This morning, I called my mother on the phone, told her to turn to Channel 202 on her television, and heard screams of joy and excitement. The new Chicago Cubs television station, Marquee Sports Network, had finally struck a deal with Comcast, which represented more than half of households in this market, just hours before the first game of the 2020 regular season. She can watch the Cubs tonight. Everything is fine.
Speaking of which, Cubs president Crane Kenney uploaded the 670 The Score this morning to discuss the deal with Comcast, plans for the season regarding fans at Wrigley, and a bit more. These are some of the highlights that I was able to capture while speaking. Otherwise, you can watch the interview here.
• Although nothing was certain with Comcast, Kenney continued to rely on a deal from the start. As he has said several times throughout this process, these deals often require some kind of catalyst to get to the finish line and that was always going to be the opening day for Marquee and Comcast. Speaking for myself, I think it’s fair to say that the problem was exacerbated because Opening Day was delayed, but it appears that an agreement would have been made in March if there had not been a pandemic.
The Cubs president of business operations, Crane Kenney, said of the Marquee deal with Comcast: “We were confident from the start … We thought opening day was going to be in March and we would end it then. But Opening is in July, so it took a little longer. “
– 670 The Score (@ 670TheScore) July 24, 2020
Crane Kenney: “We are very happy with the terms we hit, as is Comcast. So it is a mutual benefit to everyone. I just wish it would not have taken that long. I know from our Cubs fans who are Xfinity subscribers .it was disconcerting to see it. “
– 670 The Score (@ 670TheScore) July 24, 2020
• It is also worth noting that the delay in the deal was due, in part, to something Brett has been speculating about for months: Sinclair’s other interests, namely the FOX RSN, soon had deals with Comcast, for what all the agreements were grouped. It gave them influence (although it probably has dragged the Marquee part more than people wanted). Kenney implied this strongly in his interview, and Phil Rosenthal completed the story soon after.
• The agreement between MSN and Comcast also includes “the expansion of the Cubs television market in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne,” where the team’s games were previously unavailable to NBC Sports Chicago. That seems to have been a big problem for Kenney / the Cubs, who are no doubt aware of the value of a larger national footprint.
• Kenney did not discuss the terms of the deal, regarding revenue generation, but said it was a multi-year deal, which means we won’t have to go through this again next season. If I remember correctly, I think three years was the expectation at one point, but that’s not something Kenney revealed today.
• Speaking of revenue, when asked what his next big project would be, Kenney seemed to imply that the simple act of projecting revenue for next season was at the top of his list. Not knowing if there will be 0 fans or 3.5 million fans, the Cubs and most MLB teams are in a very difficult situation in terms of projection. What that means for off-season acquisitions, we can only guess (and fear), but I just want you to be prepared for that reality. For what it’s worth, he was asked the Mookie Betts question and said the Dodgers were lucky to get his TV / media deal at a time when those fees were exploding. And with those higher guaranteed incomes, they’re in a rare class of equipment that can afford to spend more.
• Also, we now know that the Mookie Betts deal was not as big as it initially seemed, thanks to many interest-free deferrals:
Cubs Hyping, Extended Playoffs, Napoli, Betts and other Cubs bullets https://t.co/gljZqAyRO8 pic.twitter.com/XJmeyh40jZ
– Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) July 24, 2020
• As for the fans in the stands, the Cubs are still banned by the league, but are working on a plan to allow limited capacity this season in groups of 2, 4, and 6 fans. The hope is that they can get approval from all the necessary parties (MLB, city government, and health official) to go before September 1. In addition to full capacity and limited groups, fans would have specific time windows through which they can enter and exit the stadium from designated gates. Concessions would also be granted to seats, to avoid as much interaction as possible.
Crane Kenney said on @mullyhaugh that the Cubs hope to be able to allow fans at Wrigley Field before September 1. It is a plan pending approval by MLB and local government and health officials.
Kenney said, “We believe there is a way to do that.”
– 670 The Score (@ 670TheScore) July 24, 2020
• Kenney said: “The absolute number one spot on the list is make it safe and we feel like we can do it in a way that our fans, our staff and obviously the players stay safe while we do it.” But don’t get it wrong. It’s not just about fans or security. While that may be priority number one, Kenney does mention another: “The second reason is that we are looking to the future in 2021, and we are not sure that life will be so different next year. Anything we can do to take a look and see how we can operate our stadium next year this year will obviously give us a whole year to plan. There are also some learnings for us. ”
• A limited number of fans in roughly 30 home games are unlikely to provide enough revenue to materially change the way this low season unfolds, but perhaps if they can play 162 games next year, with slightly more fans At Wrigley, a better process, etc., revenue can make a difference. Not only for the Cubs, the team, but also for the many workers who work daily throughout the season. Don’t lose sight of that.
• Remember when the first Summer League intra-squad games were not broadcast on Marquee? Well, that was actually on purpose. The Cubs still recorded those games in an attempt to learn what they could about the broadcast. What they discovered was that it was incredibly strange, from those who played in the game to those who watched in the stands and on television, not having any noise. To solve the problem, MLB sent them a white noise track called “stadium sounds.” That helped, but it still didn’t sound like enough Wrigley, so the Cubs added a track of their own called “Wrigley Sounds.” They are still tweaking it to get it right, but it has apparently helped a lot.
• They have also put microphones on the baselines, to hear more from the players during the game, in addition to stronger bats, mitt pops, etc.
