Stadium, Standard Media Group working to launch network for White Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks

Sun-Times photo illustration

Let’s clear up some misconceptions reported over the last week.

Yes, a company called Standard Media Group will play a role in the establishment of a new regional sports network in Chicago that will carry the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks. But it will not provide content for the channel. It will invest in the network and help get it distributed, the Sun-Times has learned.

The content, as the Sun-Times has reported, will come from Stadium, an online sports network that’s expected to keep its name when it converts to an RSN this fall and appears on broadcast, cable, satellite and streaming platforms. Sox and Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf did not buy control of the network from Sinclair Broadcast Group to watch it waste away.

Time is tight. The teams’ contract with NBC Sports Chicago expires in October, and Stadium personnel have a lot on their plate to prepare for the launch, including staffing. The Sun-Times also has reported that Stadium is planning to maintain some continuity from NBCSCH, continuing a pattern that developed through the iterations of the network.

Standard Media is a small outfit based in Nashville, Tennessee — more on that in a moment. Its website, which hasn’t posted a news release since April 2021, lists ABC affiliates in Providence, Rhode Island, and Lincoln, Nebraska; a Fox affiliate in Cape Girardeau, Missouri; and a My Network affiliate in Paducah, Kentucky. It has not replied to an email from the Sun-Times.

Conspiracy theorists have connected Reinsdorf’s onboarding of Standard Media to his alleged attempt to move the Sox to Nashville. Reinsdorf said publicly that he has not threatened to move the Sox there, and Standard doesn’t appear to have the capacity to develop programming for a regional sports network. But it could contribute to the business side.

Stadium is positioned to handle programming and expand its operations. With live games year-round, it’s optimistic it could create a unique network. Despite market headwinds, Reinsdorf sees a chance to launch a modern bent on what he and late business partner Eddie Einhorn were ahead of everyone else in devising in the early 1980s. Too far ahead, in fact.

Meanwhile, NBCUniversal’s commitment to its regional sports networks is in question. On Monday at its upfront — a TV network’s annual presentation to potential advertisers — the company is expected to promote its lineup of national and international sports packages, such as the Olympics, the NFL, the Big Ten, Notre Dame, the Premier League, auto racing and golf.

Its RSNs in Boston, Philadelphia and California aren’t expected to come up. NBCU would’ve liked to be out of the RSN business by now, but it hasn’t found a buyer. It was fortunate to rid itself of NBC Sports Northwest, which shut down, and NBC Sports Washington, which Capitals and Wizards owner Ted Leonsis bought and rebranded as Monumental Sports Network.

NBCU appears to find what Fox has done appealing. In 2017, Fox sold its sizable RSN inventory to the Walt Disney Company, which also acquired Fox’s movie and TV library. In 2018, the Justice Department stepped in and, citing competitive concerns, forced Disney to divest from the RSNs, which were sold to Sinclair in 2019 and rebranded as Bally Sports.

They’ve been a headache ever since, first for Sinclair and now for Sinclair subsidiary Diamond Sports Group, which is muddling through bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Fox is piling up viewership with the NFL and college football without having to worry about the crumbling RSN industry. Now NBCU is making a big push for the NBA. It’s easy to see where its priorities are.

The Sox, Bulls and Hawks will announce their plans in due time, and fans will learn the most important information of all — where to find the games.

Remote patrol

On the Cubs’ website, the game June 16 was moved from 1:20 p.m. to 12:05 p.m. and no longer indicates a TV broadcaster. That’s likely part of MLB’s reported upcoming deal with Roku, the streaming service expected to replace Peacock as the broadcaster of an exclusive Sunday morning package. Stay tuned.

• Weigel Broadcasting will air 17 Sky games this season on CW26 and The U, including the opener Wednesday against the Wings (7 p.m., CW26) and Caitlin Clark’s first Chicago appearance June 23 (5 p.m., CW26).

• ESPN will broadcast the NBA Draft Lottery, which is being held at McCormick Place, at 2 p.m. Sunday. “SportsCenter” anchor Elle Duncan will host the event for the first time.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join TNT Sports’ coverage of NASCAR next year when the broadcaster begins airing an annual package of five Cup Series races.