Stadium (sports network)
| Company type | Sports network |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports broadcasting |
| Founded | August 21, 2017 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois , United States |
| Owner | Silver Chalice |
| Parent | Silver Chalice |
Stadium is a U.S.-based internet television sports network owned by Silver Chalice, with its headquarters located at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
History
In March 2017, it was reported that Sinclair intended to close down its sports division, American Sports Network (ASN), transferring broadcasting rights to Campus Insiders. Nonetheless, ASN staff suggested the unit would undergo restructuring and relocation to achieve "broader, more diversified distribution," coinciding with layoffs at its West Palm Beach, Florida office.
On April 13, 2017, Sinclair revealed plans to revive ASN as a collaborative effort with Silver Chalice (the entity behind the Chicago White Sox) and its digital sports platform 120 Sports. This partnership merged traditional broadcast and digital outlets by utilizing ASN’s syndication capabilities alongside continuous online streaming through platforms such as Twitter. Meanwhile, 120 Sports provided original studio content and extended programming.
The joint project was officially named Stadium on May 1, 2017, with its formal debut occurring on August 21, 2017.
By 2019, as Sinclair expanded its regional sports network portfolio—acquiring Fox Sports Networks, obtaining a minority share in the YES Network, and launching the Marquee Sports Network with the Chicago Cubs—CEO Chris Ripley positioned Stadium as Sinclair’s national sports platform, differentiating it from rivals like FS1 and ESPN.
In 2021, Stadium partnered with the rebranded Bally Sports, co-producing an Opening Day special and integrating Bally’s branding elements for college sports broadcasts starting with the 2021–22 season. That June, Fox College Sports channels were rebranded as Stadium College Sports. In 2022, Stadium began producing The Rally, a national studio show aired on Bally Sports networks.
Following the bankruptcy of Bally Sports' parent company Diamond Sports Group in May 2023, Sinclair sold its controlling stake in Stadium to Silver Chalice, citing low audience numbers that no longer justified investment. Despite the sale, some programming continued to air on the network. Later in October 2023, Sinclair ceased distributing Stadium and replaced it with its new channel The Nest. The Stadium College Sports service discontinued operations by the end of that year.
In June 2025, Stadium took over from the Chicago Sports Network on certain over-the-air affiliates in Illinois after CHSN’s carriage deal with Comcast ended.
Distribution
Stadium primarily reaches viewers through streaming TV services and affiliated applications, including third-party platforms as well as Sinclair’s own Stirr service. The former American Sports Network linear channel, which had operated as a digital subchannel network, transitioned to Stadium on September 6, 2017. The network has also secured agreements for traditional cable carriage. Additionally, Stadium offers a subscription tier called "Stadium Plus," granting access to premium live events and on-demand features such as commercial-free replays and classic game archives.
In November 2017, Facebook secured exclusive rights to stream 47 college basketball games from Stadium via Facebook Watch. By May 2018, Stadium expanded its digital presence through a partnership with Twitch, launching an exclusive Twitch Stadium 2 channel that provides supplementary commentary and analysis alongside its regular programming.
Programming
Stadium's live sports content features coverage of Minor League Baseball, including games from the Savannah Bananas, the A7FL, the Indoor Football League, and the United Fight Alliance.
On weekdays, the network offers studio shows such as The Territory hosted by Michael Kim, Emerge, which concentrates on high school athletics, Campus Insiders, Sauce & Shram with Dave Ross and Tyler Jacobs, and The Fantasy Sportsbook.
Podcasts
- Points In The Paint Podcast – a basketball-centered podcast presented by Ben Wittenstein and Zach Badger-House.
Former programming
At its inception, Stadium broadcast college sports events from conferences including Conference USA, the Mountain West Conference, the Patriot League, the Southern Conference, and the West Coast Conference.
As a digital multicast channel, Stadium dedicated three hours each week to educational children's programming. Most of these shows were sports-themed to reduce interruptions, featuring programs like The Real Winning Edge, Sports Lab, Future Phenoms, and Sports Stars of Tomorrow from 2019 through 2023, until over-the-air transmissions were discontinued.
Notable on-air staff
External links
- Articles with short description
- College basketball on television in the United States
- College football on television
- Television channels and stations established in 2017
- Lists of American television network affiliates
- Sports television networks in the United States
- Internet television channels
- Sinclair Broadcast Group
- Digital multicast television networks in the United States