Comcast Strikes Multi-Year Deal With Cubs-Owned Marquee Network

CHICAGO, IL — Just when it appeared Chicago Cubs fans might not have the opportunity to watch their favorite team play on television, a partnership between the team-owned Marquee Sports Network and Comcast produced a ninth-inning rally.

The Cubs announced Friday that a deal has been struck between the two sides just in time for Friday night's season-opener against the Brewers. Marquee, which is owned jointly by the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcasting, had only been available to a limited number of fans across the greater Chicago area due to the lack of an agreement between Marquee and Comcast, the largest cable provider in the greater Chicago area.

The terms of the deal were not made public, but the Chicago Tribune reports the agreement stretches across multiple years.

"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," Marquee Sports Network General Manager Mike McCarthy said in a news release issued on Friday. "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."

Comcast customers can now watch the Cubs play on channel 202 in the Chicago Metropolitan area. The agreement also provides carriage in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and portions of the Indianapolis market that Comcast serves. Subscribers can go to www.marqueesportsnetwork.com to find out which channels — standard definition and high definition — the network is on in their area.

"Our goal with the launch of Marquee was to serve our fans with unparalleled Cubs content and today's agreement with Comcast means significantly more Cubs fans will have access to it," said the team's president of business operations, Crane Kenney.

The network, which launched at the start of spring training had previously been available to AT&T customers as well as RCN and subscription services such as Hulu+. According to the Tribune, it is not known whether customers will see an increase in their bill with the addition of Marquee, which went live on Comcast Friday morning.

The network, which Cubs ownership viewed as a way to increase the team's revenue stream, was introduced after the team announced that last season marked the end of a 72-year relationship with WGN.

Prior to the season being shortened to 60 games due to the coronavirus pandemic, Marquee had announced plans to broadcast about 150 of the Cubs' 162 games with the remaining 12 being shown nationally by networks such as Fox and ESPN. But after the season was shortened, Kenney told the Tribune that the motivation to strike a deal with Comcast increased.

As of now, no fans will be able to watch games at Wrigley Field.

"This is the catalyst — the beginning of the regular season — that we needed to finish the agreement," Kenney told the Tribune. "I know it wasn't perfect for our fans. I really appreciate their patience."