The NBA Is Struggling To Survive In Both Houston And Indianapolis

blacking out games to a substantial amount of the local population is not a good way in increase attendance, enthusiasm, and garner new fan support for your franchise.

 

How are the Rockets profitable??

 

This is the most promising squad we have had in years, and nobody is able to watch them. What a shame.

 

If the deal was done the number of households watching would easily more than double. When most of the homes in Houston do not carry the Rockets it stands to reason that the ratings will be exceptionally low.

 

Houston is just a bad city for basketball.

 

Right? That's so ridiculously evident.

According to Forbes, the Rockets are the 7th most valuable franchise in the NBA, despite missing the playoffs for 3 consecutive years. Let's stop pretending like it's not working. This snapshot at TV ratings this year when only 40% of the market can get the games on their TV is ridiculously short-sighted.

The Rockets have an extremely favorable lease and they're printing money. We'd all be so lucky to own a business in any industry that is "struggling to survive" the way the Houston Rockets are.



and then there's this:

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2013/01/houston-rockets-among-top-5-most.html

The Houston Rockets basketball team is the No. 4 most profitable team in the National Basketball Association, according to Forbes magazine.

The Rockets’ five-year average profit is $28 million, Forbes reports.

“Houston consistently ranks among the league's most profitable teams despite slipping attendance numbers and a lack of recent postseason success,” Forbes writes. “The team received some spending relief last year by knocking $18 million off player costs from the previous season, but the additions of James Harden and Jeremy Lin will soon drive those expenses higher.”

The Rockets signed Lin this summer. His previous team — the New York Knicks — leads the NBA by a wide margin, both in terms of value and profit, according to Forbes, which ranked the league’s most and least profitable teams.

In September, Forbes listed the Houston Texans football team among the most valuable of the NFL. The team moved up one notch on the 2012 ranking of the National Football League's most valuable franchises, listed at No. 5 with a valuation of more than $1.3 billion. The previous year, the team was ranked No. 6 with a value of more than $1.2 billion.

 

Did not read the quoted article fully, but if it doesn't consider this than it's a flawed analysis.

 

Spoiler

Not shocked, but I don't like hearing things like this.

 

No it is not.

Yes, Houston is a football city. Houston is the 3rd largest city. The only sport that we cannot potentially handle is hockey.

 

or maybe it is LOFs' fault. they are so annoying that ppl stop watching rox game.

anyway, i am still one of 20200 households.:grin::grin::grin:

 

you do need to read the article instead following other posters.

 

Even during Yao and Tracy era the stadium would be half empty.

What i don't understand is why the tickets are so expensive if the stadium is empty ? First step the club has to take is to aggressively punish the season tickets holders in the lower seats who don't show up to the games.

 

Specious reasoning at best. Using just 2012-2013 is not a sufficient sample size. No brainer that attendance and ratings would be down for a franchise that was in limbo and purgatory for 3 years prior to now. Then top it off with no TV deal now that there's hope and direction.

If a TV deal is in place in 2013-14 where everyone can see the Rockets, I guarantee top 10 attendance and top 10 ratings.

 

Yeah, let's aggressively punish our paying customers who commit to pay for an assload of games at exorbitant prices. That's a fantastic business model!

 

No it isn't.

 

And you did not read my reply. I said morethan double, which means IMO a lot more than double because most or a lot more than half of the homes in Houston can't watch the Rockets.

 

That's why I moved to Austin. It's much better to watch my Rockets from here. :grin:

I do miss going to the games though...

 

absolutely it would more than double....there is zero buzz locally about a team no one can watch. difficult to generate conversation around the city when you can't watch them play night to night.