New Chicago Sports Network, DIRECTV announce agreement to televise Bulls, Blackhawks, White Sox starting Oct. 1

CHICAGO — An agreement between the new Chicago Sports Network and DIRECTV will provide live Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox games to five states, including Illinois, beginning next month.

In a news release Wednesday, CHSN and DIRECTV announced a multi-year distribution agreement to provide CHSN and its live, local game telecasts for the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox across “most of” Illinois and Iowa” and “parts of” Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.

The agreement begins Oct. 1, the first day of CHSN availability. The brand-new network announced in June that it would broadcast Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox games live beginning in October.

According to Wednesday’s release, per their agreement, CHSN will present up to 300 live games, additional Chicago and Midwest-based programming and other feature content in high-definition format on DIRECTV.

Per the announcement, the new network is set to join DIRECTV via satellite, stream and satellite-free lineups on channel 665 and U-verse channels 1741(HD)/741(SD) before the new NBA and NHL seasons begin, taking the channel slots of the former home for the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox, NBC Sports Chicago.

CHSN will be available to anyone subscribing to DIRECTV’s Choice or above packages, just as NBC Sports Chicago had been, according to the release.

The Bulls begin their preseason schedule on Tuesday, Oct. 8, and their regular-season schedule on Wednesday, Oct. 23. The Blackhawks begin their preseason schedule on Wednesday, Sept. 25 — prior to CHSN’s debut — and their regular-season schedule on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

“This agreement establishes an immediate foundation for CHSN and aligns us with one of the
foremost innovators in sports media,” CHSN President Jason Coyle said in the release. “We are excited about DIRECTV’s commitment to Chicago and its fervent fans, which is evident in our collaborative efforts to deliver upon our fan-first approach, commitment to quality and engaging game-day experiences for everyone who loves Chicago sports.”

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