![]() ![]() But the centralized power of MLB Advanced Media, which has grown into a multibillion-dollar company, means the Cubs won’t be able to create a stand-alone, Netflix-style platform that streams their games to a national audience. The current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire after the 2021 season, and no one knows what the TV landscape will look like then. “I can’t speculate on exactly how much the Marquee network will change the financial picture of the team, and I can’t speculate on where the competitive balance tax is going.” ![]() “We’ll have to cross that bridge when we get there,” Ricketts said. Kenney said: “Not going to talk about what happens a year from now.” If Marquee starts producing higher revenues for baseball operations next year, would the Cubs anticipate spending significantly past the luxury tax level? Probably a full year of operation before you know - just like with any business - sort of how it’s doing.” “If you have a big distribution gap - like half the homes not carrying it - the question is when you’re fully distributed. “We got to see how distribution goes,” Kenney said. When asked on Saturday about the hard decisions the Cubs will have to make after the 2021 season - when Kris Bryant, Javier Báez, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber could all hit the free-agent market - Bryant pointed to the team adding Marquee to a portfolio that is already among the most profitable in the game. “There’s been a huge investment for the last year-and-a-half with no revenue, so any of the revenue doesn’t start until the games start getting played.” We’ve been really fortunate to attract some really terrific folks to come help us build this thing. “Right now, we’ve been investing a ton of money, resources in the studio (and) all the personnel. The Cubs need Comcast, one of their ex-partners in the TV business, to fully unleash Marquee and generate more revenue for Theo Epstein’s baseball operations department, which spent most of the winter minding the $208 million luxury tax threshold and signing free agents to minor-league deals. Marquee has been capturing footage around Cubs camp in advance of the spring training opener on Saturday. The Yankees’ YES Network, for example, has a presence in Florida for their fans and New York transplants. The Cubs, however, are exploring the idea of selling Marquee outside their geographic footprint, making available the rest of the network’s programming – highlight shows, documentaries and old games from the WGN library. Meaning a Hulu subscriber in California or Texas would not automatically be able to watch Cubs games - MLB’s Extra Innings package is still the primary vehicle for out-of-market games. Marquee’s live game broadcasts will be limited to subscribers within the Cubs’ territory defined by Major League Baseball: all of Illinois and Iowa most of Indiana part of southwest Michigan and a fraction of Wisconsin. That’s where I’m confident we’ll get all of this behind us by Opening Day, or pretty soon, anyway.” And then thirdly, I’m just confident because I think that in the end everyone will do what’s right for the actual customers. It’s not uncommon for these kind of discussions to end up like this. “Secondly, these types of discussions typically go like this. “First off, if it really concerns you, just call Comcast and let them know,” Ricketts said. Marquee will broadcast almost all of the Cubs’ spring training exhibitions in Arizona, but the date to circle on your calendar is March 26, the first real game of the David Ross era. Ricketts and Kenney arrived for the team’s first full-squad workout at the Sloan Park complex, where a group of Marquee producers have been gathering content and preparing for Saturday’s Cactus League opener. The Cubs’ tactics include using the weight of their Marquee partner, Sinclair Broadcast Group, providing alternatives for fans with platforms like AT&T and hoping public pressure will force Comcast to make a deal. “Comcast is a priority because they’ve got half the homes,” Kenney said. ![]()
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