Will Comcast Lose Marquee Sports Network In September?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.

TV Answer Man, do you know what’s going on with Marquee Sports Network on Comcast? I hear it will be removed? — Charles, Evanston, Illinois.

Charles, the Marquee Sports Network, which is the regional TV home of the Chicago Cubs, is still available on Comcast in the Cubs market. However, team president Crane Kenney last week told the Chicago area radio station, WSCR (670/The Score), that the contract between the two companies ends in September. Furthermore, Kenney said he’s concerned that Comcast will not renew it. He noted that Comcast recently lost the Bally Sports regional sports networks due to a carriage dispute.

“Because the market is in turmoil. You’ve got half the RSNs in bankruptcy, being rejected in their rights agreements. You got wonderful markets like Atlanta – like if you’re a Comcast subscriber in Atlanta, you can’t watch the Braves today. If you’re a Comcast subscriber in Milwaukee, you can’t watch the (Brewers) today. If you’re a Comcast subscriber in Detroit, another great baseball market, you can’t watch the Tigers today. They’ve been dropped. Jerry (Reinsdorf) is parting with Comcast here. They’re dropping those three teams (White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks). So Comcast has made it pretty clear that they are exiting the sports market. And half of our homes are Comcast homes. And our contract with Comcast ends in September. So trust me, the reason I spend – other than worrying about our batting average with runners in scoring position – the other thing that keeps me up all night is worrying about what’s going to happen with distribution,” Kenney told the Bernstein & Holmes show.

Comcast is likely to insist that Marquee Sports be moved to a more expensive programming package which would require subscribers to pay more to get the channel. This is what the cable operator recently demanded from Bally Sports and MASN, the regional TV home of the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles. MASN agreed to the demand while Bally Sports did not.

Marquee Sports might reject the request, however, because it would likely mean a reduction in carriage fees. Channels are paid based on how many subscribers have access to their programming.

“And I’m sure you’re going to be asking me … in September, you’re going to go, ‘Hey, what’s going on now?’ Because it’s going to be bumpy,” Kenney added.

The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.

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