Channels dropped in the middle of primetime In the ultimate April Fools’ prank that really wasn’t, channels owned by Scripps were yanked off the air Tuesday evening from Comcast systems after their contract expired. The move stunned Comcast subscribers, whose company uses the Xfinity name to brand their products. Channels were yanked during primetime; in one instance, during a Ottawa […]
I Beats Paramount and Comcast in bidding Deal includes HBO and HBO Max; does not include WBD’s cable networks, which will be spun off Passing regulatory tests could be difficult In a move that gained steam in the 24 hours before it was announced, Netflix is buying Warner Bros. Discovery for $82.7 billion, closing a period during which two other […]
The start of the new year begins spinoff’s life [Editor’s Note: This article was updated on December 4.] The official spinoff of Versant now has a date. The soon-to-be former Comcast cable networks will be part of the new, independent company as of January 2 at the close of the business day, when it will officially be traded on NASDAQ […]
Friendly regulatory climate, urge to compete with streamers fuels merger talk The future of Warner Bros. Discovery appears to be headed in two directions: a split or an outright takeover by another media company. It’s clear that Paramount head David Ellison, whose Skydance bought the company last year, is looking for more. That’s what media observers are looking at, as […]
Also: Fox One to cost $20 a month; Top 25 largest broadcast station groups revealed Audacy announced on Tuesday that it tapped Geoff Buchholz as WBBM Newsradio’s (780 AM/105.9 FM) new political editor, succeeding the now-retired Craig Dellimore, who spent 41 years in the same position. “Chicago and Illinois are entering a critical era, and it’s more important than ever […]
Move is effective Oct. 1 After months of speculation, Comcast confirmed it was moving the Cubs’ regional sports network to its ultimate tier effective October 1, giving fans the opportunity to continue ue watching the team on its basic tier for the rest of the current baseball season. As of this writing, the Cubs are tied with division rival […]
Lands on ultimate tier [Editor’s Note: This is an article that was originally published on June 4 and has been updated to reflect recent developments. Updated June 7.] The long, local nightmare is over for Chicago-area sports fans who are Comcast subscribers – but for a price. In news surfacing late Wednesday night, the Chicago Sports Network struck a […]
New company won’t acquire additional networks [Editor’s Note: This article was updated May 8.] Comcast finally settled on a name for the soon-to-be spun-off cable networks from NBCUniversal, as they settled on Versant, replacing the prototype SpinCo name. It was chosen after sorting through 43 entries, cut to a dozen, and sent through a committee, settling on Versant. The name […]
Comes as RSN is still shut out of Comcast’s systems [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on April 20, as the CHSN app is now available on Samsung TVs.] The Chicago Sun-Times reported on Friday that a deal could be in the works for Nexstar’s WGN-TV to simulcast a limited number of White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks games. Nothing has […]
CBS Chicago to stay on Xfinity systems; subscribers to get Paramount Plus Paramount Global and Comcast announced a new carriage deal on Tuesday. The multi-year deal includes Paramount’s portfolio of networks, including CBS and its owned stations, BET, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and others. Comcast subscribers will also continue to gain access to streamers Paramount Plus, BET Plus, and Pluto […]
Also: NBC’s RSN to be made available on Peacock; Braves baseball return to TBS. Well, somewhat. The podcast network and website CHGO Sports was hit with layoffs on Wednesday with five employees let go as part of cutbacks by parent company All City Sports, which eliminated seven percent of its workforce across its portals in Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia, Phoenix, […]
Comcast impasse with both fueling speculation According to a report from the Puck newsletter, local regional sports networks CHSN (Chicago Sports Network) and Marquee may be seeking to merge. CHSN and Marquee have a common enemy: Comcast, the largest cable provider in Chicago, had refused to add CHSN to its network and plans to move Marquee to a higher, more […]
Also: Ramblin’ Ray gives up KCMO gig to focus on WLS-AM; Moffett Nathanson gives mixed reviews of upcoming NBCU cable spinoff Unlike other Chicago Sports embarrassments this year, this one was shown live in front of the largest audience of the season. The Bears’ major meltdown against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving drew a record of 37.5 million viewers for CBS […]
Cable networks such as USA Network and E! under new ownership by 2026 With the business in freefall, Comcast Corp. has decided to part ways with its cable networks. As hinted a few weeks ago, Comcast announced Wednesday it is spinning off its cable networks from its NBCUniversal into a new company. Tentatively titled SpinCo (we hope it’s a temporary […]
The move back to free, over-the-air TV for sports is hitting road bumps You would think making all games from the Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox available for free on broadcast television would be terrific for fans, right? Well, you might want to think again. Two weeks after the new Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) launched, the network is having […]
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