Interesting Quote...

[Lip Man 1]

Since it will impact the White Sox in ways that can't be determined yet, I thought I'd post it here:

 

Crane Kenney at the Cubs convention on their future media plans:

 

"If the Cubs are successful, it could have a domino effect in the market, with Kenney saying the team is “probably 80 percent inclined” to leave its NBC Sports Chicago partnership with the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox.

 

“We like controlling our own destiny,” he said. “You start adding partners, it becomes a little more complicated.”

 

----------

 

The Cubs are going to start their own TV Network, that's pretty clear. What it means for the Sox since their deal is up at the same time is unknown from an advertising standpoint and an interest standpoint and a rights fee standpoint.

[GenericUserName]

Since it will impact the White Sox in ways that can't be determined yet, I thought I'd post it here:

 

Crane Kenney at the Cubs convention on their future media plans:

 

"If the Cubs are successful, it could have a domino effect in the market, with Kenney saying the team is “probably 80 percent inclined” to leave its NBC Sports Chicago partnership with the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox.

 

“We like controlling our own destiny,” he said. “You start adding partners, it becomes a little more complicated.”

 

----------

 

The Cubs are going to start their own TV Network, that's pretty clear. What it means for the Sox since their deal is up at the same time is unknown from an advertising standpoint and an interest standpoint and a rights fee standpoint.

 

I feel like the Sox wouldn't risk trying to start their own, but if the Cubs are gone maybe we can get a better deal since we're the only team.

[southsider2k5]

This has been known for the better part of a decade now.

[Lip Man 1]

This has been known for the better part of a decade now.

 

It has been "speculated" for the better part of a decade now...but actual QUOTES from Cub front office folks have been few and far between.

 

I'm very, very, VERY sorry that I wasted five seconds of your busy day by posting this trying to provide some information for other fans.

 

I assure you it will not happen again.

[Chicago White Sox]

I still don’t see how the Cubs will be successful on their own. They don’t have nearly the historical significance of the Yankees and even the YES Network has the Nets during the off-season. I think if the Cubs were smart they’d partner with the Blackhawks.

[Jack Parkman]

I still don’t see how the Cubs will be successful on their own. They don’t have nearly the historical significance of the Yankees and even the YES Network has the Nets during the off-season. I think if the Cubs were smart they’d partner with the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks wouldn't partner with the Cubs, because IIRC Wirtz/Reinsdorf have a pretty good partnership due to sharing the UC. The Cubs, will in fact, be on their own because the Hawks and Reinsdorf teams are more in line with each other than they are with the Cubs. Bears really don't matter, because the NFL is purely national broadcasts. I'd love to see this fail spectacularly because they don't have anyone else to put on their channel.

[zisk]

The Blackhawks wouldn't partner with the Cubs, because IIRC Wirtz/Reinsdorf have a pretty good partnership due to sharing the UC. The Cubs, will in fact, be on their own because the Hawks and Reinsdorf teams are more in line with each other than they are with the Cubs. Bears really don't matter, because the NFL is purely national broadcasts. I'd love to see this fail spectacularly because they don't have anyone else to put on their channel.

 

 

It would be pretty funny if the Sox won a couple of world series right when the station launches

 

and the Cubs go down a bit and miss the playoffs.

[Dick Allen]

The Blackhawks wouldn't partner with the Cubs, because IIRC Wirtz/Reinsdorf have a pretty good partnership due to sharing the UC. The Cubs, will in fact, be on their own because the Hawks and Reinsdorf teams are more in line with each other than they are with the Cubs. Bears really don't matter, because the NFL is purely national broadcasts. I'd love to see this fail spectacularly because they don't have anyone else to put on their channel.

They supposedly have had a lot of talks with the Bears about throwing Bears content,on their network. obviously not the games. It will be interesting to see how it works. If it works like the Dodgers and they get billions upon billions but no one in Chicago can watch their games, would that benefit the White Sox in the long run?

Edited January 14, 2018 by Dick Allen

[southsider2k5]

I still don't see how the Cubs will be successful on their own. They don't have nearly the historical significance of the Yankees and even the YES Network has the Nets during the off-season. I think if the Cubs were smart they'd partner with the Blackhawks.

 

The Yankees, Dodgers and Astros have all struggled with moves to their own networks in recent years, not being able to get their games on all of their local carriers.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Damn title made me think it was going to be an interesting quote, and not more fuel to a long rumored course of action.

[Thad Bosley]

Since it will impact the White Sox in ways that can't be determined yet, I thought I'd post it here:

 

Crane Kenney at the Cubs convention on their future media plans:

 

"If the Cubs are successful, it could have a domino effect in the market, with Kenney saying the team is “probably 80 percent inclined” to leave its NBC Sports Chicago partnership with the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox.

 

“We like controlling our own destiny,” he said. “You start adding partners, it becomes a little more complicated.”

 

----------

 

The Cubs are going to start their own TV Network, that's pretty clear. What it means for the Sox since their deal is up at the same time is unknown from an advertising standpoint and an interest standpoint and a rights fee standpoint.

Interesting as always, Lip! Keep up the good work!

 

Makes me wonder what the future of WGN and Chicago sports is after 2019. Do the Cubs say goodbye to ‘GN after almost 70 years if they move to their own network, or do they carve out 20-30 games each year and keep them on the over-the-air WGN outlet?

 

And what about the Sox? Do they get WGN all to themselves with the chance to televise more games if the Cubs aren’t around? Or is that even desirable in this day and age? Despite ‘GN’s ability to reach so many homes in the Chicago market, do they pay enough in rights fees to make it worthwhile from a revenue generating perspective?

 

Has WGN, once the superstation powerhouse of the ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘00s, become a dinosaur and a relic in this day and age, giving way to these new and evolving broadcasting entities? I guess we’ll find out in the next couple of years.

[Heads22]

The big danger that would come here for the Sox is if you have local cable systems that would elect to dump CSN for a Cubs network to be their RSN, especially if a Cubs RSN would pick up programming. There could be cable systems, on the fringes of CSN's area (say Iowa for example) where they'd much rather take a channel with just the Cubs than one with the Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks, etc. because those other three wouldn't have the pull combined of the Cubs. Here in central Iowa, we only have one RSN (Fox Sports Midwest) and they will not add CSN, despite Cubs AND Sox fans, as well as Bulls/Blackhawk fans.

[Harry Chappas]

Cubs leave CSN they piss off Comcast.

[caulfield12]

The big danger that would come here for the Sox is if you have local cable systems that would elect to dump CSN for a Cubs network to be their RSN, especially if a Cubs RSN would pick up programming. There could be cable systems, on the fringes of CSN's area (say Iowa for example) where they'd much rather take a channel with just the Cubs than one with the Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks, etc. because those other three wouldn't have the pull combined of the Cubs. Here in central Iowa, we only have one RSN (Fox Sports Midwest) and they will not add CSN, despite Cubs AND Sox fans, as well as Bulls/Blackhawk fans.

 

I couldn't imagine that would be enough of a threat (Cubs alone), unless the supplemental content was somehow combined with the Big10 network. After 2019, there SHOULD be a little bit of burnout with the Cubs only having a year or two left in their competitive window. That's another factor. Timing. Obviously Bryce Harper winning the 2019 NL MVP for the Cubs could change things, but it's hard to imagine anyone but either Harper or Kershaw moving the needle that much in terms of bumping UP Cubs' interest at that point.

 

The Bears have their national rights deals, and there's simply not enough die-hard fans left until they can look like a playoff contender again. Plus, you have to split Iowa between the Chiefs, Vikings and Packers.

[Dick Allen]

The big danger that would come here for the Sox is if you have local cable systems that would elect to dump CSN for a Cubs network to be their RSN, especially if a Cubs RSN would pick up programming. There could be cable systems, on the fringes of CSN's area (say Iowa for example) where they'd much rather take a channel with just the Cubs than one with the Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks, etc. because those other three wouldn't have the pull combined of the Cubs. Here in central Iowa, we only have one RSN (Fox Sports Midwest) and they will not add CSN, despite Cubs AND Sox fans, as well as Bulls/Blackhawk fans.

I don't think cable systems would dump the Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks for the Cubs. This is a long term thing. Keep in mind, Cubs TV ratings were pretty bad 3 or 4 years ago. It isn't like the team will never be bad again.

 

We know Comcast would keep them since they own part of the station, and I am sure other systems all have contracts.

Edited January 16, 2018 by Dick Allen

[southsider2k5]

Cubs leave CSN they piss off Comcast.

 

Yep. And Comcast will hard ball them on rate and tier to put them on the Comcast packages.

[Jake]

If I were trying to start a Cubs network, my first goal would be to get as much *exclusive* Bears content as possible. Sign a deal with the Bears that forces CSN/NBCSN to do that embarrassing stuff where they can't show any video of the games, only photos. Don't have Bears staff and representatives come on NBCSN shows. Then you'd have to go to the Cubs channel to get the good Bears content, where they'll have surely poached the best Bears people from Comcast due to the cancellation of some of the Bears programming.

[Kyyle23]

Yep. And Comcast will hard ball them on rate and tier to put them on the Comcast packages.

 

It’s NBC Sports now so I wonder if Comcast even cares

[Harry Chappas]

If I were trying to start a Cubs network, my first goal would be to get as much *exclusive* Bears content as possible. Sign a deal with the Bears that forces CSN/NBCSN to do that embarrassing stuff where they can't show any video of the games, only photos. Don't have Bears staff and representatives come on NBCSN shows. Then you'd have to go to the Cubs channel to get the good Bears content, where they'll have surely poached the best Bears people from Comcast due to the cancellation of some of the Bears programming.

 

I watch the Bears postgame and there are not video highlights now, not sure that the deal is there. It's similar to boxing with BS photos.

 

The thing I keep coming back to is that cubs own 20% of CSN. I think they just want to change the revenue sharing.

Edited January 16, 2018 by Harry Chappas

[southsider2k5]

It's NBC Sports now so I wonder if Comcast even cares

 

I think Comcast owns NBC sports, no?

[Dick Allen]

It’s NBC Sports now so I wonder if Comcast even cares

Same company.

[Dick Allen]

If I were trying to start a Cubs network, my first goal would be to get as much *exclusive* Bears content as possible. Sign a deal with the Bears that forces CSN/NBCSN to do that embarrassing stuff where they can't show any video of the games, only photos. Don't have Bears staff and representatives come on NBCSN shows. Then you'd have to go to the Cubs channel to get the good Bears content, where they'll have surely poached the best Bears people from Comcast due to the cancellation of some of the Bears programming.

I would agree, but if you are the Bears, you are going to have to know this channel will be on all the systems. I just wonder if the ridiculous TV contracts may be a thing of the past. The Cubs are hot right now, but who knows in 5 years, and when they were bad before, their ratings weren't much better than the White Sox. At least when they were bad, they could make some money on one or two of the other teams being decent. Winter programming would be a big time bore on that station.

Edited January 16, 2018 by Dick Allen

[Harry Chappas]

I would agree, but if you are the Bears, you are going to have to know this channel will be on all the systems. I just wonder if the ridiculous TV contracts may be a thing of the past. The Cubs are hot right now, but who knows in 5 years, and when they were bad before, their ratings weren't much better than the White Sox. At least when they were bad, they could make some money on one or two of the other teams being decent. Winter programming would be a big time bore on that station.

 

For the first year or two if they can show old games and whatnot that would be cool.

 

Do they have these rights?

 

Say for instance the first year in the off-season they show every win from the 1969 season, that'd be cool but what do they do after that?

 

Then how many people what to watch that?

 

That's why the current NBC Sports channel works. You get other sports programming to cover gaps.

[Dick Allen]

For the first year or two if they can show old games and whatnot that would be cool.

 

Do they have these rights?

 

Say for instance the first year in the off-season they show every win from the 1969 season, that'd be cool but what do they do after that?

 

Then how many people what to watch that?

 

That's why the current NBC Sports channel works. You get other sports programming to cover gaps.

And it's 24 hours. They probably would have to show the National Shuffleboard Championship and crap like that, and a bunch of infomercials.