Chicago-based Stadium, which reaches some 25 million homes -- the "majority of them on free TV -- is a bet on the future of broadcast television" and on an "untapped sports audience that can be reached via 1950s-era technology: the rabbit ear antenna," according to Ben Strauss of the WASHINGTON POST. Stadium CEO Jason Coyle said, "Our end goal is to be the most widely distributed and available sports network in America, far surpassing the 85 million in cable. Everyone is going behind a paywall; we're going the exact opposite direction." Strauss noted Stadium launched in '17 and is "part-owned" by Sinclair Broadcast Group and Bulls and White Sox Chair Jerry Reinsdorf. MLB, the NHL and Meredith Corporation, the media company that owns SI, also "have stakes" in Stadium. In addition to some second-tier college sports rights, the network "offers several hours of live studio programming every weekday." But sports fans are still "drawn to live broadcasts, and Stadium doesn't have any premier offerings." As of now, the network "doesn't have a big enough audience to qualify for Nielsen ratings." Asked how many people watch Stadium, Coyle said that the number was "difficult to quantify." He added, "We need a certain number of people to watch us, but the bar isn't very high. We're not writing checks like ESPN" (WASHINGTON POST, 4/12).
