Just hours before the start of tonight's Chicago Cubs home opener, Comcast Xfinity finally reached agreement to carry the team’s Marquee Sports Network.
Whether the Cubs would be seen on the Chicago area’s largest cable system had been in doubt right up until early this morning when Comcast added Marquee to its lineup on Channel 202.
Crane Kenney, president of business operations for the Cubs, confirmed a multiyear deal with Marquee in multiple media interviews, but details were not disclosed. Comcast has not released a statement.
A joint venture of the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group, Marquee initially unveiled its plans in February 2019 and debuted with its first spring training game one year later. But until today, Comcast subscribers remained in the dark.
“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,” said Mike McCarthy, general manager of Marquee. “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.”
It's still not clear how much Comcast will charge subscribers for the addition of Marquee. The monthly fee will be “whatever Comcast elects to charge” its customers, Kenney told the Sun-Times.
Among providers still without a deal with Marquee are Dish, YouTube TV and Sling TV.