Will sports fans in Chicago soon be able to catch their favorite teams on the city’s renowned WGN station? Reports indicate that WGN is considering this possibility. Jeff Agrest of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that “WGN TV is interested in carrying local sports again and believes there’s a path to air Chicago Sports Network broadcasts of the White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks that much of the area has missed.” However, there are several complications to navigate.
“The sides would have to sort out a lot of details, such as how many games would be included and who would sell advertising for them,” Agrest noted. “Though WGN isn’t positioned to pay a substantial rights fee — the teams would have to treat it as a marketing expense — it could deliver the teams their largest TV audience since CHSN launched in October.” Furthermore, a deal with WGN risks deepening a divide in the already tenuous negotiations between CHSN and Comcast. “By undercutting the primary cable provider in the area, CHSN would risk further damaging its relationship with Comcast,” Agrest’s report added. At a Crain’s Chicago Business event on April 3, Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf accused Comcast of acting in ‘bad faith’ during carriage talks, labeling its behavior as ‘discriminatory.’
Chicago Sports Network launched in October 2024, covering the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, and MLB’s Chicago White Sox. Previously, these teams had their games aired by NBC Sports Chicago. Sports have played a significant role in WGN’s programming throughout the network’s history; however, late in the 2010s, the teams transitioned away from WGN, with the White Sox, Blackhawks, and Bulls moving to NBC Chicago, and the Chicago Cubs establishing the Marquee Network.
