NBC Sports Chicago, the regional NBC-Comcast sports channel, has signed new, multi-year rights deals with the White Sox baseball team, the Bulls basketball team and the Blackhawks ice hockey team.
The deal – which is subject to MLB, NBA and NHL approval – gives NBC Sports Chicago and NBC Sports Chicago+ exclusive local, multi-platform media rights for games not nationally televised, starting with the 2019-2020 season.
The partnership also enables the continuation of all games to be streamed on NBCSportsChicago.com and the MyTeams by NBC Sports app.
Notably, the move paves the way for the Chicago Cubs, whose games will be on NBC Sports Chicago until the end of the 2019 MLB season, to start their own dedicated television network, possibly in partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group.