Such is the history of the Chicago Cubs that momentous occasions have been accompanied by rain.

So it hardly should be surprising a rainy forecast delayed the Cubs’ Cactus League , which was the debut of Marquee Sports Network.


After all, it was a rain delay that gave the Cubs the chance to regroup and refocus during Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. The debut of lights at Wrigley Field in 1988 was postponed a day by a deluge.

As often happens, Marquee ran into glitches on launch day. Problems appeared to center on cable, satellite and streaming distribution, rather than on Marquee’s end.


Regardless, you probably have questions about Marquee. Let’s get to them:

What is Marquee Sports Network?

Really? That’s where we’re starting? OK. Marquee is the new regional sports network the Cubs are launching in partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group. The idea of the Cubs owning their own channel has been a cornerstone of the Ricketts family’s plans to improve the Cubs’ revenue flow since they acquired the ballclub, Wrigley Field and associated properties in 2009.

Taking its name from the big, red sign on the ballpark at Clark and Addison, Marquee will be the exclusive TV home of the roughly 150 Cubs regular-season games the team controls in its designated Major League Baseball market, a vast territory that includes not only most of Illinois and Indiana but all of Iowa and part of Wisconsin as well as Ohio (apparently along with a sliver of Rochester, Minn., and Omaha, Neb.).

What’s the upside for a Cubs fan?

Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts talks about the Marquee Sports Network during the opening ceremony of the Cubs Convention on Jan. 17, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

The team says its new moneymaker as a boon to longtime supporters by giving them one place to see 150 or so regular-season games, a full slate of spring training exhibitions and hours upon hours of Cubs-centric programming. Theoretically, money Marquee generates could be funneled , but that remains to be seen.

What’s the downside?

Not everyone will have access to the channel, both at its launch and beyond.

Just as the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks have taken all their games off free over-the-air television in favor of cable’s NBC Sports Chicago, the Cubs are done with airing games on WGN-9 and ABC-7.

If you’re a Chicago-area fan who relies solely on an antenna for your TV —rather than cable, satellite or streaming services — the only games you’ll see are the ones Fox-32 airs as part of its network’s contract with Major League Baseball.

Also out of luck are those pay-TV subscribers who want Marquee but depend on services that have yet to reach agreements on carriage deals.

What if I live outside the Cubs’ huge MLB-designated market area?

Forget about Marquee. You might at some point be able to access its non-game programming, but for now you’ll continue to get your Cubs games via subscriptions to MLB.TV.

At last check, MLB.TV streaming subscriptions were going for $24.99 per month or $121.99 for access to every team’s out-of-market games live plus almost 300 exhibitions. But MLB also peddles a $93.99 per season service for just one team, so why not get the rest of the league for another $18.

I live in the Cubs’ market. Does my cable, satellite or streaming provider have a deal with Marquee? And if so, what channel is it on?

Excellent questions. Marquee lists carriage agreements with the following providers, listed alphabetically with channel numbers, according to Marquee:

Ace Communications Group/Acen Tek (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Ch. 22 (standard definition), Ch. 322 (high definition)

AT&T TV Now (multiple markets); Ch. 664 (SD and HD)

AT&T U-Verse (multiple markets); Ch. 740 (SD), 1740 (HD)

Cass Cable/Greene County Partners (Champaign-Virginia and Rushville); Ch. 20 (SD and HD)

Cass Cable/Green County Partners (Champaign-Williamsville, Quincy-Pittsfield); Ch. 97 (SD and HD)

Charter Spectrum (Chicago, Rockford); TBD*

Cinergy Metronet (multiple markets in Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota); Ch. 29, Ch. 21 or Ch. 20 (SD and HD)

City of Bellevue (Davenport, Iowa): Ch. 60 (SD), Ch. 260 (HD)

C-M-L Telephone Cooperative (Sioux City, Iowa): Ch. 54 (SD), Ch. 454 (HD)

Computer Techniques/CTI Fiber (Champaign); Ch. 79 (SD), Ch. 714 (HD)

Cooperative Telephone Company Fiber (Cedar Rapid, Iowa; Des Moines, Iowa); Ch. 25 (SD), Ch. 472 (HD)

DirectTV (multiple); 664 (SD and HD)

Farmers Mutual Telephone (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Ch. 38 (SD), Ch. 438 (HD)

Frontier Communications (Fort Wayne, Ind.); Ch. 75 (SD), Ch. 575 (HD)

Frontier Communications (Peoria); Ch. 611 (SD and HD)

Harlan Municipal Utilities (Omaha, Neb.); Ch. 68 (SD and HD)

Heart of Iowa Cooperative (Des Moines, Iowa); Ch. 61 (SD), Ch. 561 (HD)

Hulu + Live TV (multiple); N/A*

I3 Broadband (Champaign); Ch. 95 (SD), Ch. 495 (HD)

ImOn (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Ch. 39 (SD), Ch. 839 (HD)

Indianola Municipal Utilities (Des Moines, Iowa); Ch. 42 (SD and HD)

Keystone Communication (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Ch. 221 (SD and HD)

La Motte & Andrew Telephone (Davenport, Iowa); Ch. 16 (SD), Ch. 416 (HD)

LaHarpe Video & Data Services (Quincy); Ch. 109 (SD and HD)

Local Internet Service (Ottumwa, Iowa); Ch. 44 (SD), Ch. 444 (HD)

Lost Nation-Elwood Telephone Company (Davenport, Iowa); Ch. 109 (SD), Ch. 309 (HD)

Mahaska Communications Group (Des Moines, Iowa); Ch. 59 (SD and HD)

Mediacom (multiple markets in Illinois and Iowa); Ch. 51 (SD), Chs. 668, 768 (HD)

Mediapolis Cablevision/MTC Technologies (Davenport, Iowa); Ch. 37 (SD and HD)

MTC Communications (Quincy; Davenport, Iowa); Ch. 42 (SD and HD)

Muscatine Power & Water Cable (Davenport, Iowa); Ch. 32 (SD); Ch. 732 (HD)

Muscatine Power & Water Cable - Fiber (Davenport, Iowa); Ch. 37 (SD and HD).

New Paris Telephone Quality (South Bend, Ind.); Ch. 33.1 (SD), N/A (HD)

Ogden Telephone Company Cablevision (Des Moines, Iowa); Ch. 38 (SD), Ch. 138 (HD)

Oneida Telephone (Davenport, Iowa); Ch. 35 (SD), Ch. 435 (HD)

RCN (Chicago); Ch. 377 (SD), Ch. 679 (HD)

Readlyn Telephone (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Ch. 40 (SD), Ch. 440 (HD)

Rochester Telephone (South Bend, Ind.); Ch. 40 (SD and HD)

TVision (Chicago); Ch. 100 (SD and HD)

Waverly Communications Utility (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Ch. 42 (SD and HD)

Wilton Telephone Co./WTC Communications (Davenport, Iowa); Ch. 32 (SD), Ch. 732 (HD)

*Charter Spectrum Communications (Illinois and Wisconsin) also has a deal, but the Cubs say it won’t be available for a few weeks. The team also says Hulu + Live TV (multiple markets) won’t have the channel right away either.


Why so many different channels for Marquee?

That’s the cable, satellite and digital TV business for you. There is no uniformity, and channel locations are subject to change, so best to check with your carrier and/or consult getmarqueesportsnetwork.com/providers.

Iowa certainly seems to be covered, isn’t it?

Iowa has five Sinclair broadcast stations, giving the company greater leverage in negotiations. Owning local stations likely helped it push deals in South Bend, Ind., and Champaign too.

As larger carriers seek to renew their national carriage deals with Sinclair, Marquee is a bargaining chip. That was a big factor behind AT&T agreeing to put Marquee on its video services, including DirecTV.

Why would companies not want to carry the channel?

Some such as Dish Network balk at the idea of making non-fans help subsidize the new channel as the traditional regional sports network business model has long required. Some simply might be haggling over terms.

Doesn’t everyone want to see the Cubs on TV?

Non-sports fans don’t care either way. Fans of the White Sox and other teams may be ambivalent. Some people don’t like the idea of having to pay for a new channel. Others, like Tribune columnist Eric Zorn, have misgivings for other reasons.

Are Comcast’s Xfinity, Wide Open West (WOW), YouTube TV or any of the other services close to deals with the Cubs and Sinclair?

Why would companies not want to carry the Cubs’ channel? But remember: The longer they hold out, the later they have to start paying the Cubs and Sinclair.

With Comcast’s Xfinity serving roughly half the homes in the Chicago market, how much money does Marquee have riding on coming to terms?

Hard to know exactly without having access to the network’s target price per subscriber. But if Marquee is getting, say, $5 per home, Comcast would represent $7.5 million per month (or $90 million per year).

Then there’s the effect that not being in half the homes in the market might have on how much Marquee can charge for advertising.

If a deal with Comcast is so important, why doesn’t Marquee just lower its price for Comcast?

Other companies, such as AT&T, might have what is known as a most favored nation clause in their deals. That means if someone negotiates a more favorable arrangement, their agreement would then be adjusted to match. Every cent Comcast knocks off its price could have far-reaching implications as a result.

Why can’t I buy Marquee separately, like HBO or Showtime?

That’s simply not the current business model for regional sports networks, or most cable channels, and would represent a dramatic change in how Marquee is distributed and funded. The Cubs and Sinclair want to be paid monthly for every home a carrier serves, not just those households where people want the channel. They also want to be paid year-round, win or lose.

If Marquee were to be sold a la carte, the cost per customer would likely be high to offset the households that would reject paying for the channel. Also, fluctuations based on demand at any given time would make for a far less reliable revenue stream than the multi-year deals it makes with carriers.


Should I dump Comcast and sign up with some service that already has cut a deal with Marquee?

That’s up to you. But you run the risk of going through all that work only to find Comcast and Marquee have settled their differences. How important is it that you watch spring training games? If you pick a streaming service, from whom will you buy your broadband access?


What is all this going to cost me?

Again, without knowing what Marquee has negotiated with your carrier or how your carrier intends to manage its other price and costs, it’s impossible to know. Mediacom apparently told its customers that their bills will increase $2 per month beginning in March because of Marquee, but it’s not clear if that’s typical. Your mileage may vary.

What do I get for that money?

Besides all those games, you mean? Marquee has talked about putting cameras and microphones in new and different places during games. It also has a slate of Cubs-oriented programs, documentaries and features, repackaged vintage games and behind-the-scenes series.

Scheduled programming for Saturday’s launch day include the documentary “More Than Mr. Cub: The Life of Ernie Banks,” a collection of Cubs YouTube videos and a show ranking top games in franchise history. (Wonder where Gabby Hartnett’s 1938 Homer in the Gloamin’ and the 1908 Fred Merkle game land.)

How about non-Cubs programs?

There will be a gambling show from the Vegas Sports and Information Network, some content from Stadium (a Chicago-based, multiplatform outlet whose owners include Sinclair and Jerry Reinsdorf) and games and other programming from Sinclair’s other regional sports networks around the country.

Will Len and JD still call the games?

Play-by-play man Len Kasper, left, and color analyst Jim Deshaies will continue calling Cubs games for the Marquee Sports Network. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

What about all those other people the Cubs have announced as guest analysts and/or studio contributors?

NFL Network and ESPN alumnus Cole Wright will be the primary studio anchor.

Guest analysts will include Mark Grace, Lou Piniella, Rick Sutcliffe, Doug Glanville, Ryan Dempster, Mark DeRosa, Jason Hammel, Carlos Pena and Dan Plesac. Fox’s Chris Myers will serve in a backup announcer and host role.

There also will be roles for Elise Menaker and Bruce Levine, among others.

Is there a Marquee app?

Yes, and it will offer on-demand video content and live streaming of Marquee Sports Network programming, including live Cubs games, but only for users who can corroborate their subscription to a service carrying the channel.

The app may be downloaded on iOS, Android Apple TV, Fire TV and Roku players. Those subscribers who can be authenticated can also watch the network live at www.watchmarquee.com.

Unfortunately, not all providers have established verification protocols in time for the Marquee launch. Among those out of luck initially are DirecTV and Spectrum.

I can still listen to Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer on WSCR-AM 670, right?