On July 24, Comcast and Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that the companies have reached a multi-year renewal on their content carriage agreement that includes continued re-transmission consent of 78 Sinclair television stations in 51 major markets across Comcast’s cable television footprint, as well as continued distribution of the Tennis Channel, 18 Fox-branded regional sports networks, and YES Network for Xfinity TV customers.
In addition, Xfinity TV customers in the Chicagoland area will be able to access Marquee Sports Network, the new regional sports network jointly owned by Sinclair and The Chicago Cubs, in time for the first home-opener of the 2020 MLB season on Friday, July 24. Chicago customers with X1 will also find Marquee programming seamlessly integrated via the Xfinity Voice Remote and within Sports Zone, a destination available within the X1 guide that will give Cubs fans quick access to previews of upcoming games, live scores, in-game stats and more.
“With this agreement, Xfinity TV customers can continue to enjoy access to local news and sports content on Sinclair’s owned stations and networks across platforms, including on X1 – which delivers Xfinity customers an unmatched sports experience alongside on demand and streaming entertainment,” said Rebecca Heap, Senior Vice President, Video and Entertainment, Comcast Cable.
“We are pleased to continue and expand our partnership with Comcast under which we provide a broad array of valuable programming to its subscribers, including our award-winning local news and sports programming,” commented Barry Faber, Sinclair’s President of Distribution & Network Relations. Faber continued, “Sports are an important part of Sinclair and we are pleased that Comcast’s greater Chicago customers can join the list of passionate fans that enjoy Sinclair’s local sports programming.”
“By including Marquee in the broader Sinclair agreement, we’re now able to give our customers access to Cubs baseball in time for the start of the season,” said John Crowley, Senior Vice President, Comcast Cable Greater Chicago Region.
Mike McCarthy, Vice President, General Manager of Marquee commented, "We welcome Comcast to the Marquee family and look forward to providing their customers the very best viewing experience and commentary, as they join Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies in rooting on the Cubs pursuit of another World Series Championship.”
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.