Diehardfan
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My favorite teams
I just recently retired after working for Comcast for more than a dozen years. I'll bet you any money that this is what is happening:
Marquee wants to charge Comcast about $4 a month per customer as a carriage fee, and wants Comcast to put the network in its Starter package, to get it to the maximum households, so they can sell their ads at the highest possible rates. Other carriers are jumping at it, because they will get new customers from the carriage agreement.
Comcast is in *no *way in need of taking a $4 hit on every bill where customers have at least the Starter package. They will not lose a statistically significant amount of total revenues if a regional sports network decides to hold its breath until it turns blue. They can wait out Marquee. Where I live, in Minnesota, they went through the same process with Fox Sports North, and it ended up that FSN lowered their price per customer in order to get themselves into the Starter package. And in Colorado, as of the time I left Comcast, there was no continuing agreement to carry the Altitude Network, which carries the Rockies. I guarantee that will get resolved by opening day, as well.
This happens all the time, it's business negotiations with hostages. Not at all unheard of.
What will likely end up happening is that the Marquee Network will be added to the Xfinity Sports and Entertainment Package, which costs $10 a month (at least in West Division) but includes other sports networks (such as the NFL Red Zone channel) as well. In other words, Comcast will put it into a side package that you have to pay extra for, but that adds more value than just the one network. And when it comes down to the 90% of people out there who want to watch the Cubs without paying an additional $130 for the streaming package pressuring Marquee into taking whatever deal gets them their Cub games, then it will get done. It's not good for the community or the Cubs to withhold the games from a large majority of the people who want to watch them. It's a great way to commit suicide as a profitable franchise, of course.
At least, that's my take on it. I worked in West Division, so I will admit I have more insight into their policies and thinking than the central division folks. But I'd bet that Marquee will be on Comcast by opening day, and that you'll have to add the Sports and Entertainment Package to get it.
-Doug
Very well could be but I'm betting they want to hook Cub fans first......give everyone a look see for a season and then move it to a pay package. It's also possible that they give out a few "free looks" over the season while putting it into the pay package early. Either way, I'm not paying and by this time next year with the exception of their broadband.....I will be cutting the cord.