CHICAGO _ When the Marquee Sports Network, the exclusive new cable TV home of the Cubs, debuts Saturday with the first spring training game against the Oakland Athletics, there will be at least one alternative way for Chicagoans to watch it.
The Cubs on Monday announced a deal with streaming service Hulu to carry the fledgling regional sports network on the Hulu+ Live TV service, allowing Midwest viewers to watch the games through a TV, computer or mobile device _ without a cable subscription.
A streaming option could loom large for Cubs fans who are also Comcast subscribers, since Marquee, a partnership between the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group, is still trying to secure a spot on the cable giant's Chicago-area channel lineup.
"For the folks who are more conditioned to streaming their content, this gives them a way to watch the Cubs," said Mike McCarthy, Marquee's general manager. "That being said, our traditional cable and satellite subscribers are very important to us too."
Major League Baseball defines Chicago's home broadcast territory as portions of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin. The new network is working to line up deals with cable providers large and small throughout that region.
7 facts worth clarifying about the Cubs' Marquee Sports Network �
Marquee is set to run on AT&T and RCN, but has no deal yet with Comcast, the Chicago area's largest traditional cable provider. The Cubs regular season opens March 26.
"We have received the proposal from Marquee and are reviewing it," said Jack Segal, a Comcast spokesman.
McCarthy said the proposal in front of Comcast is comparable to agreements with other large cable providers to carry the Marquee network. Pressure is intensifying to get a deal done with Comcast before the opening day game against the Brewers next month, when many die-hard Cubs fans could be left in the dark.
"It's in their hands," McCarthy said. "I'd be very surprised if something weren't to work out sooner than later with Comcast."
In light of the Comcast stalemate, the Hulu deal might provide one more reason for consumers to cut the cable cord and subscribe to a streaming video service, a growing trend that has disrupted the traditional pay-TV model in recent years.
Traditional cable and satellite providers lost about 6 million subscribers last year, according to data from industry analysts MoffettNathanson. Those losses have been partially offset by gains in streaming services like Sling TV, Hulu and YouTube TV. The trend is likely to continue, with traditional cable expected to shed another 19 million subscribers by 2023, the firm said.
Live sports programming, from national networks like ESPN to regional sports networks like NBC Sports Chicago, has been the "glue" that keeps subscribers tethered to the traditional cable bundle, according to MoffettNathanson. Cable providers pay a premium to carry sports networks and pass that cost along to subscribers on their monthly bill.
The new Cubs network will include at least 145 regular and 28 spring training games _ by far the most Cactus League games ever broadcast by a Cubs TV partner. Marquee also will feature expanded pregame and postgame coverage, classic broadcasts from the archives and other programming.
Saturday's programming lineup will include a documentary on Ernie Banks and contributions from actor and comedian Bill Murray, the Wilmette native and Cubs superfan, who was in Chicago Friday filming segments for Marquee's inaugural broadcast.
A dozen Cubs regular season games are reserved for national broadcasts, but Marquee will be the exclusive local TV home this season after the team parted ways with NBC Sports Chicago, the regional sports network it formed in 2004 with the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox.
The Cubs also exited local over-the-air TV after 71 years, pulling the plug on WGN-Ch. 9 and WLS-Ch. 7 and moving 70 games between them over to Marquee this season.
Marquee and NBC Sports Chicago are now battling it out for sports viewers and a share of carriage fees _ the amount cable and satellite providers pay for the programming.
NBC Sports Chicago has carriage deals in place with Comcast, AT&T, DirecTV and RCN, among other cable and satellite providers. The network is also available through streaming services such as Hulu, fuboTV and YouTube TV.
Comcast is a partner with the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox in NBC Sports Chicago.
