Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) is an upcoming

regional sports network In the United States and Canada, a regional sports network (RSN) is a cable television channel (many of which are also distributed on direct broadcast satellite services) that presents sports programming to a local market or geographical region. ...

owned by

Standard Media Standard Media Group is an American broadcast and digital media company based in Nashville, Tennessee. Standard Media was founded by Deborah A. McDermott, who serves as the company's CEO. Previously, McDermott was the chief operating officer of ...

, the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

, the Chicago Bulls, and the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

. It is expected to launch after the teams' contract with

NBC Sports Chicago NBC Sports Chicago (formerly Comcast SportsNet Chicago) is an American regional sports network that broadcasts regional coverage of professional sports teams in the Chicago metropolitan area, as well as college sports events and original sports- ...

expires on October 1, 2024.

History

Chicago's sports teams had originally vacated

FSN Chicago Fox Sports Net Chicago (often branded as FSN Chicago) was an American regional sports network that was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and was owned by Cablevision for most of its history (from 1987 to 2005). News Corporation acquired a minori ...

in 2004 after Jerry Reinsdorf, Bill Wirtz, and the Tribune Company—the owners of the Bulls, White Sox, Blackhawks, and Cubs respectively—formed a new regional sports network with

Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...

known as Comcast SportsNet Chicago (now NBC Sports Chicago). The network would be jointly owned by the four teams, while Comcast would hold a 30% stake and handle operations. The Cubs departed the network in 2020, forming Marquee with

Sinclair Broadcast Group Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (SBG) is a publicly traded American telecommunications conglomerate that is controlled by the descendants of company founder Julian Sinclair Smith. Headquartered in the Baltimore suburb of Cockeysville, Maryland, t ...

as the exclusive broadcaster of all regional Cubs games (the games had previously been split between NBC Sports Chicago,

WGN-TV WGN-TV (channel 9) is an Independent station (North America), independent television station in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, it is sister station, sister to the company's sole radio property, talk ra ...

, and WLS-TV). Concurrently in 2019, 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. In April 2024, the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'' reported that the three teams were in negotiations with

Stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

to assume their regional rights after the conclusion of their contract with NBC Sports Chicago. 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. In May 2024, ''

The Athletic ''The Athletic'' is a subscription-based sports website that provides national and local coverage in 47 North American cities as well as the United Kingdom. ''The Athletic'' also covers national stories from top professional and college sports ...

'' subsequently reported an agreement with

that would involve a newly launched multi-platform regional sports network; the ''Sun-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. On June 3, 2024, the three teams and Standard Media officially announced Chicago Sports Network; it will be led by former Stadium CEO Jason Coyle. Unlike most

s, Chicago Sports Network is expected to be made available via over-the-air networks and streaming services along with traditional cable providers.

References

External links

* {{Chicago White Sox Major League Baseball broadcasters NBA broadcasters National Hockey League broadcasters Television stations in Chicago Television channels and stations established in 2024 Chicago White Sox Chicago Bulls Chicago Blackhawks