• by Wayne Friedman , September 12, 2017

A new sports TV network, Stadium, which is carried on TV stations digital subchannels, has begun operation.

Distributed by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, Stadium will initially be available in 57 U.S. markets via digital subchannels, covering more than 40% of U.S. TV homes.

In April, Stadium was announced as a merger of Campus Insiders, 120 Sports and Sinclair’s The American Sports Network. Stadium is owned by Silver Chalice, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the NHL, the PGA Tour and Time Inc.

The free, ad-supported sports network will offer live games, events, highlights, classic games and original programming. Initially, much of the programming will come from college and high school events.

Scott Shapiro, vice president of corporate development of Sinclair Broadcast Group, stated that Sinclair’s investment in Stadium builds on its effort to connect “communities with sports programming.”

Sinclair has made a number of investments with new networks, running on its stations’ digital subchannels.

This weekend, Stadium's college-football game features the University of North Carolina vs. Old Dominion.