Maybe you can use that extra time to come up with an original and not completely unfunny pun on the Astro name.
1) If you have no desire to watch the Astros, why are you on the Astros page? Just saying 2) If you are right, and Crane is the only one holding this up and he is "screwing Rocket's fans", then man Les is really really stupid to have given negotiating rights to the owner of the other team, especially one who is just coming in and he knows very little about. Much more likely is that Les and Jim have the same or at least very similar stances, but Les is smart enough to shut his mouth and Jim isn't. Les has never been a public guy anyway.
There aren't any RSNs charging $5. The YES network charges $2.99 per subscriber and the new RSN in LA charges somewhere around $3.50. Your $5 figure is significantly incorrect.
A pretty random list of providers IIRC as well. Not so coincidentally, it's pretty much all the same providers that carry the Longhorn Network. I'm not saying that ESPN is forcing providers to take the two services as a package deal, but I think the ones that carry both are just the providers that will buy whatever ESPN is selling at whatever cost.
What? What RSN is charging $5? The LA one I think is the only one that is even over $3. CSN is overpriced. The problem with the deal is that CSN talks about access but the truth is they aren't willing to make a deal that would let those who want the channel to buy the channel. They are only interested in a deal that gets them revenues disproportionate with the demand for their product in the market.
Just need to have internet through the company. (if you'rs is on the list...Suddenlink only gives access to ESPN3) Although, for HBO GO, watch ESPN, and MAX GO i'm using someone else's account info. Since they have it on tv, they don't use any of the online features.
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2013-03-28/news/the-screwball-economics-of-major-league-baseball/ [rquoter]Not long ago, LA hosted just two regional sports channels. Soon there will be seven. The Lakers charge $4 a month. FOX bills $5.40 for its two channels. The Dodgers are expected to add another $5. And Bevilacqua just negotiated a stunning 500 percent increase for the Pac-12's media rights.[/rquoter] [rquoter]NBC and CBS have launched their own sports channels. Another from FOX is on its way. Even regional sports channels are starting to broach that $5 mark.[/rquoter]
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/directv-surcharge-regional-sports-package-400205 According to the above article the Lakers deal was around $4 and directv charges customers who want the channel an extra $3 a month. I don't live there so I can't confirm...
Also, the Rockets/Astros are nowhere near as valuable as the Lakers/Dodgers. Nowhere near. Picking some of the most popular teams in the world to try and set a benchmark is silly when you are talking about Houston sports fans.
Yep, I love sports and I love the city of Houston, but the comparison isn't even close. Check out non football sports TV ratings and compare to other major markets
1. It is LA. Houston isn't LA. 2. The only RSN in LA presently getting $5 is FOX and that is for not one, but two channels. So it's actually $2.70 per channel. 3. The Dodgers can say they are going to charge $5 all day long. That doesn't mean they'll get it.
I don't know the accuracy of the article, but you said $5 isn't even in the ballpark of where some regional sports networks are, but if the article is correct, you are wrong. Doesn't matter that it is LA vs. Houston. They are still RSNs. LA & NY have huge advantages in that they don't have to charge as much because they have larger subscriber areas, yet the Lakers can charge $4 by themselves? The Rockets/Astros combined aren't worth $3.50? Ultimately, the deal that matters most is the FSSW deal.
LA and NY have larger subscriber areas than a five state area that encompasses 3 of the country's 10 largest cities? How does that math work? The Lakers charge $4 (20% less than the $5 mark). That includes an English Channel and a Spanish language channel. The Dodgers claim they will charge $5, but nobody has signed up to pay it. FOX gets $5.40, but it is for TWO channels. If you look at the ratings that the games draw in Houston, even when there is full access, the viewership numbers do not support paying for two RSNs, especially when one charges $2.80 and the other wants $3.40. The sports and entertainment markets are not even comparable between Houston and LA. You are comparing apples to footballs.
