Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network reaches agreement with Hulu

Marquee Sports Network has added a new broadcast partner, but it’s not Comcast.

The channel, which is the new home for televised Cubs games, announced Monday that it has reached a carriage agreement with the Hulu streaming service.

Marquee already has a carriage agreement with AT&T’s U-verse, DirecTV and AT&T TV. Mediacom and Spectrum will also carry Marquee.

Those carriers make up roughly 40 percent of the Cubs’ coverage area, Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney has said.

“We are thrilled to partner with Hulu and add them to our growing list of over 30 affiliates who will carry the network,” said Mike McCarthy, general manager, Marquee Sports Network. “We’ve heard from countless Hulu subscribers who were keenly interested to see their favorite baseball team. And now, they will!”

But the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcasting, which co-own Marquee, have yet to reach an agreement with Comcast, the area’s largest cable carrier, meaning much of Chicago won’t have access to Cubs games. The channel is scheduled to launch on Saturday.

Marquee has announced a lineup of talent that will be familiar to Cubs fans, including Lou Piniella, Len Kasper, Jim Deshaies, Rick Sutcliffe and Doug Glanville.

The network has a website with details about Marquee, such as the providers who have signed on, answers to some frequently asked questions (“Why are the Cubs launching their own network?”) — and a countdown clock to the Feb. 22 launch date.

That website also displays a message for fans whose cable providers haven’t yet agreed to carry Marquee: “If you don’t see your TV provider listed,” it declares, “make the call and demand it.”