The crowd pounding the table for Chicago sports to be available on their TVs has begun to quiet after the Chicago Sports Network rolled out its new app in mid-November. While the direct-to-consumer option certainly helped a few consumers get the Blackhawks and Bulls back on their screens, CHSN still remains dark on Chicago’s largest distributor, Comcast.
Meanwhile, the Cubs and Marquee Sports Network find themselves in a similarly sticky situation. After the expiration of their most recent deal with Comcast, a new one remains in limbo.
According to John Ourand of Puck, the two could unite against their common foe by forming a merger, an idea that was floated based on language in CHSN’s carriage agreement with DirecTV that references possible consolidation between the regional sports networks. It’s unclear what a merger would look like for consumers, but returning to a unified system couldn’t hurt the Blackhawks, Bulls, White Sox and Cubs.
Industry sources told the Chicago Sun-Times Tuesday that the two sides weren’t “expected” to pursue a merger, but an agreement makes too much sense on both sides for them not to be at least considering it. A one-stop shop for as many of Chicago’s professional sports teams as possible would be the dream for many fans in the area.
There’s no telling what a potential merger could look like. The two sides could come together into one combined channel or one combined network with multiple channels. They could even expand the CHSN app or something similar to consolidate into one streaming service. Even if none of that happens, and they only create a relationship for leverage, the benefits for Comcast consumers and fans could be huge.
A more aggressive merger could mean we see something like how the teams were broadcast before 2020. The four teams shared NBC Sports Chicago until then, when the Cubs launched Marquee. The other three transitioned to CHSN when NBCSCH closed its doors at the end of September.
While a merger may be unlikely, it’s certainly an intriguing possibility that the two sides will at least take a look at. As chatter about a union continues to grow louder, a reunion between all four teams would be big news for all Chicago sports fans.
