<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/I94aZU5RzeA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This seems to indicate that the Astros are indeed the party that is refusing to sign carriage agreements.
Sure, another shameful season has concluded, mostly with no one watching -- partly because the team sucks and partly because they aren't on TV in over half the city (I miss my Rockets, but miss the Astros, too). Rockets fans are Astros fans, too, so I think he has plenty of incentive to be an honest broker and make a deal happen. You and he may disagree with me, and that's fine, but I'm one of many fans of the Rockets and Astros who feel this way.
Good insight, unlike most of the comments here that are too busy bashing teams and a network about things they obviously don't know anything about. I do understand the frustrations about not getting the games, but I'd rather read about facts and deeper discussion than "blow the place (CSN) up". I've been checking the Chron for info from that 4:15 meeting but haven't seen anything.
I hope the Rockets boot the Astros out of CSN and get a deal done. A sole Rockets RSN would fantastic.
Basically an update of the story that Faos posted at the top of page 11, but the hearing is scheduled for October 28. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur on Monday afternoon set Oct. 28 to hear arguments by the Astros that the case should be dismissed and arguments by Comcast/NBC Universal affiliates that an interim trustee should be appointed to oversee the network, which is owned by the Astros, Rockets, and Comcast/NBC Universal. In other words.... better go find a place with CSN on October 30.
I think the bottom line is that we shouldn't expect a resolution to the carriage situation any time soon. Involuntary bankruptcy filings are typically messy and time consuming to resolve. Even if the emergency motion for a trustee is approved, if the trustee wants to agree to a carriage deal, it will require a fight in the bankruptcy court. Also, if the Astros gets the court to dismiss the petition, the parties are back to square one with their deadlocked corporate governance. (BTW, if CSN Houston isn't insolvent right now, it probably will be fairly soon if it doesn't get carriage deals signed-- it just can't keep paying its costs without incoming revenue.) Chances are that Comcast/NBC sees no way to resolve the disagreement with Crane/Astros. Otherwise, they wouldn't be getting into this costly legal process to force Crane/Astros' hand.
My bet is Crane tries to drag this out as long as possible to screw the Rockets and CSN now. His season is over.
This isn't about "screwing" anybody. It is about the Astros, looking out for their interests, not wanting to be put into a 20 year deal they feel is not good for them. That's good business. It only makes sense that they would fight having that deal potentially forced on them in bankruptcy court. None of this even touches on the potential ramifications for the Astros if an entity they own 46% of is placed into bankruptcy.
Why is it hard to understand? Baseball is a more popular sport nationwide and is in Houston specifically as well. There's a lot more money in it for the Rockets to be tied to the Astros then to be solo. Don't let the current state of the Astros fool you.
I thought I read somewhere that baseball ratings were down in most markets. Aside from playoffs, I never have the attention span to watch on tv. Going to the ballpark is a different story. EDIT: Just found this article, full story at the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/opinion/sunday/is-the-game-over.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Is the Game Over? By JONATHAN MAHLER Published: September 28, 2013 349 Comments MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL is doing just fine. Unlike the N.F.L. and the N.B.A., it has been free of labor strife for nearly 20 years. It has more exciting young stars than I can ever remember. It has even achieved that elusive “competitive balance,” with seven different champions over the last decade. Teams across the country are playing in brand-new ballparks that they somehow persuaded local governments to help pay for. Over the last 20 years, baseball profits have grown from roughly $1 billion to nearly $8 billion. The game, in other words, has never been healthier. So why does it feel so irrelevant? Maybe the best evidence of this admittedly unscientific observation is the national TV ratings. There’s no sense comparing baseball’s numbers to football’s, which exist in a whole other Nielsen’s stratosphere. But baseball is losing ground to pro basketball, too. In 2012, the N.B.A.’s regular season ratings on ABC were nearly double those of Major League Baseball on Fox. The last eight years have produced the seven least-watched World Series on record.
I also enjoy how the TV deal is being used as leverage by the Astros organization against their own fans. "If we don't get what we want in the TV contract we're going to turn your franchise into the Oakland A's or Tampa Bay Rays!" Just a turnstile of young talent with a salary cap of 50M. Whatever. The corrupt cronyism rampant through Texas sports franchises is turning me off on sports entirely. I guess as I age and move forward in my career and family life, this is to be expected, but Crane didn't have to give me such a vigorous kick on my way out the door. Me and Les, however, we're still cool. I bet we could have a good conversation running about his favorite team growing up, either the 60's Yankees or 50's Brooklyn Dodgers depending on where he lived. I am a huge baseball history buff but couldn't name a third of the roster of the MLB all-star game today. At the age of 28 and having to deal with many older Jewish men in positions of authority above me, I actually prefer having this skill than any current knowledge of the sport. Wake me up when the Astros' ownership changes hands yet again.
You call it leverage. It may be, however, economic reality in baseball. The Yankees own their network, the Mariners own Root Northwest and the Rangers own part of FSSW. Without the revenue streams from ownership, the Astros could find themselves at an economic disadvantage.
All of this is very true. There are some very technical bankruptcy issues that ensure this will not be a smooth process...unless the petition is dismissed, then all bets are off.
Why exactly do they want to sign a 20 year carriage deal? Why not a 4 or 5 year deal to start off? If Crane puts a product on the field people really want to see, they might could get a 20 year deal for close to what they want after 4 or 5 successful years. The market would dictate they could do so if they are successful. The fact that he wants 20 years right up front while his team is a complete and total joke suggest he has no interest in building a winner. Sounds like he just wants his money
