Your obsession is curious. I have no knowledge of anything, never said I did. I think the teams should be the property of the city, run as non-profits and all the games shown on public access.
Hello Kitty, you might want to check again on Suddenlink, looks like they might be siding with us and not you and csn
The topic is interesting to The Cat (I'm guessing) because he's interested in sports business and this particular bit of sports business news is directly and entirely related to his favorite teams. Why this is getting personal is beyond me.
Right, which is not what csn is offering and I'm pretty sure suddenlink knows that. Like AT&T suddenlink is coming up with another way of saying stick it csn. No matter which side you support it should be clear to all of us that this isn't going away for a long long time
I support MY side. Not interested in picking a side in this negotiation. There are things that both of them do that piss me off. From CSN's ridiculous commercials....to Uverse (my provider) not providing me access to the channel for a month when it doesn't cost them a dime to do so.
I'm just wondering why someone is simultaneously engaging him in debate and then wondering why he's debating.
That's part of it, certainly. The biggest reason I'm interested, though, is family and friends back home around Beaumont. I mean, we grew up a Rockets and Astros family, going to 10+ games a year, even on school nights. Both of my parents still live there. They're the types that would switch to Comcast in a heartbeat, if they had the option -- that's how much they love the teams. They can't, of course, because Comcast isn't even offered there. League Pass and Extra Innings are blacked out, too. They're really without an option. And I get calls from them, at least once per week, genuinely upset and wondering what they can do. It sucks. It used to be that the first 30 minutes of every call with my dad talked about how the Rockets were doing... now it's such a sore subject we barely bring it up. It's tough. The only way I see this getting resolved is to pressure both sides and hope they each move toward the middle. These are each multi-billion-dollar corporations... big business at its finest. No one is looking out for us. Both CSN and the providers are greedy as all hell, and we're just pawns in their game. Public outrage can help, but if it's only applied at one side of the dispute... I have a tough time seeing this reach the middle ground needed for an acceptable deal. The bottom line for me is that I want my parents and good friends to be able to see the games again... and I don't think demonizing one side of a complex business dispute while incessantly defending and enabling the other is the best way for us to help the situation. Nag the hell out of everyone!
Back on topic, I think this may be a mistake by CSN. I understand what they're saying... Suddenlink is trying to manipulate the free offer by crafting it to their "Houston only" position. And yes, their "free is the right price" statement is complete garbage. It has to be frustrating to listen to that BS, if you're CSN. But to me, the single biggest obstacle CSN faces in these negotiations is that the five biggest non-CSN providers in the region (DTV, Dish, UVerse, Suddenlink, Time Warner) are working in lockstep on this. They know their greatest leverage comes from working together. If you can get even ONE of the big boys to break off -- and even if its just for the trial and only for Houston metro -- I think it's a step toward breaking down that wall. I hope I'm wrong, but they may have blown their first real chance to make progress toward breaking up the "Big Five".
I think it bears noting that I think you are right about Suddenlink. I thnk we all know that free is not the appropriate price point. It is this type of rhetoric that CSN has engaged in, and the providers have stayed away from, that has caused public opinion to be on the side of the providers. Sometimes it isn't what you say, it is how you say it. Suddenlink would be well served to not engage in such bravado in their public statements.
Just called DirecTv to ask how much longer my contract was and much it was to cancel. When they asked why I was asking I stated the fact that I have not seen an entire Rockets game for the season, have yet to see the Astros, and the fact that DirecTv wasn't considering the CSN Freeview. Also argued why I should be paying the premium for the sports package when I can't even watch my local sports team. The operators response was $15per month off for a year and free Stars/Encore for 6 months. The truth is, I like DirecTv 100x more than Comcast. Comcast ran me around in circles with they're lack of customer service until I finally left, and I've been happy until this CSN debacle. It seems no matter how hard I try to get away from Comcast, they end up rearing their ugly head in my life somewhere, somehow
Ever heard of slingbox? I can guarantee you that if anyone in my family got the games we would all get them
why are you mad at DirecTV? WHAT ARE PEOPLE NOT MAD AT CRANE AND LES. They could have made sure this wasn't an issue before switching to Comcast. They are 100% to blame.
I've never used it (I know friends that have), and neither of my parents is particularly technologically savvy. But I'm definitely going to look into it come October if there's still no deal.
Complaining to the wrong people Seems to me complaining to Comcast and or the other providers is fruitless. The only thing that will instigate a change will be the realization by the teams that they are losing a lot more than just TV revenues. Tell the Astros, Rockets and Dynamo that you have been a loyal fan but you are fed up all this BS. Let them know that not only is their TV revenue at stake here but also their ticket revenues and merchandise revenues. Vow to them to never buy another ticket, jersey, hat, banner or anything else until this is all settled. If they actually see a decline in other revenues streams as well, I am sure that they can, and will, pressure Comcast to be more flexible. Losing TV revenue is one thing, losing a large portion of their fan base and the revenues that go with it is the only way to make any headway here. Derrikmo
