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With Opening Day looming, Marquee Network still not available everywhere

Let's start with the obvious – it will be possible to watch Cubs games this season, as the move to the team-owned Marquee Network becomes a reality.

The channel is already available on AT&T Uverse, DirectTV and Hulu plus live TV. It's also on Spectrum Cable, which is available in some outer suburbs and Kenosha, Wis.; along with many cable networks in Iowa and northern Indiana.

If you don't have any of those, then what? Here are some scenarios:

• There have been reports that Comcast and Marquee are close to an agreement and it may be announced Friday morning. But as of late Thursday afternoon, Marquee is not available via Comcast.

• There will be several nationally televised games, but those come with a catch. Saturday's afternoon game against Milwaukee is a Fox broadcast and is available everywhere, with Addison native Adam Amin on the call.

Friday's home opener against the Brewers is being televised by ESPN, but a network spokesperson said that game is subject to blackout rules in Chicago. So don't expect to see it on ESPN if you live in the area.

The blackout rules don't apply to Sunday night ESPN games, which are not on Marquee, and there are two of those – at St. Louis on Aug. 9 and the Cardinals at home on Sept. 6. There's another game on the Fox schedule Thu., Aug. 6 at Kansas City.

The six games against the White Sox will be available on NBC Sports Chicago, which is televising 59 of the 60 Sox games this season and is available on most providers.

You'll need a provider account to stream Cubs games via Marquee. Some other carriers without a Marquee agreement are Dish, YouTube TV and Sling TV. But everything's negotiable, so stay tuned.

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