A Couple Confirmations on the Cubs’ New TV Deal and Other Bullets

kid-watching-tvBig BN news coming a little later this morning on something many of you have asked about for a while. Well, “big” if you like the finer things in life. (UPDATE: by which I mean clothing style. A bunch of new BN shirts (on sale, too)!)

  • Bruce Levine, who has always been very tapped in on the TV deal stuff over the past five years, reports a couple things about which we’ve speculated (and I’ll now treat as confirmed): the new Cubs/WGN deal has opt-outs built in, which suggests the Cubs are, indeed, holding open the possibility that they could put together their full-slate, long-term TV deal before 2019; the new deal also includes revenue-sharing potential, which could increase the Cubs’ take on the games over the next five years if the team’s games perform well for WGN. My guess is that the latter one isn’t going to involve a huge amount of money, but at least it preserves some upside for the Cubs, who very likely didn’t improve dramatically on their guaranteed $250,000ish per-game take in the new WGN deal from the old one. (Though it’s a good bet that the Cubs did improve on that rate in the ABC-7 deal, and we know that the CSN rate climbs over the next five years – so revenue should increase, at least a little, from the TV deals either way over the next five years.)
  • I know that the remaining thing about the TV deal(s) that folks really want to know is whether folks who are close to Chicago, but not close enough to get WGN-9 and ABC-7 over-the-air, will be able to watch those games locally. A consensus seems to be forming around the answer: it’s going to depend on whether your local affiliates (likely a CW station and an ABC station) are permitted/agree to a deal to pick up the games from WGN and ABC. It seems likely that at least some stations will for at least some of the games, but that stuff couldn’t shake out until these deals with the Cubs were in place. It may come down to whether the non-Chicago stations feel like they can do better numbers with Cubs games than whatever else the would be running at the time, and that may come down to how many Cubs fans there are in your area of Illinois/Wisconsin/Iowa/Indiana. (There’s also the chance that multicast stations are utilized in some capacity, as that was something the Cubs were reportedly discussing last year, albeit in a slightly different fashion.)
  • Again, I expect this to be discussed at the Convention next week (at a minimum, I’ll be asking around), but we may not have definitives until closer to when the season begins. This is just a uniquely weird situation in the world of broadcast rights.
  • Jesse Rogers has a great piece at ESPN on the Cubs’ pursuit and acquisition of David Ross, and about how much Ross wants to win in Chicago. Ross confirms that the Cubs wanted him all along, and then stepped it up even more after they signed Jon Lester (the rationale apparently (and wisely) being that having Ross is even more valuable to the team when you’ve already got Lester, not the other way around). You will like David Ross even more after you read this piece. He’s the next cult hero among Cubs fans, I can pretty much guarantee it. (Of course, historically, that’s always been a pretty safe bet among back-up catchers for some reason.)
  • A fun read on the new Sloan-Cubs partnership from Danny Ecker at Crain’s. The upshot? In addition to the deal being for “10-plus” years and worth “seven figures annually,” Sloan has a good sense of humor about the relationship between a company that makes plumbing fixtures and a baseball team. Your good-natured jokes are welcome. Jon Greenberg has more on the same, and, as Sloan’s CEO pointed out to Greenberg, have you ever heard of Sloan before yesterday? Good point, and good deal for Sloan, jokes and all.
  • Jake Johnson on The Curse – namely: we are The Curse.
  • The Face of MLB competition thing is happening again, starting with each team getting its face of the franchise. No surprise in the least for the Cubs:
  • An awful story about a Yankees pitching prospect who got sucker-punched and kicked while unconscious by a former NFL linebacker because, apparently, he wouldn’t tell the NFL player how much he got in his signing bonus with the Yankees.
  • On the strong correlation between infield fly ball rate and BABIP.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

    more cubs news

    Now We Know Why Ian Happ Was Removed Mid-game

    In the top of the seventh inning of today's 8-3 win over the Miami Marlins, Alexander Canario trotted out to left field in place of Ian Happ. At first, we thought (or maybe just hoped) that Craig Counsell was giving...

    Enhanced Box Score: Cubs 8, Marlins 3 – April 19, 2024

    And just like that the Chicago Cubs are the first team in the NL Central to reach 12 wins! They're not technically in first place yet because the Brewers (11-6) have played fewer games, but we're talking about a matter...

    Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson with Back-to-Back Slick Defensive Plays

    With a lefty Marlins starter on the mound this afternoon, Nico Hoerner lead off today's game for the Chicago Cubs. And he did it in style, ripping a leadoff double to the left-center field wall, before coming into score a...

    Pre-Gamin’: Marlins at Cubs – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

    *The Cubs were rained out yesterday, but today? Today, we've got a Friday 1:20 start at Wrigley Field, and that means all is right in the world. Before you take a look at the Cubs lineup against Miami, check out...

    MLBits: The White Sox Might be the Worst Team Ever, What Games I’m Watching this Weekend, More

    Happy Friday! Well, for everyone except for the pilots who were supposed to be manning the Colorado Rockies flight last week but instead allowed a member of the Rockies coaching staff to hop in the pilot's seat for a fun...

    Can I Interest You in a Positive Injury-Update on Justin Steele?

    Justin Steele, arguably the single most irreplaceable player on the Chicago Cubs 2024 roster, went down with a hamstring injury just 4.2 innings into his Opening Day start against the Rangers on March 28. In his place, the Cubs sixth...

    FAA Reportedly Investigating How a Passenger on Colorado Rockies Team Flight Was Seen Accessing the Cockpit

    If you do this job long enough, it's really wild to see the range of topics that can somehow become attached to sports. That is to say, I did not envision myself at some point writing about flight safety, cockpit...

    Cubs Farm Report | April 19, 2024: Kevin Alcántara is Heating Up!

    The Iowa Cubs were rained out, but the rest of the farm was in action, and so was Kevin Alcántara, who picked up four hits and now has seven in his last three games as he breaks out of an...

    It’s Not Kyle Hendricks Last Chance (But…), Ben Brown, Jameson Taillon, and Other Cubs Bullets

    Well, the rain stole one from us yesterday, which is a blessing and a curse. On the bright side, the bullpen gets an extra day of rest (on top of the day Hayden Wesneski bought them). But on the flip...

    The Chicago Cubs Are Not Stealing Bases So Far This Year

    The Chicago Cubs are against theft. Of bases: https://twitter.com/codifybaseball/status/1781046629103231339 The Chicago Cubs this year have stolen just three bases, the fewest in all of baseball. Dansby Swanson has stolen two bases, Nick Madrigal has stolen one. That's it. I don't...

    Latest News

    How to Watch Astros vs. Nationals: Live Stream or on TV

    The Houston Astros (6-14), led by Jose Altuve, visit C.J. Abrams and the Washington Nationals (8-10) at 4:05 PM ET on Saturday in a series opener.Keep reading to find out all the details on how to watch Houston square off...

    Phillies vs. White Sox: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

    On Saturday, Trea Turner and the Philadelphia Phillies (11-8) begin a series versus Gavin Sheets and the Chicago White Sox (3-15) at Citizens Bank Park, with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 PM ET.The article below will provide you with everything...

    How to Watch Pirates vs. Red Sox: Live Stream or on TV

    On Saturday, Mitch Keller will take the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates (11-8) against Kutter Crawford and the Boston Red Sox (10-10), with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 PM ET at PNC Park.If you're intending to watch this game, keep...

    Timberwolves vs. Suns Predictions, Best Bets and Odds: NBA Playoffs Game 1 – Saturday, April 20, 2024

    The Phoenix Suns are slight 1.5-point underdogs in Game 1 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on Saturday, tipping off at 3:30 PM ET on ESPN. The matchup has an over/under...

    Knicks vs. 76ers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds: NBA Playoffs Game 1 – Saturday, April 20, 2024

    The Philadelphia 76ers are slight 3-point underdogs in Game 1 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, beginning at 6:00 PM ET on ESPN. The over/under is set...

    Cavaliers vs. Magic Predictions, Best Bets and Odds: NBA Playoffs Game 1 – Saturday, April 20, 2024

    The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic take the court to begin the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. The Cavaliers are favored by 4.5 points in the contest, which will be broadcast on ESPN at 1:00 PM ET. The...

    Now We Know Why Ian Happ Was Removed Mid-game

    In the top of the seventh inning of today's 8-3 win over the Miami Marlins, Alexander Canario trotted out to left field in place of Ian Happ. At first, we thought (or maybe just hoped) that Craig Counsell was giving...

    Pre-Gamin’: Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat (6:00 CT), Projected Lineups, How to Watch, More

    The Bulls and Heat go at it for the last spot in the NBA Playoffs. Let's get it. https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1781299357574213738 Game Info Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls – 6:00 p.m. CT on ESPN (TV) and 670 The Score (Radio) Chicago Bulls Coby White...

    Scottie Pippen’s Youngest Son Will Play at Michigan

    A familiar last name will be in the Big Ten next season. Scottie Pippen's kid, Justin, has committed to the University of Michigan, according to Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports. The youngest son of the Chicago Bulls legend, Pippen started...

    Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson with Back-to-Back Slick Defensive Plays

    With a lefty Marlins starter on the mound this afternoon, Nico Hoerner lead off today's game for the Chicago Cubs. And he did it in style, ripping a leadoff double to the left-center field wall, before coming into score a...

    more cubs news