Chicago Sports Network and Kraken Hockey Network both announce plans to broadcast games over-the-air. Plus: a pair of lawmakers look to pass federal sports gambling regulation.
Chicago Sports Network announces over-the-air deal
The newly-formed Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) announced an agreement with Millenial Telecommunications on Monday to broadcast Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox games over-the-air beginning this October on Millenial’s WJYS digital broadcast channels. The deal comes after the trio of Chicago teams chose not to renew media rights agreements with NBC Sports Chicago.
CHSN was announced in June as a joint venture between the three teams and a small local television operator, Standard Media, who owns stations in a handful of local markets across the country. The channel will go live on October 1st prior to the start of the NHL and NBA seasons. The White Sox will finish out the 2024 season on NBC Sports Chicago before joining CHSN in 2025. (CHSN, 9.16)
Seattle Kraken announce ‘Kraken Hockey Network’
In other regional sports news, the NHL’s Seattle Kraken announced a team-specific television network on Monday dubbed Kraken Hockey Network (KHN) that will broadcast games across several local television affiliates in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, the channel will be available on Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service. The team announced plans to leave its current home on Root Sports after striking a deal with Tegna, owner of Seattle’s KONG NBC affiliate, in April.
KHN will be available over-the-air in the Seattle, Spokane, Portland, Eugene, Juneau, and Anchorage markets, per the release, covering 96% of fans in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. Play-by-play announcer John Forslund and analysts Eddie Olczyk and JT Brown will continue their on-air duties for the new network. (Kraken, 9.16)
Lawmakers introduce bill to regulate sports betting
Two U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill on Thursday that would place federal regulations on sportsbook operators. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the SAFE Bet Act, which seeks to regulate three areas related to sports betting: advertising, affordability, and artificial intelligence.
Specifically, the new bill looks to prevent sportsbook operators from advertising enticing “no sweat” or “bonus” types of wagers during live sporting events and prohibit users from making more than five deposits within a 24-hour period. The bill also seeks to prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to track users’ gambling habits. The bill has already faced public opposition from within the lawmakers’ own party, with Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) calling the bill “outdated.” (CNBC, 9.12)
