NBC’s WMAQ To Simulcast 4 Bulls and Blackhawks Games

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Telecasts mark first time Chicago teams have been on broadcast since 2019

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Rookie sensation Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks will be seen on WMAQ in Chicago (Image credit: Alamy)

NBC Local Chicago, which includes both NBC-owned TV station WMAQ and the NBC Sports Chicago regional sports network, said that two Chicago Bulls and two Chicago Blackhawks game telecasts will be simulcast on Friday nights between now and the end of the year.

Neither the NBA’s Bulls nor the NHL’s Blackhawks have appeared on local broadcast TV in the Chicago market since 2019. 

The move comes as regional sports networks lose subscribers to cord-cutting and more teams and leagues turn to broadcast as a way to reach more sports fans.

Bulls NBA games will appear on WMAQ on November 3 and November 17. 

Blackhawks NHL games will appear on the station December 22 and December 29.

“We’re very pleased to showcase NBC Sports Chicago’s acclaimed Bulls and Blackhawks game-night coverage to new audiences on NBC 5 Chicago,” said Kevin Cross, president and general manager, NBCUniversal Local Chicago. “This unique opportunity also enables us to kick off our NBC 5 primetime viewing weekend with live content featuring two of the nation’s most beloved sports franchises.”

NBC Local Chicago said these four games will be the only ones simulcast during the 2023-24 season. The games will replace NBC network programming.

All four simulcasts, along with every NBC Sports Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks game telecast (including pre- and postgame coverage, will be streamed live to authenticated NBC Sports Chicago viewers on the NBC Sports app and via NBCSportsChicago.com.

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.