White Sox Join Forces With Bulls, Blackhawks to Announce Chicago Sports Network

The Chicago White Sox will no longer have their games broadcast on NBC Sports Chicago, with the AL Central club instead taking part in a brand-new local network.

Mar 28, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Fans watch during the second inning of the Opening Day game between the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks are joining forces to launch the Chicago Sports Network, the three teams announced in a press release on Monday.

CHSN is a joint venture between the White Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks and Standard Media, a Nashville-based company that owns and operates additional stations in Rhode Island and Nebraska. Former Stadium CEO Jason Coyle has been appointed as the president of the network.

“As we set out to design the network, we began and ended every discussion with the simple question: What is best for our fans?” Coyle said in a statement. “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.”

The White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks currently play their games on NBC Sports Chicago, but their contracts were set to expire later in 2024. Instead of re-upping with NBC, the three teams have decided to take their business elsewhere.

As a result, NBC Sports Chicago is likely to fold by the end of the year. Still, the remainder of the White Sox's 2024 schedule will be broadcast on the network.

CHSN will go live across multiple platforms in October, starting with preseason NBA and NHL games. The first White Sox game to air on the brand-new network won't be until 2025.

In addition to over 300 live broadcasts of MLB, NBA and NHL games each year, CHSN will have 24/7 multi-sport programming. The network will also air pre and postgame shows directly from Guaranteed Rate Field and the United Center.

CHSN has already started to build out its staff, which will start to take shape over the summer.

Marquee Sports Network will continue to be the home of the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears, Chicago Sky and Chicago Red Stars.

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