The Cubs' turnaround on the business side this season has been "just as impressive as the on-field resurgence," according to Danny Ecker of CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS. Winning games "already has proven the team's value in the form of ticket sales and TV ratings." The average audience for games on CSN Chicago this season has "more than doubled year over year" to a 3.3 local rating. Those audiences "mean more advertising revenue" for the RSN. Even though Wrigley Field's bleachers "weren't fully open early in the season, paid attendance is up by nearly 3,500 fans per game to an average of 36,325 as of Sept. 24, good for sixth-highest" in MLB. The team "plans to add four more outfield ad signs and sell naming rights to a plaza being built adjacent to the park, among other new assets in the pipeline." Sponsorship consultants said that those assets are as much as 30% "more valuable today than they were 12 months ago." When the stadium renovation and redevelopment of its surrounding area are finished, Cubs Chair Tom Ricketts has "projected that the Cubs will pull in" more than $30M in new annual revenue. The Cubs' return to the playoffs "comes as the Bears are foundering" and companies are "finalizing 2016 marketing budgets." The Cubs in recent years were "trying to sell sponsorship and advertising deals in the fourth quarter while marketers were focused on the Bears, Blackhawks and Bulls." Companies now "looking to make a splash with a Chicago sports team may redirect money intended for one team toward the Cubs." Some execs also said that the team's success "will attract companies that never have tried using sports as a marketing vehicle" (CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS, 9/28 issue).
