Rumors have swirled for a while about the Chicago Cubs forming their own private cable network and it's safe to say those rumors are no longer speculation. During a private tour with the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs President of Business Operations confirmed that the front office has taken drastic steps to make it a reality.
Crane Kenney told reporters that the third floor of the new plaza that was recently built represents "Cubs 3.0" which will be the content engine for the highly anticipated network.
The third floor, Kenney said, represents Cubs 3.0. Its future use remains a mystery, though it might provide staff space for the team's network. Make no mistake, Kenney confirmed that the Cubs will create their own network in 2020, with a studio slated for the Mueller Building at 3721 N. Clark.
Kenney called the Cubs a future "content engine," pointing to a video of Willson Contreras playing catch with a young fan in the stands during Friday's rain delay that has garnered 1.9 million views on the Cubs' Facebook page.
A potential relationship with Notre Dame, Kenney's alma mater, would yield non-summer programming. And don't forget Wrigley will host Northwestern football games beginning in 2020 and the Cubs are aiming to create an annual bowl game. Entertainment vehicles and revenue streams galore.
The Cubs are expected to move on from Comcast after their TV contract is up in 2019. Kenney revealed that previously on the radio.
“2019 is our last year with Comcast, so we’ll move over and launch our own channel in 2020,” Kenney said on the “Mully & Hanley” morning show.
But wait... there's more. Kenney also said that the fourth, fifth and six floors of the new plaza will be where employees for the network could land their dream job.
The fourth, fifth and sixth floors contain the kind of employee perks that would make you polish your resume. The baseball ops floor (no photographs, per a Kenney request) features a horseshoe-shaped furnishing with swivel chairs facing five TV screens — an ideal spot for Theo Epstein's crew to watch road games.
The top floor was designed so Kenney can attract the best and the brightest to a front office that has been beefed up to around 400.
With Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" playing in the background, Kenney pointed to a group of young employees: "I'm recruiting against Facebook, Twitter, YouTube … the 18-20 other content businesses in our city. How do we recruit these millennials who have a lot of options? You have to create a really cool work space."
Could you imagine working there? Better polish your resume.
As exciting as "The Cubs Network" sounds, there are a lot of questions that will need to be answered.
The Cubs are expected to move on from Comcast after their TV contract is up in 2019. Kenney revealed that previously on the radio.
“2019 is our last year with Comcast, so we’ll move over and launch our own channel in 2020,” Kenney said on the “Mully & Hanley” morning show.
But wait... there's more. Kenney also said that the fourth, fifth and six floors of the new plaza will be where employees for the network could land their dream job.
The fourth, fifth and sixth floors contain the kind of employee perks that would make you polish your resume. The baseball ops floor (no photographs, per a Kenney request) features a horseshoe-shaped furnishing with swivel chairs facing five TV screens — an ideal spot for Theo Epstein's crew to watch road games.
The top floor was designed so Kenney can attract the best and the brightest to a front office that has been beefed up to around 400.
With Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" playing in the background, Kenney pointed to a group of young employees: "I'm recruiting against Facebook, Twitter, YouTube … the 18-20 other content businesses in our city. How do we recruit these millennials who have a lot of options? You have to create a really cool work space."
Could you imagine working there? Better polish your resume.
As exciting as "The Cubs Network" sounds, there are a lot of questions that will need to be answered.
Will this mean people will have to pay extra money to watch Cubs games, on top of their current cable package?The answer to that is likely no if the Cubs can strike a deal with providers to make it part of their list of channels, but there's no way to be sure of that now.
Does this mean Cubs content will run 24/7, on the "Cubs channel," essentially giving fans 24/7 access to content from the team?The answer to that is likely yes. You can expect the channel to share other investor interests like football games and concerts that take place at Wrigley Field as well.
Can I work for this company?Seriously.... Coming in 2020.
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