How to Get Marquee Network

There have been a thousand articles from us and every other blog and website that covers the Chicago Cubs or Chicago sports. The information seems to continue to get lost somewhere in transition. While there are a thousand places for the info, the question continues to be asked on every social media platform there is. I understand! This is a confusing thing since a lot of Cubs fans came to the team through WGN and their nationwide broadcasts of the Cubs. So hopefully, this post can help you better understand what Marquee Sports Network is, who can get Marquee, and how you can get Marquee.

First things first, Marquee Sports Network is a “Regional Sports Network” that is only broadcasted within the designated areas the Chicago Cubs are allowed to broadcast their games. This is simple, yet confusing at the same time. But simply put – if you do not live within the local Cubs market, you will not get Marquee’s broadcasts of Cubs games.

A regional sports network (RSN) is just that, a network that is only broadcasted in a particular region. There are really two kinds of sports networks, there is the ESPN or Fox Sports, and to a lesser degree the Golf Network, MLB Network, NFL Network and the like. Then, there are regional networks, like NBC Sports Chicago, or just about every other NBC regional channel. There are other big ones out there, like the YES Network which covers the New York Metro area.

RSN’s can only broadcast within a specific region. So, as Marquee is an RSN, they are only allowed to broadcast within a specific Chicago region.

Here is the MLB Blackout Map. If you live within the light blue colored area (Chicago – both) then you CAN* get Marquee.

I understand that this map can cause seizures if you look to hard or long, but essentially the Cubs are allowed to broadcast their games in the blue colored areas here.

I apologize for the strange cutout, but this is essentially the area. Now, if you live in this area, the best thing you can do is go to the Marquee website’s “Channel Finder” and enter your zip code. This will then confirm if your area does indeed have Marquee, or doesn’t. If it does, it will also verify which networks carry the station as well as the channel it is on.

This is a rather simple thing to do, and honestly, all information is in the link above.

“But I live outside that area and I have been watching Marquee all along!”

Yes, there are people that live outside this area and have been able to watch Marquee, however, they won’t be able to see the actual games on Marquee. I have seen this happen with several folks that have Hulu Live (one of the many providers that carry Marquee, we will get into this later). I don’t know if people can get the channel anywhere (without games) but from some people’s individual accounts (I have not verified where they live) this has been the case.

How can I get Marquee?

The first step is to verify that you absolutely, unequivocally, live within the broadcast area. To do so, go to the Channel Finder on Marquee’s website.

So, now you know that YES you can get Marquee or NO you cannot get Marquee. If you cannot, then the choices for you to watch live Cubs games are essentially looking into streaming services like MLB.TV or MLB Extra Innings (yes, there are illegal streaming options, but I am not going to publicize those and I encourage others to not publicize them either).

If you can get it, the channel is available on nearly all AT&T platforms, it is available on Hulu Live, it is available on Spectrum, it is available on RCN, Mediacom, Frontier, and several others.

BUT, just because your cable provider is on the list and has a carriage deal with Marquee, doesn’t mean you automatically get the channel.

You knew there was a catch, right!? Well, not really. Nearly all cable providers have put RSN’s on a sports-centric package. They do this because all RSN’s (actually, every channel charges per household) charge a dollar amount per household. Channels like ESPN can command upwards of $9 per month to be broadcasted, while others may charge a more typical $6 per month. The provider, say DirecTV, doesn’t want to have all of their customers pay for a sports package that they may not want. I have a neighbor that can care less about sports, and they would be upset if they were carrying a bill that included an up-charge for sports content when they would never turn that channel on.

So, cable providers will typically create a couple of packages for sports. These regional sports packages might cost an additional $15 a month (prices vary depending on market and provider) and would typically carry any RSN’s in the area.

Misconceptions about Marquee

There have been many, and like mentioned in the first paragraph – I understand them all. But the biggest misconception has been that Marquee would be a nationwide service. This just isn’t the case. MLB teams are not allowed to broadcast games nationwide any longer. Honestly, they really never were, but teams like the Atlanta Braves and the Cubs had deals that were grandfathered for a long while which allowed people across the country to watch games every day.

When WGN told the Cubs that they would no longer carry their games, this is when the Cubs then became subject to the regional broadcasts.

A lot of this was done to protect MLB’s streaming services, but originally it was to protect their teams. This way teams like the Yankees couldn’t broadcast in Baltimore and steal that market from potential Orioles fans. Cause, let’s face it… there was a long period there where baseball fans would have tuned into Yankees games as opposed to Orioles games.

Another misconception is that this is just a money grab from the Ricketts. While yes, the Cubs and the Ricketts will prove to make out nicely, this isn’t just a money grab from the Cubs. All other teams have found ways to market their clubs in unique ways to pull in difference-making revenue. Look to the Southside and the Chicago White Sox. Back in 2003, they sold the naming rights for Comiskey to US Cellular. Other teams have been able to successfully create TV platforms which have helped build incredible revenue. But, this revenue is most often put back into their ballclub.

These teams have put more money into scouting, player development, and other organizational support systems because they have had these additional resources. You could probably point out the teams that have successfully done this, and they are perennial playoff contenders. They also have the means to consistently pay for on-field talent, which helps complement their homegrown players.

Comcast

You can’t discuss Marquee without discussing Comcast. As is, there is no deal with Comcast. There are rumors that there is a deal in principle, and once regular-season games start the channel will be available. I tend to think that there is something sitting over in the offices of Comcast that they will sign off on, but, I don’t think they’ll do it until the season is about to start.

The biggest issue here has been the Cubs have offered all other providers the same deal (reportedly around $4/mo.). Comcast, who owns more than 50% of the cable base in Marquee’s broadcast area, has been requesting a better deal.

That request is justified as Comcast does have more than half of Chicagoland’s cable households. But… if the Cubs reduce their ask to Comcast, every company they’ve already reached a deal with will demand better when their deal comes up. That’s the delicate part of the whole thing.

Just think, if you buy a TV for $400 but you find out that a friend down the road bought the same TV, from the same store that same day for $350 – you’d feel slighted. You’d even go back to that store and ask for the same deal. The only problem here is, when a cable provider hears someone else got a better deal, they refuse to negotiate when the contract ends until they receive a similar or lesser price. Then the fans that have one of those other services might not receive Marquee.

We see this all the time when channels are renegotiating a carriage deal. You get the message at the bottom of the TV screen from the network asking the customers to reach out to the provider to demand they keep the channel. Sometimes a deal gets worked out in the 24th hour, and sometimes you lose the channel for a couple of weeks till there is an agreement.

Sinclair Media just had this happen with YouTube TV. Their agreement was over and when they were renegotiating the deal ended and all of Sinclair’s channels were removed from YouTube’s platform. They did eventually work something out, but the new deal didn’t include all Sinclair properties – Marquee included.

So, end of the day, if you wanted to see if you can get the channel, the way to figure it out has been the same as it has been for about eight months – go to the Marquee website.