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The 2020 Cubs marketing slogan "Where Stories Play" has to be one of the dumbest in decades. What marketing genius came up with this nonsense?
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Quote:
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="funkster" data-cid="352499" data-time="1579373504">
Len and JD staying. Im a little surprised at the booing when Ricketts started talking about Marquee.
I'd guess in small part it's Sinclair, and they deserved to be booed for obvious reasons. But waaay beyond that, it's the messaging. You have a large number of fans that became fans because of WGN and the reach of that station, and the Cubs have done a terrible job of explaining why this is better. I actually do think it's much better potentially, but they haven't explained why, and worse, they're not adding payroll, if anything they're acting like they're poor and almost victims of their own deal. The average fan has, at best, seen no benefit from the move, and at worst fears he won't get to watch the games at all because his cable system doesn't have the network. They deserve the boos because they've not advocated successfully for why this is better, either because they're not good at PR, or because they signed a crappy deal. Either way, it's a bad look they need to fix asap.
</blockquote>
Good take. Thanks.
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This is not some silly theory that's unsupported and deserves being mocked by photos of Xena. ![[Image: ITgoyeg.png]](http://i.imgur.com/ITgoyeg.png)
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Going to be hard for most people to see him when half the big providers aren't on board.
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They are really going for quantity over quality, just like MLB Network.
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Yeah, younger sister of "showbiz shelly", didn't you know?
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The Tribune must have the most restrictive paywall of any major newspaper save the Wall Street Journal.
This is not some silly theory that's unsupported and deserves being mocked by photos of Xena.
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Looks like I might have to finally give in and subscribe to Hulu+ Live TV and Disney+. Here is the article for anyone who can't read it:
Quote:Cubs sign deal to air Marquee Sports Network on streaming service Hulu
Robert Channick
Chicago Tribune
Feb 17, 2020 | 8:32 AM
When the Marquee Sports Network, the exclusive new cable TV home of the Cubs, debuts on 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 giants 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, Marquees general manager. "That being said, our traditional cable and satellite subscribers are very important to us too."
Major League Baseball defines Chicagos 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.
Marquee is set to run on cable providers AT&T and RCN, but has no deal yet with Comcast, the Chicago areas 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 diehard Cubs fans could be left in the dark.
"Its in their hands," McCarthy said. "Id be very surprised if something werent 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.
Saturdays 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 Marquees 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.
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Will Hulu carry regular season games, other than the ones reserved for national broadcasts, out of market?
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Quote:Will Hulu carry regular season games, other than the ones reserved for national broadcasts, out of market?
No. All indications are that any local streaming options (Hulu, YouTube TV, etc.) will only be available in-market. Out-of-market will require MLB.TV or Extra Innings and will only provide access to games.
I saw an article suggesting that making Marquee available to out-of-market fans is something that they are looking at, but no clue if or when that will happen or what form it will take. But even if it happens, it's safe to assume that would provide the network's content except for the games themselves, which would still require MLB.TV or Extra Innings. Out-of-market rights to the games belong to MLB, not the team.
This is not some silly theory that's unsupported and deserves being mocked by photos of Xena.
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