DirecTV will become the first major pay TV distributor to take on the Chicago Sports Network, the new regional-sports-network home of Chicago's Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox.
The “wide-ranging satellite, streaming and IPTV licensing agreement” will deliver up to 300 NBA, NHL and MLB games to DirecTV satellite TV, DirecTV Stream and U-verse customers in "most of Illinois and Iowa, as well as parts of Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, starting October 1, DirecTV said.
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“We have always prided ourselves on being a sports leader and intend to remain at the forefront,” DirecTV chief content officer Rob Thun said in a statement.
The Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) deal comes on the heels of DirecTV’s new hard-fought carriage renewal with Disney, which not only restored ESPN to the pay TV operator's programming grids, but will also deliver to the satellite company's users at no additional cost the DTC platform currently codenamed “ESPN Flagship” when it debuts next year.
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As for the new Chicago Sports Channel, Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf's media company, Stadium, bolted a longtime agreement with Comcast to launch the network.
“This agreement establishes an immediate foundation for CHSN and aligns us with one of the foremost innovators in sports media,” Chicago Sports Network president Jason Coyle said.
