I md a deal happens, I think it'll be today. I'm not confident about it though, I think it could go on a while longer
Reading between the lines, Brown's comments didn't sound like those of a guy who believed a deal was coming soon. Mentioned a willingness to negotiate in public and suggested fans get money back from providers. (By the way, the part about DTV giving money back after losing the games flies in the face of the "ironclad contract" excuse that many are giving the providers, but that's another discussion.) That said, it's questionable just how much Brown and/or the Rockets are involved in these negotiations, anyway. Sounds like Crane is the guy that will make the final call and knows whether or not it's close.
From the conversation today it sounded like the Rockets and Astros did what I thought they did all along...appointed someone else to handle the actual negotiations and they're just being updated on them. My guess is that includes a team of attorneys from Comcast who have experience in negotiating out these kinds of deals. Tad said they talk regularly to discuss contingencies and updates....that explains Crane saying there were meetings for negotiations all day yesterday that he was still waiting for updates on.
It sounded like he didn't expect today or tomorrow, but definitely sounded like it would happen soon because the Astros were playing.
I have a question...if CSN does get a deal done, will Rangers games be blacked out? Or would I get Astros and Rangers games? I know this is a Rockets site, but I find it relevant
Also, what happens when the Astros and Rockets play at the same time? Do they just put one of the games on an alternate channel?
There's an alternate channel if both teams are playing. We experienced it this weekend. The Rockets were on CSN and there was a ticker at the bottom saying to use a different channel that is usually off-air to watch the Astros. I assume they have more channels to use in case all 3 teams (Rockets, Astros, Dynamo) are all playing. I don't know the answer to your previous question about Rangers games being blacked out in Houston.
Big Uverse discount Just got off the phone with Uverse. They upgraded my TV package to the 450 channels and discounted the price by $35, also discounted internet by $10 and phone by $5. They are also waiving all set top box fees. For a total of $60 per month. On top of all of that, I am getting a $100 credit on next months bill. No hassles, no problems. I wanted to get this done before a deal does come through. What could be better than saving $60 per month plus getting CSN? If you are thiking about calling, do it now!!!
How is Crane going to react if/when more people tune in to see the Rockets than the Lastros. Rockets are trending up, and the Lastros or going the opposite way. 2 alpha males in the same boat should be interesting to watch.
How are the Astros going the other way? Beefing up the farm system. Full of young players,gathering and developing prospects. Astros have finally been doing what this team needed for years. Now...that doesn't mean they aren't going to suck for a few years....growing pains.
Jim Crane and Csn Agreement A friend just called me and said she heard Jim Crane on the radio this am-she thinks 790-and he said he expects an agreement with CSN today. Did anyone else hear it? And who is the deal with (Direct TV I hope!)
While I do understand that Astros could be good more than a few years down the line, it's a long way off. And honestly, nobody knows if our current prospects are going to be real impact players. It's reasonable to think the Astros will be a bottom 3 team for half the length of a tv contract. That isn't very appealing
I heard that myself. He was just saying it's POSSIBLE something could get done today, but the truth is there's no deadline... and he said this is "not likely" to go on "deep into the season", whatever that means. Someone else in these negotiations is making a lot of money at our expense...
Is this surprising AT ALL? The start of the Astros season was ALWAYS the true deadline, since they are the ones who are controlling the negotiations. It's sickening that the Rockets allowed this to happen, and even more sickening that the Astros care very little about sports fans in this city.
If you only care about the Rockets, you don't need Comcast Sportsnet Houston. Just get NBA Leaguepass. Games won't be blacked out in Austin.
I still feel that the Rockets and Astros should have made sure the channel was available to everyone before signing the dotted line!! Maybe the Mayor will get involved-like she said-we the taxpayers paid for the arenas and it's disgusting that we can't watch "our" teams.
I think they said the initial FSSW carriage agreement with the Rockets, way back in the late 1990s, came 40 minutes before the first game. So it's unlikely, but I wouldn't rule it out. Also, it's worth noting that the Astros games the next two days are actually available for everyone in Houston through FSN, which now has the Rangers games. Obviously it's not ideal, given that it's the Texas feed, but it's something. The actual first Astros game that would be "blacked out" to the 60% isn't until Friday.
