Chicago Fire strikes exclusive deal with ESPN Plus

Three-year pact means no linear TV – for now If you want to watch Chicago Fire, you can still watch it on NBC. But if you want to watch the soccer team of the same name…well, you are out of luck – for now. The Major League Soccer team announced Friday it has struck a deal with the new over-the-top […]

Disney, Fox deal near

Fox’s regional sports networks now could be part of sale A deal to sell the entertainment assets of 21st Century Fox to The Walt Disney Company is coming close to fruition, according to CNBC.com. But now there is a new twist: Fox’s regional sports networks may become part of the Disney family. Initially, Fox reportedly proposed to keep Fox News, […]

T Dog’s Media Notepad: B’s rule

News on Blackhawks; Bob’s Burgers, and Bethenny Frankel. Oh, and the soda tax is dead. Are you ready for some hockey? Chicagoans sure are. Thursday night’s home opener against the Stanley Cup-defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins drew a eye-opening 5.1 Nielsen household rating for the newly renamed NBC Sports Chicago channel (formerly CSN Chicago). The number is impressive given the amount […]

“This is Us” creams the competition

Hot drama shows its dominance, helps NBC wins Tuesday night Note: All ratings are adults 18-49, unless otherwise noted. These are final numbers.  If you think This Is Us was a fluke last season, things you might want to take a look at these numbers. The hit NBC drama entered its second season Tuesday night with a remarkable 3.9 rating, […]

CSN Chicago converts to NBC Sports Chicago

NBC Sports Group to change name of all its RSNs effective October 2 In a move not unexpected, NBC Sports Group announced Wednesday it was rebranding all of its regional sports networks (RSN) under the NBC Sports umbrella. The news means CSN Chicago – once known as Comcast SportsNet Chicago – is changing its name to NBC Sports Chicago effective […]

Chicago Crosstown Cup baseball games draws viewers

(Editor’s Note: This story was originally posted on Tumblr July 27 due to a site outage and has been updated from the original. Contains strong language – reader discretion is advised. – T.H.)  You can always count on the Crosstown Cup to draw viewers in Chicago. No matter what side you’re on (disclosure: yours truly is a fan of the […]

Cubs, White Sox ratings stumble into All-Star break

Lackluster play continues trend of declining sports ratings locally With the Cubs’ shockingly poor play and the White Sox’s rebuild (there’s that word again), it isn’t any surprise the ratings for both Chicago baseball teams are down from last year as both teams resume play after the All-Star break. According to Crain’s Danny Ecker, the Cubs – who were 2016 […]

T Dog’s Media Notepad: Chicago loses population again

Also…management change at CSN Chicago; another new entry in syndication; MeTV FM going national; new host for Sy-Fy’s Comic-Con show All together now: The Chicago DMA has lost population again,for a third year in a row, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Chicago proper lost nearly 8,700 residents in the past year – and is the only city in the top […]

T Dog’s Media Notepad: “All In” special on Chicago violence draws decent numbers

Discussion on Chicago violence draws over a million viewers; also, news on CBS, The Bulls, and Big Bang As gun violence continues to plague Chicago, the national spotlight on the city isn’t dimming anytime soon with MSNBC’s All In With Chris Hayes the latest television program to come here to discuss the issue. Despite a last-minute scheduling change (originally scheduled […]

T Dog’s Media Notepad: CSN to stream Cubs, White Sox games

  Also: Eric and Kathy reup; Blackhawks continue to slide in ratings; CW changes stations in San Diego…again; This is Us renewed two years; Esquire Network closes   In good news for Chicago baseball fans, Comcast SportsNet Chicago and Major League Baseball Thursday announced a live streaming deal for Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox games beginning with the 2017 season, […]

WGN-TV dominates Cubs parade coverage ratings

But who finished second in adults 25-54 is a surprise Tribune-owned WGN-TV has been the home of Chicago Cubs baseball since 1948 – and their exposure through the former WGN Superstation helped expose the team to a nationwide audience. So it is appropriate that WGN would be the station most viewers turned to for their historic World Series parade. According […]

T Dog’s Media Notepad: Sylvia Perez joins Fox 32 as weekend anchor

Chicago news veteran Sylvia Perez is returning to the airwaves this coming week as new weekend anchor for WFLD’s 7-9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday morning newscasts and starting Monday, filing special reports for the station at 9 p.m. Perez was with ABC-owned WLS-TV for 24 years, spending several of them co-anchoring the station’s 11 a.m. newscast with Linda Yu, who […]

Cubs score one for the record books

Cubs destroy competition off the field, including the once-mighty NFL – setting a cable TV record in the process Despite loss, Cubs clinch NL Central Even with a loss last night against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cubs continue to roll with a dominant ratings performance on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. According to a press release, the Brewers-Cubs telecast Thursday night on […]