How Houston Rockets' new TV deal could affect the Blazers

[Boise Blazer]

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• A situation worth watching for Blazers fans: The Houston Rockets have a new TV home as of Monday in Root Sports Southwest. Root supplants Comcast SportsNet Houston. CSN Houston had the rights to both the Rockets and Astros, but struggled badly from the start as it was unable to get itself onto Dish and DirecTV, mirroring the situation the Blazers have had with CSN Northwest for seven years.

CSN Houston was a disaster, dissolving into bankruptcy, with DirecTV Sports Networks and AT&T Teleholdings buying its assets. DirecTV owns Root, so the new regional network could get to about 4 million homes, as opposed to the 1 million or so that CSN Houston could reach. Dish and another smaller provider are apparently not on board yet.

The Blazers' deal with Comcast has two years left after this season, and as we know, CSNNW is still not available on Dish or DirecTV. But if DirecTV is willing make this move in Houston, you wonder if they will try for the Blazers for its Northwest version of Root when the Portland TV deal finally expires in 2017. At the very least, having an alternate bidder would allow the Blazers to insist that Comcast/NBC negotiate to get on all providers before the team re-ups.

 

[BBert]

If so then it would be Direct/Root keeping me from watching the Blazers on my DISH. Groovy.

I wish Paul Allen hadn't closed down his ill-fated sports network and sold off all its assets. It seemed like their startup was poorly timed and managed, and their timing in folding up and selling out was worse. IIRC, Paul really took a bath on that one.

 

[Schilly]

Root Sports Northwest is based in Seattle, but tips it's hat to Portland at Times. Just like the Mariners are popular in Portland and we can watch all the games on Root, I suspect it wouldn't be bad to carry the Blazers games in Seattle... Not the same by any means.

 

[Schilly]

If so then it would be Direct/Root keeping me from watching the Blazers on my DISH. Groovy.

I wish Paul Allen hadn't closed down his ill-fated sports network and sold off all its assets. It seemed like their startup was poorly timed and managed, and their timing in folding up and selling out was worse. IIRC, Paul really took a bath on that one.

I get root on Dish.

 

[santeesioux]

I get root on Dish.

Yeah, Root is available on pretty much everything, right?

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

Root is on all three of the providers, basically it's the same as FSN, which is what is perfect for us...

 

[Wheels]

only thing is, is CSNNW in trouble like CSN Houston was?

 

[blue32]

Oh god let this happen to us PLEASE. I love Root, always showing stuff I want to see. F' CSNNW.

 

[KevinCSN]

only thing is, is CSNNW in trouble like CSN Houston was?

Nope.

 

[KevinCSN]

Oh god let this happen to us PLEASE. I love Root, always showing stuff I want to see. F' CSNNW.

I'm genuinely curious what shows you love watching on Root?

 

[blue32]

I'm genuinely curious what shows you love watching on Root?

Uh let me clarify. They always show sporting events I want to see (When in season); typically they have Northwest teams playing on the channel. Timbers, Mariners, etc. They sometimes show Beaver games on there too, or they have before, I can't remember if they do this year since I've been mainly seeing Beavs at bar/pubs.

Either way, I get ROOT sports on DirecTV and if they pick up the Blazers that's a WIN for me because at this point I don't get Comcast Sports NW on DTV.

And let me explain my f'CSNNW sentiment. See for us normal folk that only know from what we see on the broadcast, CSNNW is Comcast. And Comcast sucks. Terrible price, Terrible customer service, and they have a monopoly on our beloved Blazers. So while, you may not be ran by Comcast, its in your name. So if I never came to this forum and read that you are ran by NBC or whatever, how would we know otherwise?

 

[KevinCSN]

Uh let me clarify. They always show sporting events I want to see (When in season); typically they have Northwest teams playing on the channel. Timbers, Mariners, etc. They sometimes show Beaver games on there too, or they have before, I can't remember if they do this year since I've been mainly seeing Beavs at bar/pubs.

Either way, I get ROOT sports on DirecTV and if they pick up the Blazers that's a WIN for me because at this point I don't get Comcast Sports NW on DTV.

Gotcha, that makes sense. I thought you were implying you watched their shows (ie: not games).

 

[Wheels]

Nope.

well then sucks for me and my desire to watch my team

 

[THE HCP]

Gotcha, that makes sense. I thought you were implying you watched their shows (ie: not games).

Trust me.....people want to watch LIVE sports, not washed up writers TALKING about sports.

 

[KevinCSN]

Trust me.....people want to watch LIVE sports, not washed up writers TALKING about sports.

I don't think anyone would disagree that live sports are king. But there are still many many hours of programming to fill. That goes for all sports networks.

 

[PDXFonz]

Trust me.....people want to watch LIVE sports, not washed up writers TALKING about sports.

Or shows specifically catering to the 16 year olds who live on Twitter.

 

[KevinCSN]

See for us normal folk that only know from what we see on the broadcast, CSNNW is Comcast. And Comcast sucks. Terrible price, Terrible customer service, and they have a monopoly on our beloved Blazers. So while, you may not be ran by Comcast, its in your name. So if I never came to this forum and read that you are ran by NBC or whatever, how would we know otherwise?

The bold part...Truer words have never been written. Preaching to the choir my friend.

 

[THE HCP]

I know the Timbers TV contract is up......A way to make CSN more attractive to Dish and DirecTV would be to land THAT contract! Actually have some LIVE content.

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

I know the Timbers TV contract is up......A way to make CSN more attractive to Dish and DirecTV would be to land THAT contract! Actually have some LIVE content.

This. Good idea, maybe get more local sporting events to kill time too like big HS games (Basketball and Football) and less Beach Volleyball, Tennis and Watersports (from what I remember CSNNW playing on weekends).

Maybe more courtside episodes (doesn't always have to be Mike and Mike).

 

[THE HCP]

Local HS sports is where it's at for them. Cheap to broadcast and would have a ton of interest. Do what ASCN did and I would switch from Direct to CSN.

 

[blue32]

I know the Timbers TV contract is up......A way to make CSN more attractive to Dish and DirecTV would be to land THAT contract! Actually have some LIVE content.

While I applaud the end game, I fear that the Timbers fans would end up suffering the same fate the Blazers fans do.... argh!!

 

[magnifier661]

Sometimes I like watching Blazer Basketball and be proud of my Gardener and his replay ability. I trained him well

 

[blue9]

I don't think anyone would disagree that live sports are king. But there are still many many hours of programming to fill.

And that's why networks are dinosaurs - you have to fill air time with crap nobody wants to watch.

Hopefully the Blazers will implement a direct-to-fans streaming service and bypass all the crappy networks/providers entirely. That's the only way I'll ever pay to watch the Blazers again (aside from a few game tickets each year). Back when the Comcast deal was struck I was still willing to pay Dish to get Blazer games - but not anymore!

 

[Wheels]

While I applaud the end game, I fear that the Timbers fans would end up suffering the same fate the Blazers fans do.... argh!!

and you think us as Blazer fans are obnoxious about it. Timbers fans are just as vocal but also organized

 

[OneLifeToLive]

Uh let me clarify. They always show sporting events I want to see (When in season); typically they have Northwest teams playing on the channel. Timbers, Mariners, etc. They sometimes show Beaver games on there too, or they have before, I can't remember if they do this year since I've been mainly seeing Beavs at bar/pubs.

Either way, I get ROOT sports on DirecTV and if they pick up the Blazers that's a WIN for me because at this point I don't get Comcast Sports NW on DTV.

And let me explain my f'CSNNW sentiment. See for us normal folk that only know from what we see on the broadcast, CSNNW is Comcast. And Comcast sucks. Terrible price, Terrible customer service, and they have a monopoly on our beloved Blazers. So while, you may not be ran by Comcast, its in your name. So if I never came to this forum and read that you are ran by NBC or whatever, how would we know otherwise?

Hear I go again to bat for Comcast.

Root covers Seattle/Washington based sports teams. You must be from Washington?

Comcast is 100% Portland and Oregon. Good for them.

 

[PDXFonz]

Hear I go again to bat for Comcast.

 

[blue32]

Hear I go again to bat for Comcast.

Root covers Seattle/Washington based sports teams. You must be from Washington?

Comcast is 100% Portland and Oregon. Good for them.

No, I don't live in Washington. And I don't care if it's from Toledo. The fact remains that Root plays Timbers, Beavers, and Mariners games. All teams that are apart of the NW.

If Blazers were on the channel to, then that is a huge win for DTV subscribers.


Comcast isn't 100% Portland and Oregon. The Sports NW division of whatever the fuck its parent company is though, and they currently have a monopoly on the Blazers, so fuck em.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Root is on all three of the providers, basically it's the same as FSN, which is what is perfect for us...

Exactly what I was thinking. Root used to be FSN and the Blazers used to be on FSN before CSN.

 

[Wheels]

Exactly what I was thinking. Root used to be FSN and the Blazers used to be on FSN before CSN.

ooh that makes me think of a fun idea. Lets play "Who was in the Blazers rotation the last time most of us could watch games"

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

ooh that makes me think of a fun idea. Lets play "Who was in the Blazers rotation the last time most of us could watch games"

Hmmmm ZBo for sure... Juan Dixon, Martell Webster, Jarrett Jack... Sebastian Telfair, Ha, Kryapa, Monia... Good times