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American Sports Network

From Alfawiki
American Sports Network
Company typeSports broadcasting brand
IndustryBroadcasting
FoundedJuly 2014; 12 years ago (2014-07)
FounderSinclair Broadcast Group
DefunctSeptember 6, 2017 (2017-09-06)
FateRebranded as Stadium (joint venture with Silver Chalice)
SuccessorStadium
Headquarters
United States
Area served
United States
Key people
Doron Gorshein (COO of Sinclair Networks)
ProductsLive sports coverage, primarily NCAA Division I college sports, select professional sports, regional sports syndication
OwnerSinclair Broadcast Group
ParentSinclair Networks (subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group)

American Sports Network (ASN) was a sports broadcasting brand owned by the U.S. television station operator Sinclair Broadcast Group through its subsidiary Sinclair Networks. Established in July 2014, ASN operated as a multicast network delivering live sports coverage primarily on Sinclair-owned stations—most notably affiliates of The CW and MyNetworkTV—as well as Sinclair's digital subchannels. Its programming was also syndicated to non-Sinclair broadcasters and various regional sports networks.

The network concentrated largely on college sports involving NCAA Division I conferences, providing live football and basketball telecasts from conferences such as the Atlantic 10 Conference, Big South Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, Horizon League, Ivy League, Mid-American Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference, Southland Conference, and Western Athletic Conference. Additionally, ASN aired select professional sports events. In 2015, it acquired regional broadcast rights for Major League Soccer teams Real Salt Lake and D.C. United, distributing their games on Sinclair stations within those markets, along with rights to televise the newly established Arizona Bowl.

In 2017, Sinclair announced that ASN’s multicast operations would merge into a joint venture with Silver Chalice called Stadium. This partnership combined ASN’s broadcast assets with Silver Chalice’s digital content offerings from 120 Sports and Campus Insiders. ASN-branded multicast programming continued until September 6, when it officially rebranded as Stadium.

History

On July 17, 2014, Sinclair Broadcast Group unveiled plans to launch the American Sports Network (ASN), under the leadership of Doron Gorshein, who had been appointed COO of Sinclair Networks earlier that year in January. ASN aimed to deliver live collegiate sports broadcasts and related content predominantly through Sinclair-owned affiliates of The CW and MyNetworkTV or via digital subchannels on other Sinclair stations. This approach enabled ASN to avoid displacing higher-profile network sports programming. The network also welcomed external broadcasters and intended to expand its presence across digital platforms.

Initially, ASN targeted live coverage of college football, men's and women's basketball, women's soccer, and college baseball, commencing with the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS and FCS football seasons. Prior to its launch, Sinclair secured broadcast agreements with five NCAA Division I conferences: Conference USA, Colonial Athletic Association, Big South Conference, Southern Conference, and Patriot League.

ASN’s inaugural broadcasts took place on August 30, 2014, featuring two football games from Conference USA. In September 2014, the network expanded into non-collegiate sports by signing a two-year syndication agreement with the International Motor Sports Association to air the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge series.

By late September 2014, the Western Athletic Conference became ASN’s sixth conference partner. The network also broadened its syndication reach to include stations in 67 markets lacking Sinclair ownership, thereby extending its potential audience to approximately 83 million viewers. Later in 2014, the Horizon League and Ohio Valley Conference joined ASN’s lineup.

In December 2014, ASN ventured into collegiate ice hockey by acquiring rights to Penn State’s home games and subsequently added Big Ten matchups featuring Wisconsin and Ohio State. In January 2015, Sinclair secured regional television rights for Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake, with ASN producing broadcasts syndicated across multiple markets.

ASN entered Minor League Baseball coverage in May 2015 by airing weekly games alongside all-star events. That fall, the Southland Conference partnered with ASN for selected contests, replacing its former syndication arrangement.

In September 2015, ASN obtained rights to Mid-American Conference competitions through sublicensing agreements with ESPN, broadcasting football and basketball games during the 2015–16 season. The network also secured contracts with several NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences for a Friday night broadcast package.

November 2015 marked ASN’s acquisition of broadcast rights for the inaugural Arizona Bowl. Later that year, Sinclair gained rights to MLS's D.C. United; ASN-produced telecasts aired on News Channel 8 and WJLA-TV and were syndicated to additional regional outlets.

On January 8, 2016, Sinclair launched a dedicated American Sports Network channel as a digital subchannel affiliation in various markets including Baltimore, Charleston, Cincinnati, and Raleigh-Durham; this channel officially began broadcasting on January 11, 2016.

2017: Transition to Stadium

On April 13, 2017, Sinclair revealed plans to rebrand ASN's multicast network through a collaboration with Silver Chalice, the proprietor of Campus Insiders, and its digital sports platform 120 Sports. This partnership resulted in the creation of Stadium, a service designed to operate across both traditional broadcast and digital mediums. Stadium utilized ASN’s established syndication and broadcast infrastructure, while 120 Sports supplied exclusive studio content and extended programming. The official launch occurred on August 24, 2017, following a preliminary rollout in July; ASN's terrestrial network was integrated into Stadium on September 6.

Production for Stadium’s studio segments is based in Chicago. Sinclair’s CBS affiliate in West Palm Beach, WPEC-TV, which had shared facilities with ASN, maintained the original set as a backup studio during renovation phases and continued producing newscasts for Sinclair’s sister station WGFL until 2023.

Programming

2014–15 Season

Throughout the 2014–15 season, ASN aired live contests from numerous NCAA Division I conferences such as the Atlantic 10, Big South, Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, Ivy League, Patriot League, Southern Conference, and Western Athletic Conference. The network's coverage included football, men's and women's basketball, men's ice hockey, soccer, baseball, softball, volleyball, and lacrosse.

2015–16 Season

In the 2015–16 season, ASN broadened its NCAA Division I sports portfolio by adding conferences like the American Athletic Conference, Big Ten, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East, Mid-American Conference, National Collegiate Hockey Conference, Southland Conference, and Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The network broadcasted a variety of sports including football; men’s and women’s basketball; men’s and women’s ice hockey; soccer; baseball; softball; volleyball; and lacrosse within these leagues.

Additionally, ASN acquired broadcast rights for NCAA Division II football and basketball games during this period—previously held by CBS Sports Network—and secured rights to televise the Arizona Bowl college football matchup.

2016–17 Season

During the 2016-17 season, ASN continued to present live coverage from multiple NCAA Division I conferences encompassing football; men’s and women’s basketball; ice hockey; soccer; volleyball; baseball; softball; and lacrosse.

Conference Football Men's
Basketball		 Women's
Basketball		 Men's
Ice Hockey		 Women's
Ice Hockey		 Men's
Soccer		 Women's
Soccer		 Women's
Volleyball		 Baseball Softball Men's
Lacrosse		 Women's
Lacrosse		 Beach
Volleyball
American Athletic Conference Template:Ya
Atlantic Hockey Template:Ya
ASUN Conference Template:Ya Template:Ya
Atlantic 10 Conference Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya
Big South Conference Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya
Big Ten Conference Template:Ya
Colonial Athletic Association Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya
Conference USA Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya
ECAC Hockey
Hockey East
Horizon League Template:Ya
Ivy League Template:Ya Template:Ya
Mid-American Conference Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya
National Collegiate Hockey Conference
Ohio Valley Conference Template:Ya
Patriot League Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya
Southern Conference Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya Template:Ya
Southland Conference Template:Ya Template:Ya
Sunbelt Conference Template:Ya Template:Ya
Western Athletic Conference Template:Ya Template:Ya
Western Collegiate Hockey Association

ASN also held broadcasting rights for University of Massachusetts Minutemen football throughout the 2016 campaign and maintained coverage of the Arizona Bowl. Moreover, the network continued airing NCAA Division II football along with men’s and women’s basketball during the same season.

Affiliates

The majority of American Sports Network (ASN) broadcasts were featured on stations either owned or controlled by Sinclair Broadcast Group, including those managed through local marketing agreements with companies such as Cunningham Broadcasting, Deerfield Media, and Howard Stirk Holdings. These telecasts did not consistently appear on a station's primary digital subchannel or a designated Sinclair-owned outlet when multiple stations were operated within the same market. In addition to Sinclair-affiliated stations, ASN programming (and subsequently Stadium) was also distributed to various other broadcasters through syndication.

Regional sports networks

See also

External links

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