Stadium (sports network)

Stadium

Type	Digital broadcast Sports network
Country	United States
Broadcast area	National
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Programming
Language(s)	English
Picture format	720p (HDTV) 480i (SDTV)
Ownership
Owner	Silver Chalice
History
Launched	August 21, 2017;6 years ago (2017-08-21)
Replaced	American Sports Network (broadcast) Campus Insiders and 120 Sports (online)
Closed	October 30, 2023;5 months ago (2023-10-30) (OTA only)
Replaced by	The Nest (OTA only)
Links
Webcast	Watch live
Website	watchstadium.com
Availability
Streaming media
Twitch
Plex, Stremium, Xumo, FuboTV, Roku Channel, VidGo, YouTube TV

Stadium is an American internet television sports network owned by Silver Chalice. It is primarily oriented towards college sports, holding rights to events in several mid-major and smaller conferences. It is headquartered at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

History

Stadium logo used from 2017 to 2024.

In March 2017, unconfirmed reports speculated that Sinclair was planning to shutter its sports unit, American Sports Network, and give its remaining sports rights to Campus Insiders. The Charleston Gazette-Mail , however, citing ASN employees, reported that the rumors of a complete shuttering were false, but that the division was planning to re-locate its headquarters, restructure its operations, and achieve "stronger, more diversified distribution." The original rumors were based upon reports of layoffs from ASN's current headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida, connected to the planned re-location. ^[1]

On April 13, 2017, Sinclair officially announced that ASN would be re-launched later in the year as part of a joint venture with Campus Insiders owner Silver Chalice (itself owned by the Chicago White Sox), and its online sports video service 120 Sports. The new operation will be operated as linear and digital offerings; the linear service would utilize the syndication and broadcast network built out for ASN, while the digital platform would stream full-time online and through Twitter. 120 Sports would provide original studio and long-form programming to the venture. ^{[2] [3]}

On May 1, 2017, it was announced that the new joint venture would be known as Stadium. ^[4] On June 1, 2017, it was reported that Stadium would officially launch around late-July 2017. ^[5] The service officially launched on August 21, 2017. ^{[6] [7]}

In 2019, with Sinclair's expansions into regional sports networks via acquisitions of Fox Sports Networks, a minority stake in YES Network, and the establishment of Marquee Sports Network with the Chicago Cubs, Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley said of Stadium's role in the expanded sports offerings: "That will be our national play. I don’t see it competing head to head with FS1 or ESPN. It's not there yet with its maturity." ^[8]

In 2021, Stadium began to synergize with the rebranded Bally Sports, including co-producing an Opening Day launch special for the networks on April 1, ^[9] and adopting its on-air graphics package for college sports broadcasts beginning in the 2021–22 academic season. ^[10] The Fox College Sports cable channels were quietly rebranded as Stadium College Sports in June, ^[11] and in 2022 Stadium began to produce the national studio show The Rally for the Bally Sports channels. ^[12]

In May 2023, amid the bankruptcy of Bally Sports' parent company Diamond Sports Group, Sinclair sold its controlling interest in Stadium to Silver Chalice. Sinclair stated that the network did not have enough viewership for Sinclair to continue funding it; Sinclair will continue to supply some programming. ^{[13] [14]} As a consequence of the sale, Sinclair discontinued its distribution of Stadium in October 2023, replacing it with its new network The Nest. ^[15] Stadium College Sports also ceased operations at the end of the year. ^[16]

In April 2024, it was reported that the White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks, and Chicago Bulls were in negotiations with Stadium for it to acquire their regional media rights. The teams currently have contracts with NBC Sports Chicago, which all expire in October 2024. ^[17]

Distribution

The service is distributed mainly via streaming television services and associated apps (including third-party services, as well as Sinclair's own Stirr service). ^[18] The American Sports Network linear service, which was distributed as a digital subchannel network, transitioned to Stadium on September 6, 2017. ^[19] The network has also reached deals for traditional cable distribution. ^[20] Stadium also offers a subscription service, "Stadium Plus", which offers access to premium events and on-demand content (including commercial-free replays of broadcasts, and classic games). ^[21]

In November 2017, Facebook acquired rights to 47 college basketball telecasts from Stadium, which stream exclusively on Facebook Watch and an associated Facebook page. ^[22]

In May 2018, Stadium partnered with Twitch to stream its content on the service, as well as an exclusive Twitch Stadium 2 channel that features additional commentary and analysis. ^[23]

Programming

Stadium's college sports programming at launch included events from Conference USA, the Mountain West Conference, the Patriot League, the Southern Conference, and the West Coast Conference. ^[24]

Its weekday lineup of studio programs currently include The Territory with Michael Kim, Emerge (which focuses on high school sports), Campus Insiders, and Sauce & Shram with Dave Ross and Tyler Jacobs, and The Fantasy Sportsbook. ^[25]

Podcasts

• Points In The Paint Podcast – NBA focused podcast hosted by Ben Wittenstein and Zach Badger-House.

Past programming

Stadium, as with other networks distributed by digital multicast networks, is required to preempt three hours of its weekly schedule for educational children's programming. With the exception of DragonflyTV , most of Stadium's educational shows are sports-related to minimize interruption; The Real Winning Edge, Sports Lab, Future Phenoms and Sports Stars of Tomorrow make up Stadium's educational lineup as of 2019. This has been discontinued since.

Notable on-air staff

• Michael Kim
• Shams Charania

Former over-the-air affiliates

City of license/market	Station	Virtual channel [26]	Physical channel	Primary affiliation (on main channel)	Owner (Management Company)	Date of affiliation	Notes
Alabama
Birmingham	WBMA-LD	58.3	32	ABC	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Mobile	WPMI-TV	15.3	15	NBC	Deerfield Media (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)
Arkansas
Little Rock	KKYK-CD	30.3	21	Telemundo	KTV Media, LLC
Arizona
Phoenix	KDVD-LD	50.6	25	Nuestra Visión	Globe LPTV
Yuma	KAJB	54.4	36	UniMás	Entravision Communications
California
Bakersfield	KBFX-CD	58.4	29	Fox	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Chico	KCVU	20.4	30	Fox	Cunningham Broadcasting (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)
Eureka	KBVU	28.4	28	Fox	Cunningham Broadcasting (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)
Fresno	KMPH-TV	26.4	28	Fox	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Los Angeles	KCAL-TV	9.2	9	Independent	Paramount Global	April 12, 2019
San Diego	KBNT-CD	17.3	24	Univision	Entravision Communications
Colorado
Denver	KTFD-TV	50.3	28	UniMas	Entravision Communications
Connecticut
Waterbury	WCCT-TV	20.4	33	The CW	Tegna
Florida
West Palm Beach	WWHB-CD	48.3	33	TBD	Sinclair Broadcast Group		Also on WTVX sometimes for special occasion
Idaho
Boise	KYUU-LD	35.4	28	The CW	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Idaho Falls/Pocatello	KPIF	15.4	15	MeTV	Ventura Broadcasting
Illinois
Hammond (Chicago)	WJYS	62.2	21	Independent	Oxford Media Group, Inc.
Springfield–Decatur–Champaign	WBUI	23.3	22	The CW	GOCOM Media (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)
Iowa
Cedar Rapids	KFXA	28.4	27	Dabl	Second Generation of Iowa, Ltd. (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)
Sioux City	KPTH	44.4	30	Fox	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Kansas
Hutchinson/Wichita	KMTW	36.2	35	Dabl	Mercury Broadcasting Company, Inc. (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)		Replaced getTV, after moving from 36.3 when it got replaced by sibling network Charge! On that channel.
Kentucky
Bowling Green	WDNZ-LD	11.2	11	Antenna TV	Daily News Broadcasting Company	October 18, 2019
Paducah	WDKA	49.4	25	MyNetworkTV	Standard Media
Louisiana
Lafayette	KXKW-LD	32.3	30	Newsnet	Delta Media Corporation	March 14, 2021	Was previously on the Channel's DT1 slot until Newsnet launched March 14, 2021
New Orleans	WQDT-LD	33.4	32	Buzzr	DTV America Corporation
Maine
Portland	WGME-TV	13.3	15	CBS	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Maryland
Baltimore	WNUV	54.4	25	The CW	Cunningham Broadcasting (Operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)
Massachusetts
Worcester	WUTF-TV	27.4	19	Unimas	Entravision Communications
Michigan
Flint–Tri-Cities	WSMH	66.4	16	Fox	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Missouri
Kansas City	KCMN-LD	42.4	28	Decades	HC2 Holdings
St. Louis	KDNL-TV	30.4	31	ABC	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Nebraska
Omaha	KXVO	15.4	29	The CW	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Nevada
Las Vegas	KSNV	3.4	22	NBC	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Reno	KNSN-TV	21.2	20	Independent & MyNetworkTV (secondary)	Deerfield Media (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)
New York
Albany–Schenectady–Troy	WCWN	45.4	22	The CW	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Buffalo	WNYO-TV	49.2	49	MyNetworkTV
North Carolina
Asheville	WLOS	13.4	13	ABC	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Greenville	WYDO	14.4	19	Fox	Cunningham Broadcasting (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)
Winston-Salem–Greensboro–High Point	WXLV-TV	45.2	29	ABC	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Raleigh–Durham–Chapel Hill	WLFL	22.2	18	The CW
Ohio
Cincinnati	WKRC-TV	12.3 [27]	12	CBS	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Columbus	WSYX	6.4 [27]	27	ABC
Dayton	WKEF	22.3	34	ABC
Toledo	WNWO-TV	24.2	49	NBC			Replaced by "Charge!".
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City	KOKH-TV	25.3	24	Fox	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Oregon
Portland	KATU-TV	2.4	24	ABC	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh	WPNT	22.2	42	The CW	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Wilkes-Barre	WSWB	38.4	34	The CW	MPS Media, LLC (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)
South Carolina
Florence–Myrtle Beach, SC	WWMB	21.3	26	Dabl	Sinclair Broadcast Group
	WVEB-LD	40.3	22	Timeless TV	Innovate Corp.		The station is nominally licensed to this market, but actually serves Charlotte, NC.
Greenville–Spartanburg	WLOS	13.4	13	ABC	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Columbia	WACH	57.2	22	Fox
Charleston	WCIV	36.3	25	MyNetworkTV
Tennessee
Nashville	WNAB	58.2	23	Dabl	Tennessee Broadcasting (Operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)
Texas
Austin	KGBS-CD	19.1	19	Stadium	HC2 Holdings
Dallas–Fort Worth	KTXD-TV	47.1	23		Cunningham Broadcasting (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)	March 7, 2018	Replaced independent format
El Paso–Las Cruces, NM	KFOX-TV	14.4	15	Fox	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Houston	KEHO-LD	32.5	29	Court TV	HC2 Holdings
Laredo	KLDO-TV	27.4	19	Univision	Entravision Communications
McAllen	KTFV-CD	32.4	32	UniMás
Port Arthur	KBTV-TV	4.4	27	Dabl	Deerfield Media (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)
San Antonio	KMYS	35.2	32	The CW	Deerfield Media (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)
Virginia
Norfolk	WTVZ-TV	33.2	33	MyNetworkTV	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Lynchburg–Roanoke	WSET-TV	13.2	13	ABC
Washington
Bellevue (Seattle–Tacoma)	KUNS-TV	51.3 [28]	50	Univision	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Yakima	KUNW-CD	2.3	30
West Virginia
Charleston–Huntington	WVAH-TV	11.2	24	Decades	Cunningham Broadcasting (operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)
Wisconsin
Suring (Green Bay–Fox Cities)	WCWF	14.4	15	The CW	Sinclair Broadcast Group

References

1. Smock, Doug (March 12, 2017). "American Sports Network may remain after all". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
2. "Sinclair Partners to Revamp, Relaunch Sports Network". Broadcasting and Cable. April 14, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
3. "American Sports Network, Campus Insiders, and 120 Sports Announce Mega-Merger Deal". Underdog Dynasty (SBNation). Vox Media. April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
4. "Is Twitter the new home for Southern Miss football?". Sun Herald. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
5. "Stadium multi-platform sports network soon will replace 120 Sports". Chicago Business Journal. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
6. "Stadium Streams to the Web, Twitter and Pluto TV". Multichannel News. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
7. "Stadium enters the fray". Cynopsis Media. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
8. "Sinclair CEO see 'massive opportunity' with rebranding of Fox sports networks". Baltimore Business Journal. August 26, 2019.
9. Dachman, Jason (March 30, 2021). "How Sinclair Pulled Off the Gargantuan Bally Sports Networks Rebrand Amid the Pandemic". Sports Video Group. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
10. Hernandez, Kristian (September 2, 2021). "College Football Kickoff 2021: Stadium Plans Bally Sports–Style Graphics, Real-Time Fan Interaction for 25-Game Schedule". Sports Video Group. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
11. "Fox College Sports to become Stadium College Sports". Bend Broadband. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
12. Lafayette, Jon (January 24, 2022). "'The Rally' Launching on Sinclair's Bally Regional Sports Networks". Broadcasting Cable. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
13. Fisher, Eric (May 29, 2023). "White Sox and Bulls Owner Acquires Controlling Stake of Stadium Network". Front Office Sports. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
14. Lafayette, Jon (May 30, 2023). "Sinclair Sells Control of Stadium to Jerry Reinsdorf's Silver Chalice". Broadcasting & Cable . Retrieved November 3, 2023.
15. Lafayette, Jon (October 10, 2023). "Sinclair Will Serve Up 'Comfort Food' on New Multicast Network The Nest". Broadcasting Cable. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
16. France, Erin (December 21, 2023). "Stadium College Sports Channels Shutting Down". MIDTEL. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
17. "White Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks near deal to make Stadium their new TV home". Chicago Sun-Times. April 16, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
18. "TV broadcaster Sinclair launches STIRR, a free streaming service with local news and sports". TechCrunch. January 16, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
19. Bartel, Jeffrey. "Introducing Stadium – CW 14.4". Fox11Online.com . Sinclair Broadcast Group. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
20. "Is Sinclair-Led Sports Venture Stadium Greater Than Sum of its Parts?". Cablefax. August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
21. Perez, Sarah (August 24, 2017). "Stadium's live-streamed sports and original programming comes to Twitter". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
22. Spangler, Todd (November 16, 2017). "Facebook Acquires Exclusive Rights to 47 College Basketball Games From Smaller Conferences". Variety. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
23. "Twitch adds Stadium's traditional sports broadcasts to platform". SportsPro. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
24. "Twitter Punches Its 24-Hour Livestreaming Ticket to Sports Network Stadium". Adweek. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
25. "Weekday Studio Lineup". Stadium. October 11, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
26. "Stations for Network - Stadium". RabbitEars.info. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
27. "ASN launches 24/7 broadcast network on Monday". americansportsnet.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
28. "Digital Television". Northwest Broadcasters. Retrieved November 23, 2017.

External links

• Official website