Marquee Sports Cuts Deal With Hulu For MLB Cubs

When Marquee Sports Network, the exclusive new cable TV home of the MLB Chicago Cubs, debuts Saturday with the first spring training game against the Oakland Athletics, Chicagoans will have at least one alternative way to watch it, reports The Chicago Tribune.

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 because Marquee, a partnership between the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group, still is trying to secure a spot on the cable giant’s 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, Marquee’s general manager. “That being said, our traditional cable and satellite subscribers are very important to us too.”

Hulu + Live TV streams dozens of news, sports and entertainment channels online and will include Marquee as part of its regular $54.99 monthly package in the Cubs’ regional broadcast territory.

Major League Baseball defines Chicago’s home broadcast territory as portions of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin. Marquee is working to line up deals with cable providers large and small throughout that region.

Marquee is set to run on AT&T and RCN but has no deal with Comcast, the Chicago area’s largest traditional cable provider. The Cubs open the regular season March 26.

“We have received the proposal from Marquee and are reviewing it,” said Jack Segal, a Comcast spokesman.

Marquee is scheduled to air at least 145 regular-season and 28 spring training games — by far the most Cactus League games a Cubs TV partner has broadcast. Marquee also will feature expanded pregame and postgame coverage, classic broadcasts from the archives and other programming.