Cubs added Hulu to Marquee Network, still negotiating with Comcast
MESA, Ariz. - The Cubs' Marquee Sports Network is set to launch on Feb. 22 for the Cactus League opener against the Athletics.
If you have Hulu+Live TV, you can watch the game. The Cubs on Monday announced Hulu will be streaming Marquee.
Most cable TV subscribers in the Chicago area are Comcast Xfinity customers, and there is still no deal in place.
That is going to cause some serious outrage, and Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts offered a suggestion.
"I would tell people if it really concerns you, just call Comcast and let them know," Ricketts said. "Secondly, these type of discussions typically go like this. They don't go quickly, they're fairly complicated. I think in the end, everyone will do what's right for the actual customers and that's where I'm confident we'll get all this behind us by Opening Day, or pretty soon anyways."
If negotiations drag well into the season and even beyond, the Cubs still have over 30 distributors to broadcast their games.
"It's nice to have Hulu done," said Crane Kenney, the Cubs' president of business operations. "That means in addition to DirecTV, which is available in every home in our territory, if you are a cord-cutter, in terms of people potentially being shut out from our games, there is a way to have our service.
"We still expect Comcast to carry it, but today, if someone was worried about it, there's another way of getting our games for the 2020 season."
Up and running:
The Cubs had their first full-squad workout Monday, and no one was happier than first-year manager David Ross.
"It's fun to see the guys, just kind of get that first day out of the way for me," Ross said. "It's something I've been thinking about for a long time. As a player I look back and the first day of spring training, you're just trying to walk through things. As a manager, you're ready to get going. Like, 'When are we strapping it on?'"
The 42-year-old Ross was a major league catcher for 15 seasons, and he spent his final two years (2015-16) with the Cubs.
Instead of listening to the manager's speech on the first full day of camp, he gave one.
"I wanted to make sure they knew who I was and talked to them about that," Ross said. "I didn't say anything earth-shattering or mind-blowing. It's baseball, and I just want to let them know what I believe in and what I'm about and who I am.
"Some guys know me and some guys don't. I got to say my piece. I don't know if it went over well or not, I was out there being me."