Rockets to begin network Astros to be joint owner if FSN can't equal offer By DAVID BARRON Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle The Rockets, who have become one of the NBA's top television attractions this season with the addition of Yao Ming, said Friday they plan to start their own regional sports network in the summer of 2005 in conjunction with the Astros. The Astros, in turn, filed suit in state district court Friday afternoon, asking the court to require that Fox Sports Net decide within 30 days whether it will match the Rockets' offer to continue showing games for the 2006 season and beyond. The proposed 24-hour network, now known by the name Houston Regional Sports Network, would broadcast all or most of the Comets' games beginning in the summer of 2005, Rockets games beginning with the 2005-2006 season and Astros games beginning with the 2006 season. "We like the idea of Astros and Rockets games being on a network that is programmed from Houston and focuses on local college and Houston events in addition to our pro teams," Rockets president George Postolos said. "There is enough going on here and enough great sports fans that a network like that makes perfect sense." The network would hearken back to the creation in 1983 of Home Sports Entertainment, which was founded as a Houston-based network but is now part of the Fox Sports Net chain. FSN's Southwest affiliate has broadcast rights to the Astros, Mavericks, Stars, Rangers and Spurs and had shown Rockets games for 19 years until this season, when it was unable to come to terms with the team on a new contract. Nationally, it would parallel the creation of YES, a regional sports network owned by the Yankees and Nets, and NESN, a New England network that was included in the recent sale of the Boston Red Sox. In addition, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday that the White Sox and Cubs have had discussions about breaking away from Fox Sports Net. to form their own RSN. Postolos said the Houston network would be owned jointly by the Astros and Rockets. Management decisions would be made jointly, and the teams would share equally in revenues. The Rockets quietly have been formulating plans for the network for more than four years. But their plans did not become public until Friday afternoon when the Rockets made an official offer to the Astros, and the Astros then filed suit against FSN. "We have received an offer for broadcast rights from 2006 through 2009 that Fox has a right to match," said Astros president Pam Gardner. Gardner said the lawsuit seeks a declaration that Fox Sports Net, which has its regional offices in Irving and national offices in Los Angeles, has 30 days to match the new network's offer. If FSN declines, the Astros would be free to accept the Rockets' offer to become partners in the new Houston sports network and to air games on the network beginning with the 2006 season. Under the terms of their contract with FSN, signed in 1998, the Astros would receive $11.9 million in 2006 for the rights to broadcast a minimum of 120 games on FSN and an over-the-air station. "We certainly have been presented with a very attractive offer, and we have given Fox their fair opportunity to match it," Gardner said. "They have a time period to match the offer, and, if they do, we are happy to continue with them. But if not, we have a new opportunity." FSN spokesman Lou D'Ermilio said Friday night the network would have no comment on the lawsuit. Should the Astros and Rockets create the network, they must negotiate carriage agreements with cable carriers and satellite providers. That can be a problem, as evidenced by the ongoing dispute between the YES network and the cable giant Cablevision, which are feuding over subscriber fees to broadcast the Yankees-Nets network in New York City. But Postolos said he is confident the network can reach a deal with Time Warner Cable, the Houston area's largest cable carrier, and other area systems. "If you give cable affiliates a product that is valuable and is something that subscribers want, it will be an attractive product for them," Postolos said. Chronicle staff writer Jo Ann Zuñiga contributed to this report.
Seems like that is the trend. Man, Fox Sports must suck the big one to be losing all these teams. I've read elsewhere that they have pissed off other teams. I used to like HSE, so this should be interesting.
I wonder how long it'll take them to work out a deal on Direct TV and The Dish Network? I'm glad I have Time Warner Digital cable.
Hey, if it's on in Austin I'd be in heaven... the Rockets and the Astros! Hey, I could get into the Comets! (except for the San Antonio exclusion thing, which would screw things up in Austin for Rocks games. )
So in the near future does this mean no cable (or satellite or dish, or anything besides rabbit ears) no rockets? Say it ain't so!
this is awesome! I hate FSN since it didnt pick up any rocks games this season. The one season i leave Houston and now Have cable, the rocks are only viewable on National TV.
Even if they did show Rockets games in Houston, you wouldn't be able to see it. Assuming you go to TCU, you'd have to watch the Mavs anyway.
It will be interesting to see how everything works out. Austin/San Antonio is an Astros market for MLB and a Spurs market for NBA. If Astros home games move to HRSN, Austin/San Antonio fans would be screwed unless HRSN is available here. Obviously Rockets games would have to be blacked out due to territorial restrictions. It would be cool if the Spurs joined the HRSN and Fox Sports Net could be told to take a hike out of central, south, and southeast Texas.
Anything that gets our pro teams of channel 51 is fine by me. I hate that channel. I try to watch a game, and some other crap is coming through and interfering with the signal. It's like superimposed on the game.
This deal would presumably only be for the home games. The Road games would remain on an OTA carrier, probably 51 KNWS.
amen to that. (bill too, of course!) i hope they show it in austin. i hate the spurs. when i moved here in 95 it was rocket-town, but than the spurs won their *championship* and local tv started showing boring-ass spurs games and everyone was all "duncan-this and spurs-that." please rockets, take back austin!
Tim: Assuming this comes to pass, what are the chances we would get Rockets (and Astros) in HD on a regular basis? MSG does it, and given the capabilities built into MMPark (and hopefully the new arena) it seems silly not to take advantage.
Do you think it would only be carried locally? That would suck. What about all the Rocks fans nation wide? I hate Ch.51. I agree. Anything to get them off that station. I drove down to houston a couple of weeks back, but I got caught in some traffic so i was too late to go to the game but I was staying in the Double Tree Suites, and I attempted to watch the game there, but it turned out the DD Suites didnt carry Ch.51. They had all the other local channels but no Ch.51!!. THat totally sucked. I tried listening to it with the radio in the room but there was no antena so I couldnt pick it up. I really wish the rocks would get on something so fans in the region can watch it. Like FSN. For 19 years their games have been carried on this network until this year, and now....this sucks. no games on TV. ...I am going back to houston for spring break. Do the rocks play in spring break? Well...I will go find out in a sec.
Well I guess this is cool. I was thinking about them having their own little channel.....but I was thinking......like MTV Diary. Like a day in the life of Moochie Norris. ANYWAYS... This will be good I guess. BUT KINDA LATE. I mean..........in 3 more years. That's a while. What if Yao Ming gets injured?!?
if that happenes i guess we will just have to sell the rockets and astros... or better yet just contract the teams... i mean without yao there is nothing and after yao there will be nothing.... they have been working on this for 4 years... we didnt know we would have 4 years ago for gad sake. and my ch 51 works fine on warner cable
You can actually get 51 better with an antena, piece of gum, and aluminum foil. The cable version sucks a$$. That station is based on the UH campus(although when I lived in a dorm there it still had crappy reception). I never saw a tower for it tho. And why does it suck so bad on cable? At least it's not the TUBE. Some people will understand
