Despite common foe, Chicago Sports Network, Marquee Sports Network not expected to merge

Though Chicago Sports Network and Marquee Sports Network are battling Comcast on the carriage front, the rivals aren’t expected to pursue a merger in an effort to create a more compelling package for Comcast to carry, industry sources told the Sun-Times.

Late Monday, media company Puck reported that “chatter about a potential merger … has only grown louder in recent weeks,” citing language in CHSN’s carriage agreement with DirecTV that references possible consolidation between the regional sports networks but no timeline.

Such language likely was included for DirecTV’s protection in the unlikely event two RSNs in the same market merge. DirecTV carries both CHSN, the new home of the Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox, and Marquee, home of the Cubs.

CHSN has yet to appear on Comcast, the largest cable provider in the market, and Marquee continues to operate under short-term extensions while trying to stave off being moved to the distributor’s highest-priced tier. Comcast has been moving RSNs across the country to its Ultimate TV package because of their high costs and limited viewership.

Marquee’s partner, Sinclair Broadcast Group, also is in talks with Comcast about its local broadcast stations, whose agreements expired at the end of October. Marquee’s expired at the end of September.

It wasn’t that long ago when the Cubs, Hawks, Bulls and Sox shared a regional sports network. From 1998 to 2019, the teams appeared on Fox Sports Net, Comcast SportsNet and NBC Sports Chicago. The Cubs went their own way and launched Marquee in 2020. NBCSCH ceased operations Sept. 30, and CHSN launched Oct. 1.