WLS-ABC on Friday announced that it has "agreed to a five-year deal to air 25 Cubs games per season" through '19, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN CHICAGO. A source said that the Cubs "will be paid $750,000 per game for the rights," netting them $18.750M per season and $93.750M "over the course of the deal." There is "no online component to the deal," and fans who do not get WLS "won’t be able to see the 25 games." Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney said that he "expects an announcement where about 45 other games that were formerly on WGN-TV will air" (ESPNCHICAGO.com, 12/12). In Chicago, Robert Channick reported the current play-by-play team of Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies is "expected to move with the broadcasts." WLS President & GM John Idler said that the net will "air most of the games on the weekends, to avoid disruption of a busy prime-time schedule." Idler: "We have a number of games that we're going to be having in prime time. But Saturday and Sunday are certainly easier, from a network standpoint ... to run those games." Idler said that WLS is "allowed to market its 25-game package to other regional TV stations," which would "open up the broadcasts to viewers outside of the Chicago market" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/13). Idler said that he "doesn't expect his station to be taking any more than the 25 games that are part of the deal." He added that the club's "recent acquisitions of big-name players" such as P Jon Lester, as well as the ongoing renovation of Wrigley Field, is "fueling that hope for better ratings" this season (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 12/12).
