Hello everyone. I was just wondering, being that game attendance figures have been considered rather lackluster over the past couple of years, does anyone have any information on how the local TV ratings for Rockets broadcasts have been doing? The reason I ask this is because, even though game attendance figures may have been rocky, does this directly link to the Rockets fanbase not following from their homes (since everyone can't get to the games)? In searching for local Rockets TV ratings info, I came across an interesting example of how the team helped to spike the ratings for another market. Here's an example on how the Rockets specifically impacted the Memphis Grizzlies during the early stages of last season: "Highlighting the season so far was a 9.7 rating the team drew for the broadcast of its Nov. 29 game with the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the NBA's most popular teams, and an 11.7 rating for a game against the Houston Rockets Dec. 13 on WMC, a season-high rating. " It was also noted that "the Houston game even drew a 14 rating during a hotly contested fourth period." Lastly, speaking in terms of the local market, do you think there will be more interest in the upcoming season via TV viewers specifically (from the devoted fans to the luke-warm supporters) or will it simply equal the interest via Yao's rookie season? Thanks.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/barron/1710043 Article from the Chronicle late last year about two months into the season...