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 and more consumers cut the cord with pay TV and look to streaming popular sports programming.
Cubs games are now televised by the 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. Crane Kenney, the team’s president of business operations, said 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.
The Chicago Cubs are looking at direct-to-consumer streaming service that would make games available to fan who don’t subscribe to cable or satellite TV, a team official said. The team wants get the service ready for the 2023 season, but Carne Kenney, president of business operations for the Cubs, said that Major League Baseball, distributors, pricing and technology issues all must be overcome.
The Chicago Cubs are in talks with Sinclair Broadcast Group to launch a streaming service for customers without a cable or satellite-TV subscription — despite pushback from Major League Baseball on the idea. In a deal that insiders say could have league-wide implications, the Cubs and Sinclair are angling to launch the new service following a tough round of negotiations with Comcast more than a year ago that resulted in capping monthly fees for the Marquee Sports Network, the broadcaster of local Cubs games, according to sources close to the situation.
Exclusives
WGN-TV in Chicago on Saturday broadcast its last game from Wrigley Field as the station’s 71-year relationship with the Chicago Cubs approaches its end. The station will broadcast two more Cubs games before the season ends, one from Pittsburgh and one from St. Louis.
Former MSG exec Michael McCarthy is tapped to be general manager of Marquee Sports Network, set to launch in February 2020.
The Chicago Cubs are teaming with Sinclair Broadcast Group to launch a regional sports network in February 2020 that will become the exclusive television home of the Cubs. The Marquee Sports Network will air the full regular season schedule, expanded pregame and postgame coverage, classic broadcasts from the archives and other local sports programming.
Sign Of Spring: WGN Reveals Cubs TV Schedule
Tribune Media Co. and the Chicago Cubs announced Friday that Chicago Entertainment Ventures, the Cubs’ parent company, has completed the purchase of Tribune’s remaining 5% membership interests in Chicago Entertainment […]
The Cubs will pull away from their partnership with NBC Sports Chicago — as well as the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks — and start their own television venture in October 2019, according to industry sources. The Cubs have hired Mike McCarthy to lead the television venture moving forward, sources said. McCarthy was previously the president of the MSG Network and the CEO of the St. Louis Blues.
President Obama Gives WGN A Shout Out
‘Tis The Season To Celebrate The Cubs On WGN
WGN Promo Thanks Chicago Cubs Fans
WGN Tops For Cubs Rally Ratings
WGN Airing/Streaming Cubs Parade Today
World Series Game 7 A Grand Slam For WFLD
Wednesday’s deciding game of the World Series scored a 51.5 household rating/72 share on Fox O&O WFLD Chicago, according to the station, with 3,217,000 households watching the hometown Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians to win the Cubbies’ first Fall Classic since 1908. By comparison, WFLD said, Super Bowl 50 generated a 47.6/72. The first hour of WFLD’s post game and local news coverage delivered a 28.8/57. WFLD’s World Series coverage continued until 2:20 a.m. CT. Thursday.
WGN Pays Homage To Cubs Fans
After the Chicago Cubs broke a 108-year World Series winning drought Wednesday night, Nike and Budweiser were quick to seize on the moment. Soon after the final out during Fox’s post-game coverage, Bud aired this classic 1984 spot starring legendary Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray.
World Series Game 5 Hits A Homer For WFLD
Sunday’s Game 5 of the World Series scored a 42.8 household rating on Fox O&O WFLD Chicago, according to the station, with 1,482,000 households watching the hometown Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians to stay alive in the Fall Classic. WFLD said the rating was the biggest in the market since Super Bowl 50 on WBBM, which generated a 47.6 (1,648,000 households). The game also gave a boost to WFLD’s late Fox32 News Sunday, which garnered a 19.8 household rating (685,000 households).
WFLD Adds Chip Caray To World Series Coverage
WGN At Bat With ‘Cubs Nightly’ Through Playoffs
Starting Oct. 3 and for as long as the Cubs are playing in the MLB postseason, Tribune’s WGN-TV Chicago is presenting Cubs Nightly weeknights from 6 to 6:30 (it will not […]
WFLD Debuting New Cubs Playoff Show Friday
Fox-owned WFLD Chicago (DMA 3) will inaugurate Blue October: Cubs Playoff Pregame Show on Friday, Oct. 7. The half-hour program airs at 6 p.m. and will be hosted by WFLD […]
Cubs Opener Scores Huge Ratings For WLS
Cubs Hoping To Launch Cable Network In 2020
WLS Sets Record With Cubs Broadcast
Cubs baseball ratings on ABC O&O WLS Chicago are red hot. During the big crosstown Cubs-White Sox showdown on Aug. 15, WLS notched a 7.6 household rating, the highest-rated local […]
Cubs-Brewers On WGN Scores Highest Rating Since 2011
Cubs, Sox TV Ratings Are Tale Of Two Cities
The Chicago Cubs are relevant in baseball again, and people are watching. Not so much on the South Side.
WISH-WNDY To Carry Cubs, White Sox
Media General-owned CW affiliate WISH Indianapolis (DMA 27) and co-owned independent WNDY will be that market’s new homes of the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox, beginning in April. […]
Cubs Nearing TV Deal With WGN-TV
The Chicago Cubs and Tribune Media’s CW affiliate WGN Chicago may not be breaking up after all. More than a year after the team exercised an option in its contract with the station to opt out after the 2014 season, the two sides are finalizing a new agreement to broadcast 45 games each year through 2019, according to a source close to the negotiations. The team awarded rights to 25 games to ABC O&O WLS last month.
The ABC O&O to become first network-owned station in Chicago to pick up game broadcast rights in the 68-year Chicago Cubs TV broadcast history.
The Chicago Cubs have hired their manager, begun renovations on their historic ballpark and are restocking their Major League team with promising young talent and the expectation of free agents to come, leaving one major item on their off-season to-do list — finding a new television home. While the team’s long-term play is to create a regional sports network, sources say the Cubs are working on a return to CW affil WGN-TV next season, perhaps with a reduced broadcast schedule and the potential for revenue sharing.
Cubs Seeking New TV Home, May Leave WGN
The Cubs plan to announce Thursday that they are ending a 90-year run on WGN-AM, but that may not be the only change on the airwaves next season: WGN-TV, the Cubs’ television home since 1948, is on notice, and perhaps on the way out. The Cubs exercised an option to end their agreement with WGN-TV last year, making the team a television free agent in 2015.
The Chicago Cubs have exercised an option to get out of their broadcast contract with WGN-TV after the 2014 season, sources said Wednesday. The team notified the Tribune Co.-owned station on Tuesday it had 30 days to agree to substantially higher fees for the 2015 season and beyond, or the broadcast rights would be opened up for negotiation with other media, according to a source close to the situation.
It’s like an earthquake rattling up from the depths, a seismic shift could rock many corners of broadcasting and production in Chicago. The Cubs not on WGN-TV anymore after serving as ancestral programming since the station first signed on in 1948?! That possibility is looming as a 2015 reality now.
