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Chicago Cubs: Will new TV network be a ‘marquee’ attraction?
With their recent announcement regarding a highly-anticipated TV network, the Chicago Cubs are set to launch the next era on the North Side.
The Chicago Cubs recently announced that their highly anticipated new TV network, starting in 2020, will be named “Marquee.” The only questions are: what will this new network look like programming-wise, and will the new network be allowed to take off and flourish like the iconic Wrigley ivy does every summer?
The good news? We finally know that the new Cubs’ TV Network will be called “Marquee.” Yippee!!! (Probably the most exciting offseason news this side of the announcement that Pat Hughes has signed a multi-year extension to continue broadcasting Cubs games on the radio).
The bad? We really don’t know a whole lot else about what the network is going to look like, how many games the new network will broadcast, how easy it will be for fans to see Bryzzo in action, and what they will do for the other 200 days a year when the Cubs don’t play. Unfortunately, despite the announcement that the Cubs will be splitting with NBC Sports Chicago after 2019, there still aren’t a ton of answers as to what this new network will look like, nor do we know what exactly they will provide.
However, despite the unknowns, we do have a bit more information to formulate some hypotheses and speculate on what the network might look like in 2020 and beyond. First off, we know the Cubs will not be sharing this new network.
The Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox all signed extensions with NBC Sports Chicago to continue their partnership; looks like there won’t be any sharing going on and the new station will be all Cubs, all the time.
This takes a decidedly different turn from previous speculation that “Marquee” could look a lot like the YES Network the Yankees own, as YES also televises Brooklyn Nets (NBA) games and New York City FC games (MLS). Although, on second thought, maybe the Ricketts would decide to televise their new Chicago soccer team on the network as well.
Chicago Cubs: Will the new network show marquee matchups?
Since we know there won’t be another major sports team (Sorry, USL Fans, all 17 of you don’t really qualify) sharing the Marquee Network with the Cubs, one has to surmise the organization is going to be creating an awful lot of unique and creative original programming to fill the airwaves on this network (I’m available for a big bag of dill pickle seeds, watermelon Big League Chew and the newest Maddonism shirt for 2019- hit me up, Tom, Theo, Crane, Len, or JD).
You can’t just show infomercials all day and night and expect fans to flock to and buy your network or the service that is providing it.
Sure, there are roughly 162 games a year that will always need pre and post-game interviews, news conferences, and then shows to break down everything Jason Heyward is doing wrong with his swing and why Tyler Chatwood can’t throw a strike. However, the network wouldn’t be broadcasting all of those games because ESPN and Fox would also carry a decent amount of games (usually around 10 over the course of the season), and there’s also the possibility that the Cubs would allow someone else (cough, cough, WGN and WLS) to broadcast some games as well, as has been done in the recent past (and, not to mention, WGN has broadcast Cubs’ games for the last 72 years in Chicago and beyond).
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That takes care of about half of your days during the year. Add in Spring Training and hopefully some postseason games, and you could be looking at around 200 days of Cubs’ baseball that would need to be aired or, at the very least, discussed and rehashed.
So, what happens the other half of the year? Nobody needs any more FlexSeal. Maybe die-hard fans want to watch some archived and historical games? While this is a great feature and possibility, there are only so many fans who will watch full games from 1969 or 1984.
Is the network going to be available online or will it be through a cable provider? Will Marquee have an app you can use with Apple TV, FireStick, Roku, etc.? These questions remain a mystery, and until someone in the organization provides some answers about plans for 2020’s broadcasting schedule and programming for Marquee, fans will be as anxious as they are right now waiting for the Cubs to do anything to stay with the pack in the N.L. Central.
Chicago Cubs: Will fans see the high-pressure moments?
As many a fan knows, especially those considered in-market for the Chicago area, watching the Cubs isn’t always the easiest of tasks. Heck, even for out of market fans, it can be a bit tricky with MLB blackout rules and all the different providers and regional sports network deals.
The hope is with a Cubs-only network that all Cubs’ fans would be able to watch their team when they’re on. Unfortunately, we all know this is more than likely a pipe-dream and a dream scenario. Just take the Dodgers for example: even though their situation is a bit different than many other teams’ RSN issues, only one carrier shows Dodger games in the Los Angeles area. That leaves a lot of fans high and dry, ultimately building scorn, angst, spite and losing the Dodgers considerable money in the long run. Kids can’t become fans if they never see the team play.
Distribution concerns are no doubt on many fans’ minds, as the new Marquee Network will have to get to fans somehow, and only so many of us are as “lucky” as me to live out of market where MLB.TV and MLB At Bat can give me access to every game not televised nationwide (Yeah, I can go to Philly games three or four times a year, but the rest of you get to visit the Friendly Confines whenever you want).
While the idea of a Cubs-only network and the possible programming that could come with it are scintillating for many fans, the new Marquee Network is currently creating more questions than answers.
Next. Tulo a Better Fit than Addison Russell in 2019. dark
Hopefully, in the coming weeks and months ahead, many of those questions will be answered, because the Cubs will need to start promoting the network, as we could see it as soon as next offseason.