The Chicago Sports Network will be the new TV home for the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks when it launches in October, the regional sports network announced Monday.
CHSN will replace NBC Sports Chicago, which has been the teams’ home since Oct. 1, 2004, when it launched as Comcast SportsNet. NBCSCH’s deal with the teams expires Oct. 1.
The question sure to be on everyone’s mind: Will we be able to see it?
It would seem easy for CHSN to replace NBCSCH in viewers’ channel guides, but it’s not that simple. Though the network said it will launch with agreements with cable, streaming and over-the-air providers, it didn’t name any in its announcement. And Comcast, the biggest provider in the Chicago market, has been playing hardball with RSNs recently.
Comcast dropped Diamond Sports Group’s 18 Bally-branded sports channels April 30 after Diamond balked at being moved to a higher tier. On Friday, Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney said on The Score that he’s worried about Comcast dropping the team’s Marquee Sports Network when its carriage deal expires in September. A Comcast spokesperson had no comment.
The high cost of carrying sports programming and the limited audience it reaches locally have pushed cable providers to move those channels to higher-priced tiers. Gone are the days of all cable viewers subsidizing the roughly 10% of them who regularly watch sports.
CHSN said it plans to make a series of announcements during the summer that include distribution, talent and programming. It will broadcast from studios located in Guaranteed Rate Field and the United Center, where Stadium, the multiplatform sports network owned by Sox and Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, is based. Stadium will provide content for CHSN.
The network is a joint venture among the three teams and Standard Media, a small company based in Nashville, Tennessee, that’s investing in CHSN and helping to distribute it. Pending league approvals, the network plans to reach an expanded Midwest footprint, including most of Illinois and parts of Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
‘‘As we set out to design the network, we began and ended every discussion with the simple question: What is best for our fans?’’ CHSN president Jason Coyle said. ‘‘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 has served in Chicago-based sports-media leadership roles for more than 20 years. He was most recently the president of Stadium, which will continue to operate in its current form online and through its app and distributors.
Beth Heller, a consultant with Chicago-based M. Harris & Co. who’s handling CHSN’s communications, said the network has a plan to differentiate itself from other RSNs, despite a tumultuous time in the industry.
‘‘Our model starts with serving the fan via many means, including expanded distribution by geography and platform,’’ Heller said. ‘‘We are playing a long game here with a combination of traditional and non-traditional revenue streams by expanding platforms and an increasing focus on engagement.’’
NBCUniversal, which is expected to shut down NBC Sports Chicago, did not comment on losing the teams, deferring to a statement by the RSN.
‘‘We thank the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks for the long and collaborative partnership on NBC Sports Chicago,’’ a network spokesperson said. ‘‘We look forward to producing quality coverage of the teams through the remainder of our partnership, along with continuing our extensive coverage of every local pro team in town on NBC 5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago.’’
CHSN said it has begun building its staff and launched its website, CHSN.com. Its first games will be Bulls and Hawks preseason games. The Sox will finish this season on NBCSCH before moving next season.
