Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Chicago Cubs baseball team launched a standalone streaming version of the regional sports channel Marquee that gives fans access to live games and related programming without a cable or satellite subscription.
The streaming version of Marquee costs $20 a month and can be purchased and accessed through the Marquee website or a new Marquee app for phones and tablets that launched on Tuesday, the company said in a statement.
“We’re thrilled to launch our new direct-to-consumer subscription option, providing all in-market Cubs fans with access to Marquee Sports Network, including live Cubs games,” Mike McCarthy, the general manager of Marquee, said in a statement. “The new Marquee Sports Network App will also provide an improved 1080p streaming experience for all Marquee Sports Network subscribers. We look forward to continuing to bring Cubs baseball to the passionate Cubs fans across the region.”
Customers who receive Marquee through their traditional pay TV package will still be allowed to stream live games and sports programming, and won’t be charged a separate fee if they want to watch through the Marquee app. Marquee is currently offered on Comcast (Xfinity), DirecTV, Astound Broadband, Fubo and AT&T U-Verse in the immediate Chicago area, and other cable systems like Frontier and Charter’s Spectrum TV within the Cubs broadcast area.
Marquee is run as a separate business from Diamond Sports Group, Sinclair’s sports brand that operates nearly two dozen regional channels under the Bally Sports name. Diamond Sports launched a streaming version of its Bally Sports channels last year for the same $20 a month.
