The Detroit Tigers issued a press release on Thursday morning announcing that the sports and entertainment arm of the Ilitch organization has begun exploring the creation of their own regional sports network (RSN). The proposed venture would be anchored by broadcast rights to the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings, both Ilitch Holdings properties, as well as other sports and entertainment content to be determined.
Currently, FOX Sports Detroit owns the television broadcast rights for both franchises. Those deals are expected to expire sometime in the next few years — details on these contracts are often hard to come by — so this won’t happen immediately even if the Ilitch family ultimately decides to go through with it.