As a passionate sports fan in Chicago, I rely on NBC Sports Chicago to catch all the baseball, hockey, and basketball action. There are several ways to stream the channel without a cable subscription.
In a hurry? These three streaming services provide NBC Sports Chicago and a lot more:
Fubo
Known for its outstanding sports coverage, Fubo’s 150+ live TV channels provide a broad selection that appeals to most people. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
DIRECTV STREAM
The king of RSNs, this is the streaming service for MLB, NBA, and NHL fans with its Choice Plan! New customers get a 5-day free trial with DIRECTV STREAM.
Hulu Live
Get 95+ live TV channels along with the Hulu Bundle with Disney+ and ESPN+! Try it today with a free trial.
Table Of Contents
NBC Sports Chicago is a must-have channel (along with Marquee Sports Network) for sports fans of Chicago sports. It is one of the five NBCUniversal RSNs, airing the majority of the in-market games played by the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls, and Chicago Blackhawks.
How can you get rid of cable while securing access to this channel? First, you must be in its broadcast area. If you are, get Fubo ($94.98/month) or DIRECTV STREAM ($114.99/month), and you will be set. If you don’t care about the Cubs, Hulu + Live TV ($82.99/month) is a great low-cost option.
Streaming NBC Sports Chicago
NBC Sports Chicago used to be available through more streaming services, but that number has dwindled due to contract disputes that have occurred. However, a few solid choices remain.
NBC Sports Chicago With Fubo
Fubo (formerly FuboTV) ($94.98/month) offers NBC Sports Chicago in its base plan to subscribers in the channel’s broadcast area. National sports channels included in that are the Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network (CBSSN), Fox Sports 1 (FS1), Fox Sports 2 (FS2), ESPN, ESPN2, and NFL Network. It also provides all the channels of beIN Sports and TUDN.
This streaming service also offers Marquee Sports Network and its Chicago Cubs broadcasts to those in that channel’s broadcast area. Learn more in our Fubo review.
DIRECTV STREAM for NBC Sports Chicago
DIRECTV STREAM is a popular streaming service for sports fans, many of whom do not mind paying its higher cost. For example, it provides those subscribing to its Choice plan ($114.99/month) with the Big Ten Network, FS1, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, NFL Network, MLB Network, TBS, and TNT.
In addition, subscribers who are in their broadcast areas get both NBC Sports Chicago and Marquee Sports Network. Read our DIRECTV STREAM review for more information.
NBC Sports Chicago on Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV ($82.99/month) provides NBC Sports Chicago to its subscribers as well. Like FuboTV, it carries the Big Ten Network, FS1, FS2, ESPN, ESPN2, and NFL Network in addition to other channels, two of which are TBS and TNT, so you are mostly all set for watching all games played by the White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks. Your only possible stumbling block occurs if a White Sox playoff game is on the MLB Network, which Hulu + Live TV does not offer.
However, Cubs fans should note that Hulu + Live TV does not provide access to Marquee Sports Network. This is also true of YouTube TV, which offers a similar plan. Our Hulu + Live TV review has more details.
Other Options Beyond NBC Sports Chicago
The simplest alternate option to NBC Sports Chicago is to go with an antenna. Doing so will get you access to some Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks, and Chicago Bulls games, more so if they go on long postseason runs.
Also keep in mind that White Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks, Bears, and Cubs games are on the radio in Chicago and nearby areas. You can also sign up with SiriusXM radio.
Another option is taking advantage of a different streaming service, one that does not offer NBC Sports Chicago. This works if you are not necessarily interested in watching as many White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks games as possible. The best option is Sling TV ($40.00/month).
Live Streaming Devices for NBC Sports Chicago
Most likely, you already have one or more streaming devices that you can use to watch NBC Sports Chicago and other channels. All the services support:
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android mobile
- Android TV smart TVs
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
- iOS mobile
- Roku
- Samsung smart TVs
- Web browsers.
Hulu and Fubo support more devices:
- LG smart TVs
- Vizio SmartCast TVs
- Xbox One.
Hisense smart TVs are supported by FuboTV. PlayStation and Nintendo Switch are supported by Hulu.
You can also watch via TV Everywhere on the NBC Sports app and NBCSports.com on most devices.
What Is NBC Sports Chicago?
NBC Sports Chicago is a regional sports network that launched in 2004 as Comcast SportsNet Chicago. It has been broadcasting a significant number of sports events featuring local franchises ever since.
The list of teams covered initially included the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls, and Chicago Blackhawks. The Cubs left for Marquee Sports Network prior to their 2020 campaign.
Where Is NBC Sports Chicago Available?
NBC Sports Chicago has a considerable coverage area.
It includes the entire state of Illinois except for communities in the St Louis metropolitan area. All of Iowa is included. Most of Indiana is as well but not its southern portion (eg, Evansville).
Those in southwestern Michigan, including Kalamazoo, can watch it as well while streaming service subscribers in some southern parts of Wisconsin, such as Kenosha and Madison, receive it as well.
However, some teams are blacked out in some regions of this channel’s coverage area. For example, the Bulls cannot be viewed in much of Indiana, essentially from Lafayette to the south and east, or in Wisconsin. Meanwhile, its coverage of White Sox games cannot be accessed in Michigan.
Which Sports Teams Does NBC Sports Chicago Cover?
The vast majority of games played by the Chicago White Sox (MLB), Chicago Bulls (NBA), and Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) are broadcast on NBC Sports Chicago. These all come with pregame and postgame shows with news and analysis.
On the other hand, the Chicago Cubs (MLB) were included in this group until they left for Marquee Sports Network in 2020. Similarly, the Chicago Bears (NFL) are shown on Fox, CBS, NBC, ESPN, and NFL Network.
NBC Sports Chicago also broadcasts some college sports events. This selection includes a few Northern Iowa football games and several men’s basketball contests played by Loyola Chicago.
NBC Sports Chicago Plus Subchannel
As a result of three major league sports teams being featured on NBC Sports Chicago, the network has set up an overflow channel, NBC Sports Chicago Plus. This is to handle situations in which it is broadcasting simultaneous contests.
It used to have a second subchannel, NBC Sports Chicago Plus 2, but it wass used sparingly. One of the few example was its showing a Cleveland Indians (Guardians)-Chicago White Sox game on April 12, 2021.
NBC Sports Chicago Shows and Commentators
NBC Sports Chicago provides a lot of paid programming during its off hours. But they do include limited sports programming like the World Poker Tour.
They also offer sports news programs like Football Night in Chicago, which provides and insider look at the Bears and other NFL teams. There are also essentially radio programs like Under Center: Chicago Bears Podcast.
They also provide shows that sandwich live game broadcasts: Chicago Blackhawks Pregame Live, Chicago Blackhawks Postgame Live, Chicago Bulls Pregame Live, Chicago Bulls Postgame Live, Chicago White Sox Pregame Live, and Chicago White Sox Postgame Live.
But NBC Sports Chicago exists to broadcast live games:
- Chicago White Sox: Longtime play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti has moved on to the Tigers. He is replaced with John Schriffen (Len Kasper fills in for him). He is joined on air by Steve Stone, who has been the color commentator for the club’s local broadcasts since 2009. Helping in the studio are Gordon Beckham, Chuck Garfien, Ozzie Guillén, Scott Podsednik, and Frank Thomas.
- Chicago Bulls: Adam Amin serves as the Bulls’ play-by-play announcer (with Mark Schanowski and Mike Monaco filling in) while Stacey King, who played for the team from 1989-94, is the color commentator. In the studio are Kendall Gill, Jason Goff, Will Perdue.
- Chicago Blackhawks: Pat Foley wrapped up his 39-year career calling Blackhawks games in 2021-22. Chris Vosters now calls the games. With him is Darren Pang for analysis. And in the studio are Pat Boyle, Caley Chelios, Chris Chelios, and Tony Granato.
Wrapping Up
Those looking to stream NBC Sports Chicago have a few options. The cheapest is Hulu + Live TV for $82.99/month. The only problem is that it doesn’t provide Marquee Sports Network.
If you also want coverage of the Chicago Cubs, you need to go with Fubo ($94.98/month) or DIRECTV STREAM ($114.99/month).
FAQs
Does NBC Sports Chicago broadcast MLS Fire games?
It has been some years since NBC Sports Chicago aired Chicago Fire matches. Up through the 2022 season, WGN-TV was the home of the Fire. But that is no longer the case as MLS has moved its broadcasting mostly in-house with a joint venture with Apple TV+ as MLS Season Pass.
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My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.
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