The Chicago Cubs will see their media rights return to them from WGN, ABC and Comcast in 2019. When their television broadcasting rights reopen, the team would be free to create a setup similar to the New York Yankees with YES Network; or the Boston Red Sox and NESN.
“It’s certainly something I’ve spoken a lot about as the world is changing dramatically and rather quickly as it relates to cable television- people shaving their cable bill, cutting it all together,” said Chicago Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney at the Cubs Convention this weekend.
“So we keep an eye on that, and yes, we have an interest in doing that.”
One of the Cubs’ current three television partners, Comcast SportsNet Chicago is partially owned by NBC, partially owned by the Chicago Cubs, Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox. It is explicitly stated these teams have editorial control over these networks.
Kenney himself is actually on the Board of Directors at CSN Chicago.
Hence none of the media personalities that you see on CSN Chicago are actually reporters, or journalists, at all. Now the new soulless buzzword/meaningless faux job title is “Insider.”
Same rules applies to NESN, YES Network, Big Ten Network et al. By definition you can’t be reporter when your beat is your own boss. You can’t actually provide coverage of the franchise that pays your salary. It sounds like this principle will also be true for Chicago Cubs Network (CCN) or Chicago Cubs TV (CCTV) or whatever it will be called.
Of course, things can change a whole lot in three years, and the Chicago Cubs front office man reiterated that there’s a whole lot that’s up in the air.
“I can’t predict what’s going to happen in the next three, four years. We know one thing we can control is launching our own network. So we’re focused 100% on that.”
“As we have conversations which are ongoing with all sorts of partners, if somebody offers us something dramatically better, we’ll of course look at it, but at the moment what we can control is the idea of launching our own network in 2019.”
While the future potential Chicago Cubs owned/managed television network is obviously a couple years away, Kenney did break some short term news at Cubs Con.
Kenney revealed more information about the stadium renovations in development, as well as a new way to watch games. Yes, you’ll finally be able to stream games through the mobile internet.
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“Streaming is controlled by the league. I’m finally pretty confident that we’re going to have streaming in 2016, so that local games will be available on our mobile devices,” said the Chicago Cubs President.
“Because it’s a progress that the league has been making. It’s never been us holding it up, it was the cable partners and the league who held it up. (There was) a breakthrough with FOX and so 15 teams will be up this year.”
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous television and radio talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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