHSN via WJYS originally required anATSC tuner that supports the more compactMPEG-4video codec,[36] but as a result of complaints WJYS switched to the more widely-availableMPEG-2 in January 2025.[citation needed] Coverage onGray Television stations inRockford andSouth Bend were announced on October 1.[37] Coverage onFamily Broadcasting Corporation stationWHMB inIndianapolis was announced on October 17.[38]
Because the network's coverage area over-the-air outside the Chicago market conflicts with the rights to other teams, alternateblackout programming or a blank "Current programming not available" message is transmitted to those stations when games air. Only Chicago Blackhawks games air in Milwaukee due to conflicts with theMilwaukee Brewers,Milwaukee Bucks, andWisconsin Herd. For the same reason, only Chicago Bulls game coverage airs inWest Michigan due to the presence of Detroit's own teams, including theTigers andRed Wings (the Bulls air in West Michigan due to the longtime availability of WGN-TV in the past over-the-air or via itssuperstation).
Mark Lazerus, the Blackhawks beat writer forThe Athletic, claimed that CHSN's over-the-air signal in Chicago sometimes left much to be desired. Lazerus wrote that watching CHSN via channel 62 over-the-air required an antenna mounted in a high position aimed at Willis Tower. Even then, he said, the picture quality was "glitchier thanscrambled late-night cable was in the 1980s." Lazerus added that the over-the-air signal was all but unviewable in rainy or windy conditions.[39]
Due to conflicts with both a Bulls and a White Sox game, a CHSN-produced Blackhawks game in April 2025 aired instead onWCIU-TV.[40]
As a result of Comcast's agreement to carry the network, CHSN dropped all of its OTA affiliates within Illinois and some in the neighboring states at midnight on June 9, 2025.[41][42] Some of its former affiliates replaced it with Stadium.[43]
| Market | Affiliate | Primary channel | Overflow channel | On-Air | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, Illinois (Hammond, Indiana) | WJYS | 62.2 | 62.3 | No | [35] |
| Rockford, Illinois | WSLN | 19.3 | 19.4 | No | [37] |
| South Bend, Indiana | WNDU-TV | 16.2 | 16.4 | No | [37] |
| Des Moines, Iowa | KDMI | 19.3 | — | Yes | [35] |
| Edgerton, Ohio (Angola, Indiana) | WINM | 12.3 | — | No | [35] |
| Fort Wayne, Indiana | WEIJ-LD | 38.3 | — | No | [35] |
| Cedar Rapids, Iowa | KWKB | 20.5 | — | Yes | [35] |
| Sioux City, Iowa | KMEG | 14.5 | — | Yes | [35] |
| Paducah, Kentucky | WDKA | 49.7 | — | Yes | [44] |
| Milwaukee, Wisconsin | WVTV | 24.4 | — | Yes | [35] |
| Grand Rapids, Michigan | WWMT | 3.4 | — | Yes | [35] |
| Peoria, Illinois | WHOI | 19.4 | — | No | [35] |
| Indianapolis, Indiana | WHMB-TV | 40.2 | 40.6 | Yes | [38] |
On November 14, 2024, CHSN unveiled its DTC streaming app with pricing set at $19.99 per month for one team or $29.99 per month for full access to the network, including non-team programming. The app also allows eligible pay-TV subscribers to use their pay-TV credentials.[45]
Sources familiar with negotiations say CHSN's over-the-air broadcasts remain a stumbling block. In order to strike a pay-TV deal with Comcast, CHSN may have to pull the plug on its free TV broadcasts, sources said.
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