Marquee Sports Network ratings have dropped 56% since its launch. Here’s how the Chicago Cubs’ cable TV home is faring in Year 3
CHICAGO — When the Chicago Cubs launched the Marquee Sports Network in February 2020, it was the culmination of a decade-long quest to create a dedicated 24/7 cable TV platform for the team, which was still soaring in the wake of its first World Series championship in more than a century.
After three seasons of COVID-19, cord-cutting and declining ratings, things haven’t gone exactly as planned for the fledgling regional sports network.
Right off the bat, the inaugural opening day was postponed for two months after the pandemic hit. Marquee cobbled together a cable distribution network in time to carry the made-for-TV games, where cardboard fans and fake crowd noise provided the backdrop for the shortened 2020 season.
Since then, the Cubs have been mired in back-to-back losing seasons, viewership on Marquee has fallen by 56% and regional sports networks, long the cash cow of cable TV, are struggling as providers cut back on live sports programming.
“We launched into a headwind,” said Crane Kenney, president of business operations for the Cubs. “We had a pandemic when we launched, but also cord-cutting had become a big obstacle.”
In 2019, the Cubs announced the formation of Marquee, a joint venture with Sinclair Broadcast Group, the Maryland-based TV station chain fresh off its failed bid
