Dam the ticking ****! i want to dvr rockets games i cant always watch! I want to watch in full hd, that is why i paid for ******** 50 inch sammy! ****! Someone do something already. ****!
AND ****** ***** ***** ***** Comcast! and Crane can go **** himself and ***** a **** ***** ***** while he is at it!
http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastro...se/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter Citing concerns that the value of Comcast SportsNet Houston is declining with each day, attorneys for Comcast have asked a federal judge for a accelerated reorganization process if the judge chooses next month to keep the network under bankruptcy court jurisdiction. The motion could be argued as early as Feb. 4 before Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur, who will hold hearings that day on the Astros’ motion to dismiss the involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition filed in September against the Astros-Rockets-Comcast partnership that owns Houston Regional Sports Network, the parent company of the financially struggling network. If the case becomes a full-blown Chapter 11 proceeding, as favored by Comcast, Comcast wants the judge to appoint an examiner who could preside over the sale of the company and to waive the normal 120-day period during which a company under Chapter 11 protection has the exclusive right to file a reorganization plan. Both are necessary, it said, because of CSN Houston’s governance structure. CSN Houston is available to no more than 40 percent of Houston’s 2.2 million TV households because unanimous approval is required for major decisions, and the Astros, according to court testimony, have objected to carriage agreements with DirecTV that they say would plunge the network further into debt and result in the teams losing their equity in the business. “The network is an asset whose value is declining,” the Comcast motion said. “The very governance crisis that precipitated this involuntary bankruptcy filing operates to render the period of exclusivity useless to the (network). The network will be unable, acting as a debtor-in-possession, to formulate a plan of reorganization or otherwise its business affairs at any time during the 120-day exclusivity period.” Comcast, which owns about 23 percent of the network to 46 percent for the Astros and 31 percent for the Rockets, repeated its desire to purchase the portion of CSN Houston it does not own and said it will submit a stalking horse bid to do so. A stalking horse bid is an initial bid submitted by a potential buyer that becomes the floor for bids by other parties. As contemplated by Comcast, the court-appointed examiner would be authorized to negotiate proposed plans of reorganization or an auction to sell the company and to distribute the proceeds if the company is sold. While the Comcast motion has no immediate impact on efforts to arrange deals with DirecTV, Dish Network, AT&T U-verse or Suddenlink, the company says it is an avenue that could help speed up a new business plan for the company, including potential carriage agreements. The Rockets currently are in charge of negotiations to attract new business for the 17-month-old company. The hearing on the Astros’ motion to dismiss the case, which, if granted, would result in the Astros’ taking back their broadcast rights because they did not receive tens of millions in promised payments during the 2013 season, is at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 4. Attorneys will spend the rest of the month exchanging documents and conducting depositions of witnesses. ___________________________________________ <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>As the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Rockets&src=hash">#Rockets</a> continue to work on the CSN issue, a new name has hit the scene. Is AEG interested in the network? <a href="http://t.co/GnlrmWtZxe">http://t.co/GnlrmWtZxe</a></p>— Houston Press (@HoustonPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonPress/statuses/422782704027836416">January 13, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
This somewhat surprises me, given Dish's hard-line stance on new sports networks. They've apparently become the second major provider (after UVerse) to strike a deal to carry the new SEC Network starting in August. http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/...1/13/Media/SEC-net.aspx#.UtPl0k9cV14.facebook What does it mean for CSN? Who knows, but it would seem to indicate that Dish isn't removed from the sports market as much as we had previously thought.
I've pretty much quit caring. Out of sight out of mind. Seeing the box scores of some of these losses kind of makes me glad I don't have to go through the emotions of watching them play.
No matter which direction the judge rules, it's a good thing to get the process speeded up if he does keep this in bankruptcy court.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>While CSN Houston struggles, Cubs in talks w/Fox for what could become Chicago's second RSN. <a href="http://t.co/YrNSaPAj6P">http://t.co/YrNSaPAj6P</a></p>— David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/statuses/423494334424420352">January 15, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
There is no guarantee that this will be expedited even if the judge grants the motion. All that would do is eliminate the exclusivity period to file a plan. Even if that happens, and a trustee or examiner were inclined to draft a plan and file it, drafting that plan could take months. It would be a very complex document. Then the plan and disclosure statement would be set for a hearing. There would be litigation surrounding whether the plan should be confirmed. That process would take months. If this stays in bankruptcy court, it will not be a short process.
More nitpicking..... Never said it would be a short process. If they can do things now that may expedite things later that's a good thing.
Just to clarify something, the mistake of entering into an agreement where all parties had veto power was originally Drayton's mistake, right? That was already in place when Crane bought the team? If so Crane takes blame for buying into the network with a set up like that but I feel like there isn't enough complaints about how McLane screwed the city over because HE'S the one that started it. We'd be in this same predicament no matter who bought the team.
Crane says MLB is offering his franchise a backup plan to get their games on TV and internet if the Comcast situation is not resolved before the season opener. "We've been told by MLB we can get the games on one way or another. ... If for some reason that doesn't move forward, MLB Network is willing to help us produce the games if necessary. We have a backup plan to the backup plan. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp...tebook_id=66913764&vkey=notebook_hou&c_id=hou Astros owner Jim Crane said the team has been told by Major League Baseball it could have its games available this season to a larger portion of the Houston market even if it isn't able to work out a deal for wider television coverage. The Astros have been negotiating for more than a year to get their games carried on providers other than Comcast, which is available in about only 40 percent of the market. The two sides have been in court for months, with the NBA's Houston Rockets -- who co-own Comcast SportsNet along with the Astros and Comcast -- now leading the negotiations for a deal. Crane said Tuesday MLB has told him games could be produced by MLB Network and made available both on the television and online. "Depending on what happens with the network and if that doesn't move forward, baseball and the MLB Network is willing to help us produce the games if necessary," Crane said. "We've got a backup plan for the backup plan, and the key is to get the games on for everybody to watch." Last year, Comcast filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition on behalf of the regional sports partnership between the Rockets, Astros and Comcast. A bankruptcy judge is scheduled to hold a hearing on the matter Feb. 4. "Hopefully they bring something to the table by the fourth," Crane said. "If not, there will be some decisions made pretty quickly on whether this thing goes into bankruptcy or gets kicked out of bankruptcy. That's probably the first move. We feel comfortable something will get done and the fans are going to get to watch the games."
I'm wondering how the logistics of MLB Network producing the Astros games will work. From what I can tell they have 1 channel that has regular programming with games from various teams sprinkled in. How would it work for the Astros to have a full season of programming on the MLB Network? I can't see the MLB Network becoming the official station of the Astros nor MLB giving them significant money for their media rights. Best case scenario, this would certainly have to be a subset of MLB Network akin to CSN Houston and Fox Sports Southwest. If that's the case, then you'd have to go back and negotiate with providers since it's a different channel who would be demanding to get paid like the Rangers, Angels and Mariners. My guess is that most of the games would be online, with an increased number of Astros games on MLB TV and that some revenue would be generated by fans having to pay for online access. If the Astros lose CSN H, there goes 40% of the market off the bat. Not sure that they will garner near that percentage of the market with new online viewers especially with the team sucking major balls for the last few years.
