Rooftop Ads Considered Around Wrigley Field

Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) is working with the Chicago Cubs to place advertising signs on the 17 buildings surrounding Wrigley Field with rooftop club seats rather than inside the stadium, but the distribution of revenue is playing a major role in negotiations.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, owners of the rooftop club seats spent millions to make them compliant with city standards, and adding advertisements inside the park would block the views completely. Tunney told the Sun-Times the deal isn’t finalized, so it’s not clear whether profits from the advertisements would be shared.

“Obviously, the Cubs want unlimited advertising opportunities inside the park,” Tunney told the Sun-Times. “I’m trying to work out a deal where, maybe some of the advertising goes on the buildings, instead of blocking the views. But, it’s really part of a bigger package.”

Rooftop clubs share 17 percent of their revenues with the Cubs, but that’s nothing compared to the 100 percent in revenue the team would get by placing the advertising signs inside the stadium, blocking views.

This is all part of the Cub’s plan to get more advertising and sponsorship revenue in order to pay for the $300 million renovation of Wrigley Field, reports Chicagoist. Exploring advertising opportunities could also help with revenue lost from declining ticket sales at Wrigley Field.

Read more of the Sun-Time’s report here.