Chicago Sports Network, which launched Tuesday as the new TV home for the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks, has signed two additional over-the-air stations and a new pay-TV partner to broadcast its programming 24/7.
Gray Media TV stations in Rockford and South Bend flipped the switch to join the fledgling regional sports network ahead of its two-hour premiere at 5 p.m. Meanwhile, Astund confirmed Tuesday afternoon that it has also reached an agreement to carry the Chicago Sports Network.
“We are committed to reaching our fans wherever they are, including areas outside of Chicago that may not have had the opportunity to watch games in the past,” Jason Coyle, president of CHSN, said in a press release.
However, many fans in the Chicago area won’t have the opportunity on day one, with significant distribution holes remaining for the new network.
Chicago Sports Network replaced the defunct NBC Sports Chicago overnight in DirecTV’s channel lineup, reaching 300,000 subscribers at the Chicago-area pay-TV provider. But the sports network has yet to close a carriage deal with Comcast, its former partner with NBC Sports Chicago and the largest pay-TV platform in the market with nearly 1 million subscribers.
A Comcast spokesperson said the cable giant “does not carry CHSN at this time” and provided no further comment Tuesday.
With large portions of Chicago’s pay-TV market still blacked out, CHSN is trying to fill some of the holes with an old-school solution — free-to-air TV.
CHSN struck a deal last month with WJYS-Ch. 62, a full-power UHF television station licensed to Hammond that broadcasts from the Willis Tower. The main channel is 24/7 religious programming, but its two digital subchannels, 62.2 and 62.3, now carry the sports network in high definition for anyone who can pick up the signal with a TV antenna.
About 15% of the 3.46 million homes in the Chicago market watch TV using an antenna, according to Nielsen.
In Rockford, CHSN is on the air with Gray Media on WSLN-TV’s digital subchannels, 19.3 and 19.4, while the network has also been broadcast in South Bend on WNDU-Ch. 16.2, with overflow programming on channel 16.4.
“Gray is committed to bringing local sports to our viewers over the air,” Sandy Breland, chief operating officer of Gray Media, said in the joint statement.
The Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox have a new TV home. Here’s what to know about Chicago Sports Network.
On the pay-TV front, CHSN continues to negotiate with Comcast and other providers, but DirecTV remains its primary platform at launch, bolstered by the Astound deal announced Tuesday.
CHSN will be available to DirecTV subscribers as part of a multi-year carriage agreement that includes Illinois, Iowa and parts of Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan. Viewers can find the new sports network on channel 665 on DirecTV and channels 1741 (HD)/741 (SD) on U-verse – the same channels that previously broadcast NBC Sports Chicago.
The network is included in DirecTV’s Choices package of more than 125 channels, which costs $74.99 per month.
In the future, the DirecTV agreement could become a larger platform for the emerging sports network, if its recently announced merger with rival pay-TV provider Dish is approved by regulators.
The 24/7 regional sports network will broadcast more than 300 Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox games and associated programming. For those viewers who are able to watch, CHSN will make its debut at 5 p.m. Tuesday with a two-hour “Game On, Chicago” special hosted by Bulls play-by-play announcer Adam Amin.
That will be followed by the Blackhawks’ first preseason game broadcast on CHSN Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, the regular evening schedule will launch with “The Big College Football Show” at 5 p.m., “The Big Pro Football Show” at 5:30 p.m. and “The Chicago Lead” at 6 p.m. be the network signature. A news report and introduction to the nightly play-by-play broadcast.
All three shows will originate from CHSN’s new studios at the United Center.
Before its programming premieres, CHSN runs a cinematic “Coming Soon” video loop depicting Chicago scenes — think the “L” bridges over the Chicago River, colorful murals on Jordan Streets and the United Center Bridge — backed by seemingly endless, bold graphics. The music is waiting.
Meanwhile, NBC Sports Chicago is gone, with the White Sox’ record 121-loss season coming to an end.
Founded in 2004 as Comcast SportsNet, a partnership between the cable giant and the Cubs, Sox, Blackhawks and Bulls, NBC Sports Chicago has struggled in recent years amid wire cuts, declining ratings and a major split after the Cubs split to form the Marquee Sports network in 2020. The three remaining teams decided to pull the plug and the formation of CHSN.
On Tuesday, the legacy network’s predecessor to Comcast displayed a creepy bluescreen message that simply said: “NBC Sports Chicago has gone out of business and is no longer available.”
rchannick@chicagotribune.com
Originally Posted: October 1, 2024 at 2:12 p.m
