Marquee

[tbill1]

It sure looks like it's more Comcast"s fault rather than Sinclair/Cubs, since they were offered the same deal as every other provider who has signed up.

[clinteiden]

make the deal with marquee already

[ralphc10]

I called Comcast AGAIN today. I feel the only way this gets done is to constantly be in their face with this. i let them know that if a deal was not struck by mid March I am calling U-Verse and will be switching. I have been with Comcast for 41 years.  But if they do not have the Marquee network there is no reason for me to have the provider. During the summer, if I am watching TV it is usually a Cubs game. So there is no reason to be with a provider who cannot give me that channel. i want to stay because leaving is a hassle. Have to bring the equipment back, have to change my e-mail, and then have to get a new provider to the house to set up. But if this is not done by mid March they give me no choice. I would suggest others call comcast as well. Best way to get ahold of them is to go on line and click on requesting they call you. They do so in about 1 minute. 

[mmareci]

I too will cancel my service if Xfinity/Comcast does not complete an agreement with the Marquee network by opening day. And.. it betterbe a reasonably priced deal for me, a 19 year Comcast customer. Or I will switch to Hulu ,!,

[Sjtmbf]

I am a dedicated Comcast customer. I don’t want to switch but I will. Get Marquee

[Janechiaramonte]

We would like the Cubs on Comcast. Lost Turner Classics to this company

[susangiancola]

Hey Ralphc10,

Would you really have to change the Comcast email? I think you could keep that.

[mmareci]

I intend to keep the Xfinity internet service (so I'd be able to retain the @comcast email. But I'd dump the cable tv.

[imschoiber]

Even though I've been a loyal customer for over 25 years Marquee sports network is very important to me and if comcast doesn't offer it I may have to look for another provider. I see no evidence comcast will carry this broadcast. I hope I'm wrong.

[maryellyn01]

I'm over 65 and retired. One of my favorite things in the summertime is to sit down and watch an afternoon Cubs game. Please do not deny me this true enjoyment. I will be forced to switch back to AT & T.

[mmospan]

I am a lifelong Cubs Fan but I don't want my cable bill to be higher with extra charges to show Cubs games to make Cubs ownership richer

[Murrayb29]

Agreed. Get Marquee ASAP!!!

[ralphc10]

So you draw the line on a $4 charge to have the Cubs on your cable while paying over $8.00 already for a reginal sports network already on Comcast? That fee make Reinsdorf richer, since 2 of the teams on that network are owned by him. I guess I just do not get this distain for the Cubs wanting to make money. Maybe Comcast should give us the option of the RSN for $8.25 or the Marqueee network for $4.00, or both. For me, if I cut either it would be RSN. 

For the record, I don't like paying for TV either. However, it is what is done. If I am going to pay I want to watch the team I root for. 

[Cubsfan14]

I have been a loyal Comcast customer and have spent a lot of money for the convenience and selection. But mostly it's about the programming and if I cannot get cubs games it makes absolutely no sense for me to remain with Comcast. Get it done. 

[jav6joev]

I lived in the Chicago area for 35 years and became a Cubs fan for life.  I moved out of state to the northeast, transferring my Comcast service, and in order to watch the Cubs and Tigers (grew up in Michigan) in my local area,  I purchased a subscription to MLB.TV thru my Amazon Prime TV.  Now I can watch my favorite teams and as much baseball as I want.  I know it isn't the same as having full access to Marquee Sports Network programming, but at least I can see the games I want and it is not too expensive.  I was watching a replay of the Tigers/Braves spring training last night and saw that Kelly Crull is now working with Fox Sports Atlanta and the Braves. Also, Dave Kaplan didn't move to Marquee Sports Network.  Apparently, there were personnel issues along with issues like those with Comcast carrying the network broadcast.  Bummer.

[andyross]

The main complaint many people will have is if EVERYBODY is forced to pay $4+ in higher RSN fees, even if they don't give a bleep about the Cubs. I have no complaint if it's offered stand-alone or part of the Sports/Entertainment package, but will SERIOUSLY consider alternative TV serivces if my RSN fee goes up even more.

[ralphc10]

But it is no different then having to pay $8.00 for the RSN. If I have to choose I wouldn’t have that. But I have to have it. Why now is this different? If RSN doesn’t give me the Cubs, then I don’t need it.

[pkwrig72]

I was told that you only need to keep one service from Comcast to not break the contract. You could probably keep just internet or phone and switch to DirecTV. I will be having to do that myself if a deal is not done. I will give Comcast until May 1st though. Dont want to change for opening day and then they get a deal done 3 days later. Ill give them a month

[Rgbobval]

This is getting ridiculous.  Do you really want to lose  aclient of 30+ years because you can't figure out a way to bring the Marquee network to Chicago Cubs fans.  Half the reason I have cable is to be able to watch the Cubs.  Get it figured out or I may have to get my cable service from someone else.  I can't afford to have multiple streaming services just because you can't work out a deal with the Cubs.

[ThatDonGuy]

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@jav6joev wrote:

I lived in the Chicago area for 35 years and became a Cubs fan for life.  I moved out of state to the northeast, transferring my Comcast service, and in order to watch the Cubs and Tigers (grew up in Michigan) in my local area,  I purchased a subscription to MLB.TV thru my Amazon Prime TV.  Now I can watch my favorite teams and as much baseball as I want. 

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...because you live outside of the Chicago Cubs "local zone." Most, if not all, of the people complaining about the lack of Marquee Network live in the Cubs zone, where MLB.TV will black out Cubs home games, if not all Cubs games; the reason from MLB will be, "Get Marquee Network." (The second response will be, "There are other ways of getting it if you have Xfinity.")

[jav6joev]

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@ThatDonGuy wrote:

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...because you live outside of the Chicago Cubs "local zone." Most, if not all, of the people complaining about the lack of Marquee Network live in the Cubs zone, where MLB.TV will black out Cubs home games, if not all Cubs games; the reason from MLB will be, "Get Marquee Network." 

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I live inside the Boston Red Sox "local zone" and am still able to see their games via MLB.TV even when on NESN, at least spring training right now.  You'll have to get MLB.TV's response before speculating.

[tbill1]

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@jav6joev wrote:

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@ThatDonGuy wrote:

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...because you live outside of the Chicago Cubs "local zone." Most, if not all, of the people complaining about the lack of Marquee Network live in the Cubs zone, where MLB.TV will black out Cubs home games, if not all Cubs games; the reason from MLB will be, "Get Marquee Network." 

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I live inside the Boston Red Sox "local zone" and am still able to see their games via MLB.TV even when on NESN, at least spring training right now.  You'll have to get MLB.TV's response before speculating.

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I can guarantee you the game is blacked out if you live in the Chicago area.

[pkwrig72]

For any who are wondering, I have MLB.TV and live in Chicago. We do NOT get the Cubs or White Sox games on MLB.TV because of MLB blackout rules. Those rules are set forth by MLB so getting angry at the Cubs or Marquee for that is useless. If you live within a teams local viewing area the ONLY way to see the game is through TV in that market. In the past, that meant Cubs games were either on NBCSNChicago, WGN, ABC or some off-shoot of those channels. Since now all games (with the exception of a few national broadcasts on ESPN or Fox) will be on the Marquee network, that is the ONLY way we, at least legally, that we can see games. That means that if Comcast does not come to an agreement with Marquee we will be unable to watch Chicago Cubs games in Chicago unless we switch to another provider. MLB.TV will NOT help you unless you are outside of the local viewing area or find a way to trick your router into thinking you live in Montana or something.  

[Sdrupkey5]

You’ve got a couple of weeks to get the marquee network. If you can’t work out a deal, this customer of 20+ years is gone. There are several other options in my area!

[ComcastJessie · Accepted solution]

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All,

We appreciate all the inquiries and interest in regard to the Marquee Sports Network. At this time, Comcast does not carry the Marquee Sports Network.  If this changes in the future, we will be sure to update this post with additional details.

Below you will find some additional Frequently Asked Questions about Marquee Sports Network. Please let us know if you have any additional questions. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Marquee Sports Network?

The Marquee Sports Network is a new regional sports network operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Chicago Cubs that launched February 22, 2020. It is devoted exclusively to Cubs baseball and televises games previously on NBC Sports Chicago, WLS-TV and WGN-TV.

Do you plan to offer the channel in the future?
We can’t make guesses about possible channel additions in the future. However, we regularly evaluate our channel lineups as our customers' interests change and make changes we think will add more value to their services.

[ralphc10]

So I was told by someone that several people have been told today that Comcast is not going to carry Marquee. Has anyone else heard that? Honestly, if I know that is true I will be gone sooner. Makes it easy to move on.

[sriv94]

“Do you plan to offer the channel in the future?
We can’t make guesses about possible channel additions in the future. However, we regularly evaluate our channel lineups as our customers' interests change and make changes we think will add more value to their services.”

Translation—when the Cubs cave or something else makes the deal amenable to us, we’ll sign on. Otherwise, you’re on your own.

[ThatDonGuy]

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@jav6joev wrote:

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I live inside the Boston Red Sox "local zone" and am still able to see their games via MLB.TV even when on NESN, at least spring training right now.  You'll have to get MLB.TV's response before speculating.

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Here is a list of spring training games on MLB.TV that have availability in a team's home market marked.  The Red Sox game on 2/27 will be available in Boston, but, apparently, the 2/29 game against a Yankees split squad will not.

[TOBW]

Marquee Sprots Network.....   I am currently a Dish customer for TV and xfinity for internet.  I know Dish will not carry the Marquee Sports Network.    They have pulled all regional sports networks.  This is a new channel in the chichago market.  I will not switch to ATT and Direct TV.   So my only options are Hulu who already carry the Marquee Network or Comcast.   If comcast picks up Marquee I will be calling that day to sign up for xfinity TV.   Please consider the Marquee Sports Network.  I do believe you will pick up new customers by carying this channel.

[merrily211]

Why are Cubs fans mad at Comcast? The Cubs were on CSN, WGN and ABC. The Cubs <Edited> owner decided to take the team off of those channels. Tom Ricketts took the Cubs games off of Comcast. Why don’t Cubs fans blame him? No other Chicago sports team has it’s own Network.

[sriv94]

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@merrily211 wrote:
Why are Cubs fans mad at Comcast? The Cubs were on CSN, WGN and ABC. The Cubs greedy billionaire owner decided to take the team off of those channels. Tom Ricketts took the Cubs games off of Comcast. Why don’t Cubs fans blame him? No other Chicago sports team has it’s own Network.

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It's not an unreasonable question, but it is his team.  That said, if the terms were acceptable to other cable/satellite providers to up with Marquee, then isn't it up to Comcast to come aboard with similar terms?

If no one were buying the terms Marquee and Sinclair set forth, that's a more legitimate argument.  But clearly that's not the case (as many providers have signed on), so it's more Comcast just being petty.  Therefore, Comcast gets more of the blame here.

[Again]

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@sriv94 wrote:

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@merrily211 wrote:
Why are Cubs fans mad at Comcast? The Cubs were on CSN, WGN and ABC. The Cubs greedy billionaire owner decided to take the team off of those channels. Tom Ricketts took the Cubs games off of Comcast. Why don’t Cubs fans blame him? No other Chicago sports team has it’s own Network.

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It's not an unreasonable question, but it is his team.  That said, if the terms were acceptable to other cable/satellite providers to up with Marquee, then isn't it up to Comcast to come aboard with similar terms?

If no one were buying the terms Marquee and Sinclair set forth, that's a more legitimate argument.  But clearly that's not the case (as many providers have signed on), so it's more Comcast just being petty.  Therefore, Comcast gets more of the blame here.

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Comcast, Dish, WOW, and YouTube TV have not signed on with Marquee.

[sriv94]

WOW just came aboard. They’ll start March 13.

Dish is never coming, so it’s up to you and YTTV as the last realistic holdouts. And I’m guessing YTTV will get in before you do.

You see it’s pretty obvious more people on these boards and on social media want you to offer it than not want you to offer it, just as a lot of people want ACC NETWORK. So I think Comcast needs to swallow its pride and lose the pettiness that resulted when the Cubs decided to partner with Sinclair instead of you for their new venture, and find a way to work something out. Then again, what do I know?

[ralphc10]

Correct, the other teams shared CSN. Bt the other 3 teams made up half the viewing public and the Cubs made up the other half on their own. Why shouldn't ownership want a better tv deal? I honestly do not get this old argument. We pay for CSN. I paid for 4 teams on CSN, and honestly, couldn't care less about 3 of them. Maybe, since the Cubs are off CSN, they should lower their cost. If they did that, maybe the Marquee cost could take up that lowered cost and there be no change to the consumer. With the Cubs leaving CSN, that network loses those viewers. Stands to reason that price drops. Bottom line is, as an owner you fight to get the best tv deal you can. I am sure CSN was not the best deal the Cubs could made, so they started their own network. They are the only team in Chicago to do it, but not the only team in baseball to have one. They are also the only team in Chicago that warrants their own channel. All that said, it seems the price must be pretty reasonable. Time for Comcast to agree to the deal. If they do not by mid March, I will be gone.

[sriv94]

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@sriv94 wrote:

Dish is never coming, so it’s up to you and YTTV as the last realistic holdouts. And I’m guessing YTTV will get in before you do.

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OK, so much for that. 

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/youtube-tv-is-losing-sinclair-owned-fox-sports-networks/

So Comcast is the lone realistic holdout to possibly get a deal with YT and Dish likely never coming aboard.  Now Comcast has a chance to reacquire people who decided to cut the cord and went to YTTV.

[merrily211]

If you’re going to justify the Cubs leaving Comcast. Because It’s Tom Ricketts team and he has the right to get the best deal possible for the Cubs. That same right should be given to Comcast. Comcast will do what’s in its best interest as well. The vast majority of their subscribers don’t want to subsidize Cubs games on a new network.

[sriv94]

Subscribers didn’t seem to have a problem when Comcast and the Cubs were partners. Oh, but then there was incentive for Comcast to carry the network.

And I would say from the threads here and on social media that the vast majority doesn’t feel that way. You may feel that way, though. But don’t speak for everyone.

[merrily211]

Comcast has 1.5 million subscribers in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. This is the best number I can find. Are there over 750,000 Comcast subscribers demanding the Marquee network? In this thread and on social media. If there were, Comcast would have a deal in place. Of course the people who aren’t getting what they want are going to make the most noise.

[sriv94]

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@merrily211 wrote:
Comcast has 1.5 million subscribers in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. This is the best number I can find. Are there over 750,000 Comcast subscribers demanding the Marquee network? In this thread and on social media. If there were, Comcast would have a deal in place. Of course the people who aren’t getting what they want are going to make the most noise.

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The main reason Comcast doesn't have a deal in place is because they were a former partner of the Cubs and they're being petty.  Comcast is also notorious for not jumping to add new channels unless it happens to be a channel they happen to have a stake in.  We had Outdoor Life, which begat Versus, which begat NBCSN--from the get-go because Comcast owns the channel.  I'd dare say the number of people interested in outdoor sports (like fishing) on television is far less than the number of people who would like to see the Cubs.  And let's also not forget how long they dragged their feet in acquiring BTN (FOX Sports property).

And again, the mere fact that DirecTV and WOW (the second and fourth largest providers in the Chicago area) accepted the Cubs' terms suggests that maybe it isn't the Cubs being unreasonable here.  So their customers are more willing to subsidize the channel than Comcast customers?  Or maybe it's just Comcast trying to stick it to a former partner for not repartnering with them once they decided to move on (the prevailing thought at one time before the Cubs chose Sinclair was that NBCSCH+ would be rebranded as the new Cubs network and NBCSCH would stay the primary home for the Sox, Bulls and Hawks--and if that were the case, we're not having this conversation).

[andyross]

Don't look to YouTube TV. They are dropping a bunch of sports networks due to costs:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/02/27/youtube-tv-to-drop-fox-regional-sports-yes-network-ml...

[ralphc10]

The idea that over half the people have to want the network before Comcast should take it in is not the right way to think about it. If we use 1.5M subscribers as a base, how many do the lose if $4 is added to a bill? My guess is not many. How many do they lose if 400,000 people want the channel. I would say a large part of that 400,000. I mean they don’t even have to add it into a package price. They are always adding a dollar here if there for equipment. And people stay. So why not add Marquee and add money per box? Not like they haven’t done that since my last deal where they promised in rate increase. When questioned on it they told me they didn’t raise my rate, they raised equipment fees. This is 100% on Comcast trying to muscle a better deal and playing hardball. If they go too far with this they will lose a lot more people then they would if they just took the deal.

[sriv94]

This is not promising, Comcast...

https://twitter.com/RichLightShed/status/1233097335204392960?s=20

[dewald827]

I agree that comcast is trying to play hard ball with Marquee.  They are going against the biggest local broadcast group (Sinclair) in the nation.  We are nort only talking about Comcast reach in the Chicago metro area, we are also talking downstate, Indiana and Iowa, the Cubs television territory. If by 5 days before opening day an aggrement is not done, Xfinity TV it our of my house as others will and they will have a greater decline in revenue then they already have with people CUTTING THE CORD.

[Again]

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@sriv94 wrote:

This is not promising, Comcast...

https://twitter.com/RichLightShed/status/1233097335204392960?s=20

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If you read down the thread the problem is with Sinclair and not with Comcast.  It's always "fun" to blame Comcast for everything but in this case it's Sinclair.

[sriv94]

<Edited>

Funny how Sinclair’s ownership of the channels wasn’t a sticking point for AT&T, RCN or WOW. But then again, the Cubs didn’t have a previous partnership with those outlets.

<Edited>

[ralphc10]

The game cost my membership. Having U-verse come out March 13th. No more Comcast.

[brixxenivy]

We switched to DirecTV and AT&T Fiber internet 2 days ago.  $30 less/month for the same amount of channels; we regained WE TV and Investigation I, faster internet (953 Mbps upload, 925 mbps download, compared to out 200 mbps Comcast internet) and NFL Sunday Ticket for the upcoming season, plus $400 in rewards cards.

Heck with Comcast playing chicken with Marquee.  When my parents could get it (They have U-Verse) and I couldn't because I had Comcast, I knew it was time to switch.

[JDF70]

Seems the Cubs games broadcasts will be limited this year to ESPN and Fox and only a few games unless you pay for a MLB subscription. NBC Sports did most of the games last year and Comcast Sports Net before that. Will Comcast offer any free channel this season for fans to watch Cubs games?

[sriv94]

That would be a big fat no. The Cubs have aligned themselves with Sinclair to create a channel called Marquee. They will carry all non-national TV games (of which there will be about 140). Comcast has yet to reach a deal with Sinclair/Marquee. (See thread below for more chatter.)

FOX and FS1 will carry nine games, ESPN will carry around 10 in-market (and around 10 more that will be blacked out in Chicago) and TBS gets to carry one in-market game per year when they start in mid-July, but they’re not obligated to. NBCSCH will carry the four games the Cubs play against the White Sox. So all told, Comcast subscribers will see about 20-25 games max unless they reach a deal. Not holding my breath.

[ThatDonGuy]

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@JDF70 wrote:

Seems the Cubs games broadcasts will be limited this year to ESPN and Fox and only a few games unless you pay for a MLB subscription. NBC Sports did most of the games last year and Comcast Sports Net before that. Will Comcast offer any free channel this season for fans to watch Cubs games?

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Be warned: there's a good chance that if you live somewhere where you used to be able to watch on NBC Sports Chicago, then MLB.com will black out the Cubs games on Marquee where you live.