NBC Sports Chicago to cease operations as local affiliate arrives

Comcast is considering shutting down its regional sports network for Chicago as the company loses some of its most lucrative sports rights to a new broadcast TV network.

This month, some pay-TV platforms like YouTube TV and Comcast’s Xfinity TV began notifying subscribers that NBC Sports Chicago would be removed from packages on October 1, the date the channel will cease airing permanently.

The decision to end NBC Sports Chicago comes about three months after Tennessee-based Standard Media announced the launch of a new television network called Chicago Sports Network, which will carry games by the Chicago Bulls basketball team, the Chicago White Sox baseball team and the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team, among others. The rights to broadcast games played by those three teams were previously held by Comcast subsidiary NBC Sports.

Related: Chicago’s professional sports teams to form new television broadcast network

This week, Chicago Sports Network President Jason Coyle revealed that Chicago Sports Network will be offered on two digital subchannels of local independent station WJYS (Channel 62), which will transition from standard definition to high definition by the end of September. WJYS is licensed to Hammond and broadcasts a full-power signal that can be received across much of the Chicago metropolitan area. Comcast subscribers will need an antenna to watch the channel when it launches, as Chicago-area Xfinity TV systems do not carry WJYS’ subchannels.

In a statement this week, Coyle said Chicago Sports Network’s mission is to reach fans wherever they are.

“For households that, for whatever reason, choose live streaming as their primary viewing platform, they now have the opportunity to watch the games and build even stronger connections with the teams and personalities they love,” Coyle said.

The Chicago Sports Network has announced that it will broadcast more than 300 games each year, with some events offered in ultra high definition (UHD/4K) on supported platforms. Details on cable and satellite availability have not yet been announced, and it is unclear whether the network will offer a streaming TV app.

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