Marquee Sports Network, the regional sports network home of the Chicago Cubs, faces a pivotal carriage renewal negotiation with Comcast, with the current deal expiring in September. 

The channel’s top executive, Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney, told Chicago radio station 670 the Score's Bernstein & Holmes show that he’s not confident that Marquee will maintain distribution with a pay TV provider that controls around half the channel’s reach. 

“I think distribution is going to be a challenge,” Kenney said. “And I’m sure you’re going to be asking me in September, ‘Hey, what’s going on now?’ Because it’s going to be bumpy.”

The Cubs launched the channel in the middle of a pandemic back in spring 2020, a joint effort with Sinclair Broadcast Group. Marquee also launched a $20-a-month direct-to-consumer app last year, but that effort seems far away from providing enough revenue to support the channel.

Meanwhile, Comcast — which remains at a distribution impasse with 18 Bally Sports regional sports channels operated by bankrupt Sinclair subsidiary Diamond Sports Group — might not be inclined to deviate from its current trend line and break the bank for an RSN built around a 33-35 ball club currently trying to keep its mouth and nose above water in Major League Baseball's National League Central Division. 

“I wish the clock was turned back to 2011,” Kenney said. “Because the market is in turmoil. You’ve got half the RSNs in bankruptcy, being rejected in their rights agreements. You got wonderful markets like Atlanta — like if you’re a Comcast subscriber in Atlanta, you can’t watch the Braves [on Bally Sports] today. If you’re a Comcast subscriber in Milwaukee, you can’t watch the [Brewers] today. If you’re a Comcast subscriber in Detroit, another great baseball market, you can’t watch the Tigers today.”

Kenney also noted that earlier this month, Chicago Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf exited his teams’ RSN partnership with Comcast on NBC Sports Chicago. The teams, along with the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks, are launching a new multi-platform channel, Chicago Sports Network, in partnership with broadcaster Standard Media Group.

"Comcast has made it pretty clear that they are exiting the sports market,” Kenney added. “And half of our homes are Comcast homes. And our contract with Comcast ends in September. So trust me, the reason I spend — other than worrying about our batting average with runners in scoring position — the other thing that keeps me up all night is worrying about what’s going to happen with distribution.”

Marquee Sports Network, the regional sports network joint venture of the Chicago Cubs and Sinclair, said it has launched a direct-to-consumer offering for viewers in the Chicago area.

The service will cost $19.99 a month for viewers without a pay TV service.  

Marquee becomes the latest regional sports network to launch a streaming service as more consumers cut the cord with pay TV and look to streaming popular sports programming. Others trying the new strategy out include MSG Networks and YES Network in the New York area and various Sinclair Broadcast-owned Bally Sports networks across the country, and recently Charter Communications disclosed DTC plans for its Spectrum SportsNet outlets.

Also: Mixed Reviews for NESN 360, the First RSN to Go DTC

Diamond Sports, the subsidiary that runs Sinclair’s other regional sports networks, declared bankruptcy in March.

Fans already subscribing to Marquee via a cable, satellite, telco or virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD) can stream programming through the new Marquee Sports Network App at no added cost.

The new app features a high-resolution (1080p) feed and on-demand game highlights and player interviews. The app will also support screencasting from a smartphone, tablet or web browser to most smart TVs and connected-TV devices.

“We’re thrilled to launch our new direct-to-consumer subscription option, providing all in-market Cubs fans with access to Marquee Sports Network, including live Cubs games,” Marquee Sports Network general manager Mike McCarthy said. “The new Marquee Sports Network App will also provide an improved 1080p streaming experience for all Marquee Sports Network subscribers. We look forward to continuing to bring Cubs baseball to the passionate Cubs fans across the region.”

App users will have access to more than 200 live Cubs-affiliated games per year, including regular-season games (excluding nationally televised games), spring training matchups and minor league games.

They will also get off-season Cubs coverage including studio shows, press conferences and coverage of the MLB winter meetings and the annual Cubs conventions. 

The app will also provide archival programming and original shows including The Reporters and Class in Session with Doug Glanville. 

The Chicago Cubs plan to launch a streaming service in July that will carry its games, the team’s president of business operations Crane Kenney said.

Cubs games are televised by Marquee Sports Network, a joint venture between the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group. Diamond Sports Group, which runs most of Sinclair’s other regional sports networks, filed for bankruptcy protection in March.

The new streaming service would make the games currently available on Marquee to fans who don’t have a traditional pay TV bundle or a virtual pay TV service like Fubo, Kenney said in an interview on The Score, a sports radio station in Chicago.

No price point was disclosed for the direct-to-consumer offering.

Kenney had confirmed the team was looking at streaming options in March. 

“People are finding their programming in all sorts of ways, not just with cable and satellite subscriptions,“ Kenney said. “Streaming services seem to be popping up daily. We’ve seen a few teams — the Red Sox and Yankees and then a few of the Bally teams and most notably the Padres just launched a streaming service after their rights were returned to them in the bankruptcy.

“So the world is changing very, very quickly, even since the 2019 launch of Marquee, which is primarily on cable and satellite. And to reach our fans that have cut the cord, we’re going to be introducing a streaming service this year,” he said.

Kenney said Marquee has been working on the streaming service for about a year.

“We’re taking our time to make sure this thing is exactly right in terms of both the quality of the program, the type of program, pricing, marketing, ease of access so that it’s available on all devices, whether it’s Roku, a handheld, etc.” Kenney said.

Marquee Sports Network, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Chicago Cubs, said it will steam a gambling-focused alternative telecast of Saturday’s Cubs-Reds Game that will be presented by Draft Kings.

The telecast will be available exclusively on Marquee Plus, a streaming channel available via the Marquee Sports Network App.

Matt Spiegel and Danny Parkins of WSCR-AM The Score radio and Lance Brozdowski of Marquee will host the telecast, which will analyze game action through a sports betting lens.

Sinclair's Bally Sports branded networks have been rolling out apps that offer a number of activities, some including streaming game telecasts.

Also: Bally Sports Plus Readies Monday National Rollout Amid Fire Sale Rumors

Marquee Sports said it is the first regional sports network to offer an alternative gaming feed for a live Major League Baseball broadcast. Networks have done betting feeds for other sports, including MSG Network's BetCasts during New York Knicks NBA games.

The feed–called Hey Bettor, Bettor, will talk about run lines, over-under bets, prop bets, pitch-by-pitch betting, explaining the ins and outs of sports gambling to viewers. The betting discussion will come during the 2nd, 4th and 6th innings.

Spiegel and Parkins promoted the telecast during their radio show on Friday.

Jon "Boog" Sciambi and Jim Deshaies will be on the call for the traditional game broadcast on Marquee Sports Network.

“We’re grateful to the Cubs and Major League Baseball for supporting this breakthrough broadcast,” said Marquee Sports Network General Manager Mike McCarthy. “We look forward to offering Cubs fans another way to engage with their favorite team.” ■

DirecTV said it is making programming from the Marquee Sports Network, a joint venture of Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Chicago Cubs, available nationwide, except for live games of the Cubs and the WNBA Chicago Sky.

The satellite company already carried the regional sports network in Chicago.

“The addition of Marquee to DirecTV’s Sports Tier further cements our leadership position in regional sports networks across all pay TV providers,” said Rob Thun, chief content officer at DirecTV. “It also gives passionate, displaced Cubs fans nationwide access to popular team content not available elsewhere.”

Out-of-market subscribers will be able to see Marquee offerings including in-season studio shows such as Cubs Live and Cubs Postgame, The Reporters, Icons of the Ivy and Cubs Classics, full replays of classic Cubs games.

 Also available nationally are Marquee documentaries and interview shows.

Also: Cubs Exploring Direct-to-Consumer Service, Team President Confirms

“We are thrilled to now offer Marquee Sports Network to DirecTV and its customers across the country, giving Cubs fans access to all of our unique programming and studio content,” said Marquee Sports Network General Manager Mike McCarthy. “Our goal has always been to deliver Cubs content, as well as all of our programming, to fans nationwide and we’re thankful for this expanded carriage agreement with DirecTV.” ■

Sinclair Broadcast Group said it signed a new distribution deal with Charter Communications that includes carriage of its regional sports networks.

In addition to 19 Bally Sports regional sports networks, the deal covers Marquee Sports Network in Chicago and the YES Network in New York. Sinclair owns a piece of Marquee and YES.

Sinclair’s broadcast stations and the Tennis Channel are also going to get continued carriage as part of the agreement.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Sinclair’s agreement with Charter Communications expired at the end of the month, but the channels and stations have remained available to cable subscribers under short term extensions.

The agreement was crucial to Sinclair because buying the RSNs from Disney left it carrying about $9 billion in debt. It would have been difficult to pay that money back without carriage fees from Charter, a major carrier.

Some distributors, including Dish Network and most of the streaming MVPDs have balked at carrying regional sports networks, because they generally have high carriage fees and require all subscribers, whether they are sports fans or not, to pay for them, raising the cost of service at a time when many consumers are cutting the cord to save money. 

Sinclair is planning to launch direct-to-consumer streaming services in some markets where it has RSNs. It was unclear how that plan is dealt with in the agreement with Charter. ■

fuboTV, the sports-oriented streaming service, said it made a deal to carry the Marquee Sports Network--the home of the Cubs--in the Chicago area.

Marquee Sports Network was launched before last season as a joint venture between the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns a string of other regional sports networks that are being rebranded as Bally’s starting April 1.

"We are thrilled to have fuboTV offering Marquee Sports Network to Cubs fans. fuboTV has prioritized live sports and we look forward to them carrying Cubs baseball all season long," said Marquee Sports Network General Manager, Mike McCarthy.

A key issue with Marquee’s launch last year was gaining a distribution deal with Comcast, which covers most of the Chicago area. A deal was worked out in time for opening day.

Also Read: RSNs Scramble for Streaming Deals as Opening Day Approaches

The fuboTV deal comes at a time when other virtual multichannel video programming distributors aren’t carrying regional sports networks. Dish Network, along with its Sling vMVPD are among those without RSN deals.

“As we kick off the hotly anticipated 2021 baseball season, fuboTV is thrilled to bring consumers Marquee Sports Network’s extensive coverage of the Chicago Cubs,” said Ben Grad, fuboTV’s senior VP, content strategy and acquisition. “The addition of Marquee Sports Network to our leading sports, news and entertainment portfolio makes fuboTV a great streaming choice for Cubs fans, as well as other Chicagoans looking to cut the cord.”

Also Read: Sinclair-Bally’s Deal Could Be a Sign of the RSN Times

fuboTV stock has gone on a wild ride over the past year. Some analysts have questioned the potential profitability of the vMVPD business, while others see promise in its strategy to get into the gaming and betting business. The company reported a $167.8 million loss in the fourth quarter.

“We’re excited to add Marquee Sports Network and their coverage of the Chicago Cubs to fuboTV,” said fuboTV’s co-founder and CEO David Gandler. “Our Fubo Gaming subsidiary is headquartered in Chicago, and the midwest market, particularly Indiana and Iowa where we recently closed market access agreements, will be a key cluster for our gaming strategy in the future.”

Marquee Sports Network, the joint venture of the Chicago Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group will be airing live French Open Tennis coverage from Sinclair’s Tennis Channel as the baseball season winds down.

Live tennis matches will air daily for nine straight days from Roland Garros on the six-month-old regional sports network in the morning from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. CT.

“We are beyond excited to continue to offer live sports in bunches, as we move right from Cubs baseball to a major tennis tournament,” said Marquee Sports Network Programming Manager Allison Bertucci. “With a full slate of live sports and compelling original programming scheduled for the fall and winter, there will be plenty for Cubs fans and viewers to enjoy.

Related: Sportradar to Provide Stats, Graphics to Marquee Sports

Viewers will get 36 hours of tennis programming. Tennis Channel will provide unique content to Marquee and other Fox RSNs, including live play from outer course and expert commentary.

Earlier this year, Marquee Sports Network aired the first live American tennis competition following the pandemic. 

The channel also said it will be televising live college football games this fall.

Sports data provider Sportradar said it will be providing Marquee Sports Network, the joint venture between the Chicago Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group, with services including game notes, research support, analytics and graphics.

“As a new sports network, our goal is to bring fans closer to the Cubs and closer to the game than ever before,” said Mike Santini, senior VP, programming and production, Marquee Sports Network. “Partnering with Sportradar allows us to deliver compelling insights in real-time, so we can package them in ways that are attractive to our audience. Backed by the fastest, most accurate, and reliable data and tech, as well as flexibility, Sportradar is the perfect partner to help us deliver a fresh broadcast experience for the fans.”

Formed in 2001, Sportradar provides sports federations, news media, consumer platforms and sports betting operators, with services and data. 

“We’re thrilled to partner with Marquee Sports Network in their inaugural season by supplying them with the data, technologies and insights to deliver a modern, engaging broadcast experience for fans,” said Brian Josephs, VP of digital sport, Sportradar. “We are particularly excited by Marquee’s technology prowess, which, when combined with Sportradar’s extensive data and insights, will unleash innovative content and captivate both long-time Cubs fans, as well as younger fans that prefer to consume games in different ways.” 

Sinclair Broadcast Group, with its regional sports networks hammered by the postponement of live games, said it expects to get more from teams in reduced rights fees than it will pay out to distributors in rebates for under delivery.

In its second quarter earnings, Sinclair said it will be paying $124 million to distributors because it didn’t deliver the minimum number of Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association and National Hockey League games specified in their contracts. 

But the company said those payments, to be made through the balance of the year, will be smaller than the amount by which rights fees will be reduced by the teams that didn’t play games as scheduled.

“There’s been a lot of misinformation on the street as it related to this,” said Sinclair CFO Lucy Rutishauser on the company’s earnings call. “So what I’m saying is the amount that we get in will be greater than the amount we pay out.”

Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley noted that the RSN business should be better now that games are being played. “It is very clear that viewers are excited as well, with ratings for the first day of the MLB season up 32% on our RSNs.

Ripley also noted that Sinclair in July signed a deal with Comcast that included carriage of Marquee Sports Network, the new RSN in Chicago that is a joint venture with the Cubs.

He said that speculation that getting carriage for Marquee would drag down revenue for Sinclair’s other business. “We’ve said we were confident that we would reach an agreement with Comcast that would be positive for us, and we are happy with the outcome in all regards,” he said. “This agreement is another example of the benefits that come from negotiating for a large, diverse set of very popular programming assets.”

Comcast even agreed to carry the Cubs in areas near Chicago where Comcast hadn’t carried Cubs games before--even though it owned, and still owns--a stake in NBC Sports Net.

With the Comcast deal, Ripley said Comcast has locked up almost 85% of its RSN subscribers for at least two years.

Ripley said Sinclair would be rolling out a new sports app that will give users the ability to interact content in numerous ways, including with advertisers and free-to-play games. In terms of gambling, he said Sinclair would disclose more of its plans later this year.

“As the exclusive provider of local sports content for more than half of the MLB, NBA and NHL teams, we believe there we are in a unique position to monetize the significant sports betting opportunity that exists,” he said.

For the second quarter, Sinclair reported net income of $252 million, or $3.12 a share, up from 42 million, or 46 cents a share, a year ago.

Revenue was up 66% to $1.3 billion. The increase was driven by the acquisition of 21 Regional Sports Networks and Fox College Sports last August.

Rutishauser noted that ad revenues were down 26% in June, which was an improvement over the 43% drop in April. The improvement continued in July with a decline of 20%, even as political ramps up in the third quarter,” she said. “We still expect to finish the third quarter down 15% to 2% in core advertising.

In its guidance for the third quarter, the company said it expected revenue to be between $1.477 billion and $1.514 billion, with core advertising revenue of $363 million to $388 million and political advertising being between $77 million and $83 million. It expects adjusted EBITDA to be between $589 million and $621 million.

Comcast and Sinclair Broadcast Group said they reached a multi-year renewal of their distribution agreement.

In addition to retransmission consent for 78 Sinclair stations in 51 markets, the new deal includes carriage of the new Marquee Network, which televises Chicago Cubs games, the YES Network, which has the New York Yankees, 18 Fox-branded regional sports networks and Tennis Channel.

Related: Comcast Makes Ninth-Inning Deal to Carry Marquee Sports

The deal comes as the baseball season is starting, enabling fans in those markets to watch games without disruption.

“With this agreement, Xfinity TV customers can continue to enjoy access to local news and sports content on Sinclair’s owned stations and networks across platforms, including on X1 – which delivers Xfinity customers an unmatched sports experience alongside on demand and streaming entertainment,” said Rebecca Heap, senior VP, Video and Entertainment, Comcast Cable.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

“We are pleased to continue and expand our partnership with Comcast under which we provide a broad array of valuable programming to its subscribers, including our award-winning local news and sports programming,” commented Barry Faber, Sinclair’s president of distribution & network relations. Faber continued, “Sports are an important part of Sinclair and we are pleased that Comcast’s greater Chicago customers can join the list of passionate fans that enjoy Sinclair’s local sports programming.”  

Carriage of the Marquee Network was a major concern in the Chicago market, where Comcast is the dominant cable operator.

“By including Marquee in the broader Sinclair agreement, we’re now able to give our customers access to Cubs baseball in time for the start of the season,” said John Crowley, senior VP, Comcast Cable Greater Chicago Region.

"We welcome Comcast to the Marquee family and look forward to providing their customers the very best viewing experience and commentary, as they join Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies in rooting on the Cubs pursuit of another World Series Championship,” said Mike McCarthy, VP, general manager of Marquee.

Comcast and Marquee Sports Network have agreed to a multiple-year deal that will let the majority of Chicago households watch Cubs games as the season starts.

Marquee, a joint venture of the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group, has been negotiating with Comcast, the largest cable operator. The network launched in February without a Comcast deal, leading to concern that many fans won’t be able to see games.

Related: Marquee Sports Network Steps Up to the Plate

The deal was part of a larger distribution agreement between Comcast and Sinclair. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“We finished our negotiations with Comcast to carry Marquee and it will be available in all Xfinity homes,” Crane Kenney, Cubs president of business operations told the Chicago Tribune, which first reported the story Friday morning.

The Cubs, like the rest of Major League Baseball, will be playing a 60 game season that was shortened and postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This agreement is monumental for us and the multitude of Chicagoans who can now watch live Cubs games on a network as dedicated to the team as they are,” said Marquee Sports Network GM Mike McCarthy. “We are proud that thanks to an undying commitment from the Cubs, Sinclair and Comcast to get this deal done, fans in and around Chicago can tune in when the team opens the season against the Brewers tonight.”

The team's opening game Friday will appear nationally on ESPN and Saturday's game will be on Fox.

Marquee had previously announced carriage deals with carriers including AT&T, RCN and Hulu. It does not have a deal with Dish, which has been balking at expensive sports deals.

Comcast customers can watch Marquee Sports Network and the Cubs on channel 202 in the Chicago Metropolitan area. The agreement also provides carriage in Ft. Wayne and portions of the Indianapolis market that Comcast serves.

Sinclair Broadcast Group shares were up more than 10% in early trading Monday after reports that its Chicago-area regional sports network was close to a carriage deal with Comcast.

Comcast, the largest cable operator in the Chicago region had been slow to reach a carriage agreement with Sinclair’s Marquee Sports Network, the RSN it jointly owns with the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball team. But reports over the weekend that the two may be close to a deal helped goose the stock.

Sinclair stock was priced as high as $17.54 each on May 18, up 12.6%, or $1.96 per share. The stock was priced at $17.41 as of 2:03 p.m., up 11.8%.

According to reports, Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney told season ticket holders in a conference call that a Comcast deal would be signed shortly after MLB play resumes. While the league hasn’t said anything official yet, according to reports it has proposed resuming games in July, playing an abbreviated 82-game season. That proposal would have to be approved by the MLB Players Association before it would become reality. Baseball’s regular season was suspended in late March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Comcast officials did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Marquee Sports Network launched in February. Sinclair has secured deals with distributors representing about half of the homes in the Chicago area, including Hulu and DirecTV. According to reports, Kenney said Comcast and MSN were close to signing a deal on March 12, but that was shelved as the pandemic took hold. Every major professional sports league has suspended their regular seasons as a result of the outbreak.

Comcast and Sinclair have reportedly been at odds for months over the price of the Marquee Sports Network, which by some estimates is as high as $6 per subscriber per month. While other distributors have balked at paying increasingly higher prices for RSNs, some pundits believe that the lack of live sports, scripted and unscripted programming during the pandemic has made it more critical for pay TV providers to have access to games once they resume. 

Sinclair Broadcast Group shares were up more than 10% in early trading Monday after reports that its Chicago-area regional sports network was close to a carriage deal with Comcast.

Comcast, the largest cable operator in the Chicago region had been slow to reach a carriage agreement with Sinclair’s Marquee Sports Network, the RSN it jointly owns with the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball team. But reports over the weekend that the two may be close to a deal helped goose the stock.

[embed]https://twitter.com/MLBBruceLevine/status/1261095786386948097[/embed]

Sinclair stock was priced as high as $17.54 each on May 18, up 12.6%, or $1.96 per share. The stock was priced at $17.41 as of 2:03 p.m., up 11.8%.

According to reports, Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney told season ticket holders in a conference call that a Comcast deal would be signed shortly after MLB play resumes. While the league hasn’t said anything official yet, according to reports it has proposed resuming games in July, playing an abbreviated 82-game season. That proposal would have to be approved by the MLB Players Association before it would become reality. Baseball’s regular season was suspended in late March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Comcast officials did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Marquee Sports Network launched in February. Sinclair has secured deals with distributors representing about half of the homes in the Chicago area, including Hulu and DirecTV. According to reports, Kenney said Comcast and MSN were close to signing a deal on March 12, but that was shelved as the pandemic took hold. Every major professional sports league has suspended their regular seasons as a result of the outbreak.

Comcast and Sinclair have reportedly been at odds for months over the price of the Marquee Sports Network, which by some estimates is as high as $6 per subscriber per month. While other distributors have balked at paying increasingly higher prices for RSNs, some pundits believe that the lack of live sports, scripted and unscripted programming during the pandemic has made it more critical for pay TV providers to have access to games once they resume. 

It’s a whole new ballgame in Chicago.

Marquee Sports Network, launched on Feb. 22, is the new home of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs, promising viewers one stop shopping for all local Cubs telecasts and a smorgasbord of broad-shouldered programming from the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.

But the regional sports network, a joint venture of the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group, has not been hailed as a field of dreams by all in the Windy City.

There have been concerns that it might not be carried by Comcast, Chicago’s dominant cable operator, leaving some Cubs fans out in the cold. And even if a deal with Comcast is worked out, die-hard fans used to seeing the team for more than 70 years on over-the-air broadcast TV will be shut out.

On top of that, in an era of cord-cutting, skinny bundles and streaming, the regional sports network business, once seen as a cash cow, is under financial pressure as the number of subscribers fall and the cost of media rights climb.

Marquee general manager Mike McCarthy, hired a year ago to help build the network, is full of the optimism most baseball fans feel this time of year.

“It is not a risky bet to figure out whether people in Chicago want to watch Cub games,” McCarthy said.

Superserving Superfans

McCarthy, who ran MSG Networks when it had the rights to the New York Yankees and Mets, feels Chicago has a unique, passionate relationship with the Cubs.

RELATED: More Than a South Side Story at NBC Sports Chicago

“This is really a Cubs fan’s dream,” he said. “I think they deserved what the Yankees and Red Sox and Dodgers and Mets fans have had for years now, which is not just game coverage but a 24-hour channel fully dedicated to serving their passion. We’re going to be eating, sleeping, breathing Cubs.”

Marquee has retained the team’s main TV announcers, Len Kasper and Jim DeShaies, and signed a roster of former Cubs players to appear on the network, including Ryan Dempster, Rick Sutcliffe, Doug Glanville, Mark Grace and one-time manager Lou Piniella.

“There’s a lot that has gone on, but we feel very good about a lot of it and we’re very excited to launch in a way that everyone can be proud of,” McCarthy said. “We know we’re going to deliver the fanbase something that they have deserved for a while, which we’re excited about.”

The new network’s offices and studios are across Waveland Avenue from Wrigley Field and McCarthy plans to sneak away from the control room so he doesn’t miss opening day.

“My dad was a groundskeeper for the Mets for 30 years and I grew up in a baseball stadium and I don’t think I’ve ever missed an opening day,” he said.

But missing opening day is a concern to Chicago fans used to watching games on TV.

Sinclair has helped Marquee gain carriage deals with nearly 40 distributors, including DirecTV, Charter Communications, Mediacom, Frontier Communications and RCN. The network also has announced its first streaming deal, with Hulu+Live TV. Between DirecTV and Hulu, Cubs fans will be able to get Marquee wherever they live in the market.

In Chicago, Comcast has about 1.5 million subscribers, or 40% of the market. Comcast is also a part owner of NBC Sports Chicago, which carried Cubs games on cable last year and will be the exclusive home of the White Sox this season (see sidebar). Cubs TV rights were split in 2019 between longtime TV home WGN, ABC-owned WLS and NBCSC.

In an interview on sports-talk radio station WSCR, Crane Kenney, president of business operations for the Cubs, said the Hulu agreement “validates our pricing model.”

Analysts estimate Marquee is seeking a monthly per-subscriber fee of $6 per month from distributors.

“We’ve offered the same terms to Comcast that have been accepted by AT&T and Charter and Mediacom and Hulu,” Kenney said. “Almost 40 of them have said ‘yes’ to the terms, which tells us they’re reasonable.”

McCarthy seems certain a deal with Comcast will be worked out, even though 11 years ago the Chicago-based Big Ten Network launched in the Midwest without Comcast for a year. And half of the Dodgers fans in Los Angeles can’t watch games, because they still can’t get Spectrum SportsNet LA after six years, with DirecTV as the major holdout.

“We don’t think we remind anybody of the Los Angeles situation, with all due respect,” McCarthy said. “We think this is a religious experience, the Cubs and their fan base. We continue to remain optimistic and hopeful because it just doesn’t strike me as anybody’s idea of a good result if the Comcast people don’t end up with the Cubs games and Marquee Sports Network.”

Marquee hasn’t generated a lot of enthusiasm among Cubs fans, according to Chicago media maven Rob Feder. Feder noted that when Cubs owner Tom Ricketts mentioned the Marquee Network at the team’s convention last month, he got booed.

“Here was the head of the company in front of a roomful of hundreds of the most die-hard Cubs fans that exist, who have paid something $350 a ticket to be at this event, and the first time word come out of his mouth mentioning Marquee Sports Network, the entire room boos,” Feder said. “That told you everything.”

Feder said many fans feel the loss of the free games they’ve been able to watch for 72 years on WGN. The network’s rollout has left many unanswered questions about what the network is going to cost, how people are going to get it, what channel it will be on and what do you do if you opt out, he added.

There is also some lingering resentment towards Sinclair, which was criticized last year when it tried to take over WGN’s owner, Tribune Media, because of its political positions and how it operates. “They did not endear themselves in any way to Chicago,” Feder said.

On top of that, the top managers of Marquee are from out of town. “They’re making these decisions on a product that is supposed to appeal to Chicagoans, but they’re flying blind,” Feder said.

Feder credited Marquee for hiring Bob Vorwald, who had been executive producer of WGN Sports, as one move that would make Cubs fans comfortable when they tune in to the new network.

McCarthy said that hiring Vorwald was part of Marquee’s effort to be sensitive to the folklore and long history of the Cubs on TV.

RELATED: Outlook Uncertain for RSN Business Overall

“I think we will more than replace what folks are used to watching on other television outlets here in Chicago,” he added. Even at the Cubs convention, after the owner was booed, when the roster of former Cubs that would be appearing on the network were announced, there was nothing but cheers from the fans, he said. “They were asking ‘How do I get this channel,’ which is what we were hoping to hear.”

McCarthy said he watched the Cubs in New York on the WGN Superstation. And when he arrived in Chicago, he lived in an apartment just beyond Wrigley’s bleachers to soak up the atmosphere. “One of the most dramatic things I’ve been able to do is take someone in the stadium when it’s empty in the winter. People got emotional, because it feels like you’re going back in time,” he said.

Murray Hits Leadoff

On Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. CT, Cubs fan Bill Murray was set to lead off for the network as it signs on with Marquee Debut, a one-hour show introducing the channel. The Cubs’ first exhibition game was to start at 2 p.m. but was pushed back at the last minute. That first day Marquee was to air a documentary on Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks.

During the season, each game will be preceded by Cubs Live and followed by Cubs Postgame Live.

The network’s programming will include a local Chicago sports talk show produced by Stadium, a service partly owned by Sinclair, and Follow the Money, a gambling show from Las Vegas produced by VISN.

The schedule will be filled out with documentaries, player profiles and game replays, plus other programming from Stadium and the Fox Sports Regional Networks, now owned by Sinclair.

Marquee will also air a package of Cubs minor league games that will feature farm teams in Des Moines, Iowa, and South Bend, Indiana, markets where the network is looking for distribution.

McCarthy said Marquee has won over sponsors. Those with high profiles in Wrigley Field and on TV remain on board, including the local Toyota dealers group, AB InBev, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Wintrust Bank. “Those folks didn’t lose interest,” he said. “In many cases they doubled down. They appreciated that there’s one place to buy Cubs telecasts. That wasn’t the case the last few years.”

Marquee has also formed a “unique” relationship with the local plumbers union, McCarthy said. “They were very interested in having a presence within Cubs telecasts and they stepped up,” he said.

After it’s up and running the network also plans a robust outreach to the community. “We look forward to learning more about how we can best deploy our services to help folks in Chicagoland,”

McCarthy said. McCarthy was in Mesa, Arizona, where the Cubs have spring training, early last week, returning for some last-minute tweaks to the graphics they would use for Cactus League games from Sloan Park.

Members of the staff — more than 60 people have been hired — are still getting to know each other and finding a working rhythm for things, like how often the network should be posting on social media.

“We’re learning as we go, but the basics, like the truck and the signal and the announcers, we’ve been prepping for a while and we’re ready, so it will be fun,” McCarthy said.

Marquee Sports Network, the new channel being launched Feb. 22 by the Chicago Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group, took a big step by making a carriage deal to be streamed as part of the Hulu+ Live TV lineup.

It is Marquee’s first over-the-top deal with a virtual MVPD (multichannel video programming distributor), which is important because it means Cubs fans can watch games if they cut the cord.

The dominant cable operator in Chicago is Comcast, which has not yet made a deal with Marquee. Comcast also is a part owner of NBC Sports Chicago, which carried Cubs games on cable last year and continues to carry the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks.

After more than 70 years of getting games for free over-the-air on WGN-TV, Cubs fans have been concerned about their ability to watch Cubs games on the new network, which will carry all local Cubs telecasts, if it does not reach a deal with Comcast and other carriers.

The new deal might put pressure on Comcast, if it wants to avoid having its subscribers cut the cord and stream the games via Hulu+ Live TV, which costs $54.99 for its basic service.

Hulu has been promoting live sports on Hulu+ Live TV with commercials featuring star athletes, including one with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady that aired during the Super Bowl.

Marquee Sports Network has already made deals with a number of traditional pay-TV providers including DirecTV, Charter Communications, Mediacom, Frontier Communications and RCN.

Financial terms of the new Hulu deal were not disclosed.

Last year, Sinclair bought the 21 former Fox regional sports networks for $10.6 billion from The Walt Disney Co., which owns Hulu. Disney acquired the RSNs — plus a 30% stake in Hulu — when it bought 21st Century Fox last year. Regulators forced Disney ‚ which also runs ESPN — to sell the RSNs on antitrust grounds.

Marquee officials have expressed confidence they will be able to reach a deal with Comcast. Sinclair's carriage deal with Comcast is up later this year, so Marquee could be a part of a larger negotiation.

Marquee Sports Network recently launched a promotion campaign and said it has signed up a number of sponsors.

The network has also announced that its on-air talent will including a return of Len Kasper and Jim DeShaies in the both a number of former Cubs, including Ryan Dempster, Rick Sutcliffe, Mark DeRosa, Carlos Pena, Jason Hammel, Doug Glanville, Dan Plesac, Mark Grace and ex-manager Lou Piniella. 

Sinclair Broadcast Group has formed a joint venture with the Chicago Cubs that will own and operate Marquee Sports Network, a regional sports channel that will be the exclusive home of Cubs baseball games beginning with the 2020 season.

Cubs games have been broadcast by WGN in Chicago for 72 years. WGN’s owner, Tribune Broadcasting, owned the Cubs until the team was sold to the Ricketts family in 2009.

The Cubs had been partners with Comcast in NBC Sports Chicago, which televises Cubs games on cable. NBC Sports Chicago recently announced a deal that extends its partnerships with the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks.

The new Marquee Sports Network will have to negotiate a carriage deal with Comcast, the dominant cable provider in the Chicago TV market.

“This partnership brings together one of the most iconic sports franchises in the country with one of the largest television broadcasting companies,” said Chris Ripley, president and CEO of Sinclair. “It is hard to imagine any content that is more unique and valuable than the live sports entertainment the Cubs have been delivering to their fans for more than a century. Sinclair’s strength in production, distribution and local sales will support bringing more content to more viewers, all while leveraging the latest technology.”

Sinclair has also reportedly been bidding on some of the Fox regional sports networks, which are being acquired, then divested by The Walt Disney Co. Disney is selling the networks in order for its acquisition of 21st Century Fox to gain regulatory approval.

“Providing an enhanced experience for our fans is at the heart of everything we do. We are excited to better serve our fans with expanded and exclusive programming showcasing our remarkable players, beloved ballpark and storied past,” said Crane Kenney, president of business operations for the Cubs. “Our dedicated ‘Cubs-centric’ network will carry all available Cubs games and feature uncompromising, in-depth and behind-the-scenes coverage.”

Owning their own TV networks appeared to be a gold mine for baseball teams, whose 162-regular season games represents a large volume of high-demand programming. Sports networks commanded high sub fees and were carried on basic tiers, which generates a lot of revenue.

Among the first teams to start their own network was the New York Yankees, which launched YES in 2002. It is now among the Fox-owned RSNs on the block because of the Disney Deal.

In 2014, Time Warner Cable agreed to pay 2013 $8.35 billion over 25 years to the Dodegers to start a regional sports network featuring the team. The network has been a big money loser because it has been unable to secure carriage to more than 50% of L.A. area pay-TV subscribers. The network is now owned by Charter.

With the number of pay-TV subscribers falling and sports starting to move to on-demand and streaming platforms, the value of RSNs appears to be falling, based on the low price the Fox RSNs are expected to fetch.

In Chicago, there were concerns about Sinclair last year when it tried to acquire Tribune Broadcasting last year. The conservative news commentaries that Sinclair compels its stations to air appeared to clash with the philosophy of local management at the Tribune stations.

The deal also comes at a time when racist emails surfaced from Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts and the father of of Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts. Team president of baseball operations Theo Epstein condemned those emails earlier this week.

“The emails were upsetting to read and especially upsetting that some of our fans were put into a position where they had to consider a connection of their favorite team and some of those views,” Epstein said according to the Chicago Sun-Times.