The Astros/Rockets want to negotiate a deal that the judge will approve without Comcast being able to meddle. I said this at the beginning: You sleep with the devil you get burned. Comcast is a bad business partner.
Based on this: The teams say efforts to provide information requested by the prospective buyer or buyers of Houston Regional Sports Network, the Astros-Rockets-Comcast partnership that owns CSN Houston, “has been more complicated than had been expected,” and they want an order in place authorizing certain disclosures to be made. I assume that this mystery buyer wants access to some information that Comcast doesn't want released (financial, strategic, whatever else). The Astros/Rockets seem to want Comcast out of the way so they can release the info and try to finalize a sale or partnership or whatever it is they are trying to do. I sort of understand Comcast's position if there is important private info in there that goes to a competitor; that said, that also appears to be the only way out of this - Comcast pushed this thing into bankruptcy and hasn't seemed interested in stepping up to resolve it in any way, so it seems like this is a bed they created and now should have to live with.
So what's the plan in the alternative Comcast? You started this crapfest when you filed the BK. What alternative do you suggest? To date, you can't even get a reorganization plan submitted.
I agree in principle but it's not like until now Crane has done much to move off square 1 in regard his rate demands. If the Judge allows it, great, let's get moving. I hope ATT does buy out Comcast. I hate the service that Comcast provides. If I didn't I would have already switched and been done with this mess. I have ATT at my home.
Understood - but he's not the one that pushed this thing into bankruptcy. He had a solution from the start - exercise his clause to walk away and let everyone go their merry way because he saw no other viable solution out there. Comcast was the one that didn't like that, so it should be incumbent on them to come up with a viable alternative - which they have not done (note that the judge agreed that the rejected plans were not good ones, and Crane was right to reject them; Comcast has not suggested anything else that we know of).
Comcast is solely responsible for the re-org plan? CSN H is responsible for it and that includes both teams. FWIW I hope what the teams are submitting is approved by the Judge and this crap goes away.
Not to go back to square 1. It was a game of chess and BK was a move Comcast and the Rockets were both in favor of. No one expected Comcast to let the Astros walk away with Crane's "solution". Not how things work.
This was an involuntary bankruptcy. It was my understanding that the Astros and Rockets have both told the court that there is nothing to reorganize. There are attorneys appointed by the Court who are charged with filing that plan on behalf of the network. Since Comcast (through various related entities) represents the creditors who threw this thing into bankruptcy in the first place, I would assume they have some sort of plan for the company's reorganization if they want to sustain the proceeding, generally.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Good afternoon. We're in Judge Isgur's courtroom for his telephone conference regarding CSN Houston.</p>— David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/statuses/488775837513027584">July 14, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The Astros and Rockets want an emergency order concerning info they can give a prospective buyer for the network.</p>— David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/statuses/488776039867236354">July 14, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Comcast doesn't think the order is necessary.</p>— David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/statuses/488776175603294208">July 14, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Judge Isgur is in Brownsville hearing other cases, so I think most of the parties will be joining the hearing via telephone.</p>— David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/statuses/488776384873897985">July 14, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Rockets, Astros and Comcast lawyers are not in courtroom. Only lawyers present are those representing the network.</p>— David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/statuses/488777597979860992">July 14, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I'm no lawyer, but I don't understand how CSN can pay lawyers to keep this in limbo and lose money both ways?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Judge Isgur is ordering Astros & Rockets to disclose identity of possible purchasers to Haynes & Boone, the attorney for the network.</p>— David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/statuses/488783140077305856">July 14, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Re info transfer to buyer, Isgur says, “How that is going to get over there, I think y’all are better off doing an agreement without me.”</p>— David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/statuses/488783637869903872">July 14, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>At any rate, hearing has been adjourned until Wednesday.</p>— David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/statuses/488784161230974976">July 14, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The bottom line is there is a prospective buyer or buyers for CSN Houston, and they want to see as much info as psbl before they decide.</p>— David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/statuses/488784400360824832">July 14, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Re prospective buyer, Comcast atty Craig Goldblatt says, "I have to assume ... that it is a competitor of Comcast."</p>— David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/statuses/488784738836951040">July 14, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Of course it's a competitor lol. There's been a competitor lined up since day 1 hoping for this to all fall apart.
“How that is going to get over there, I think y’all are better off doing an agreement without me.” Anyone help interpret this statement? I don't really understand what Isgur is saying here. Sounds like the whatever else gets decided the judge is not in favor of the prospective buyer staying anonymous...wonder if that is a deal breaker for them.
[rQUOTEr]Attorneys for the Astros and Rockets said Monday that negotiations with a prospective buyer or buyers for Comcast SportsNet Houston are progressing to the point the teams need to disclose potentially sensitive information about network operations to move the talks along. The teams asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur for an order that would enable them to pass along details to the prospective buyer without facing liability if the information were disclosed to other parties. Hands-off approach Isgur replied during a telephone hearing Monday afternoon, "I think y'all are better off doing an agreement without me," but delayed a ruling on the teams' request until at least Wednesday. The teams disclosed this month that there was a prospective buyer or buyers for Houston Regional Sports Network, the Astros-Rockets-Comcast partnership that owns CSN Houston and has been under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since February. The identity of the bidder or bidders has not been disclosed, but Comcast attorney Craig Goldblatt said during the hearing, "I have to assume … that it is a competitor of Comcast, and the disclosure of some of that information is highly competitively sensitive and, if disclosure arises, gives rise to competitive and legal concerns." There has been speculation the bidder or bidders might include AT&T Home Solutions, the parent of U-verse, or DirecTV, which owns several Root Sports regional sports networks. The companies are in the process of merging. Contentious Comcast said it did not believe an emergency order governing disclosure of information was necessary. The Rockets countered that Comcast has dragged its feet in signing confidentiality agreements and that the order was needed to ensure that disclosure to the prospective buyer "runs smoothly and properly and efficiently." Isgur instructed the Astros and Rockets to provide details on the prospective CSN Houston buyer to the Houston law firm Haynes and Boone, the network's court-appointed representative. He previously ordered that Comcast be provided details of the bidder by July 31. Deadline nears Haynes and Boone has until Aug. 7 to provide a plan of reorganization for CSN Houston, which has been unable to reach carriage agreements with DirecTV, Dish Network, U-verse, Suddenlink and other carriers and thus has been unable to pay millions of dollars in rights fees owed the Astros and Rockets. Comcast attorneys said the company was aware when its affiliates filed the September 2013 petition that resulted in CSN Houston's entering bankruptcy petition that the network could be sold to a competing bidder. "But Comcast is entitled to have its substantive and procedural rights respected," attorneys said. "This so-called emergency motion is an effort to abridge these rights." http://www.houstonchronicle.com/spo...hp?cmpid=twitter-premium&t=bef5593b078cb15e6e[/rQUOTEr]
So I'm in San Antonio for a convention and walk into the ticket (sports bar) last night. They have a lot of games on so knew they had mlb package. Ask the guy to put Astros on and he says "sorry they are blacked out here, I can put the Rangers on for you though" I knew the blackout was in force there but wasn't thinking about it. Guess it's good that the Rangers suck this year Question: why does mlb blackout games on mlb extra innings? In cases like our current one, would seem that those of us who wanted to pay for that package would be putting money into the system, where if we simply switch to Comcast we are just putting money into Comcast. Under normal situations, even if you tune to your local game on extra innings instead of just tuning to the regular station number, you are watching the same channel with the same advertisements. What are they gaining by taking that option away, in Houston and all over the 5 state area?
