No matter how their World Series journey ends, the future looks bright for the Chicago Cubs. Wrigley Field has been renovated, the product on the field has never been better in the modern era, and the team’s national and global reach has never been wider.
It could yet get better for the Cubs, according to Kathy Bergen and Robert Channick of the Boston Herald. They report that the Ricketts family could pursue the launch of their own regional sports network when the Cubs’ current TV deal expires after the 2019 season.
The Cubs are currently with CSN Chicago, but with television deals getting more and more lucrative and important to revenue, it makes sense that ownership might look to cash in. Provided their on-field success continues – which it may, given how young the team is – their brand will only become more valuable over the next three seasons.
Several teams, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox prominent among them, have executed this business model well. The Los Angeles Dodgers have attempted to as well, a move that could potentially net them over $8 billion over the next 25 years. However, if the Cubs do this, they would do well to avoid the significant issues that have surrounded SportsNet LA.
H/T Hardball Talk
