Dynamo/Soccer
Aggies
Crane upbeat on CSN Houston carriage solutions
By David Barron on June 12, 2013 at 5:34 PM
Astros owner Jim Crane sounded another optimistic note Wednesday about the future of Comcast SportsNet Houston, telling a radio talk show he was optimistic that the network can arrange carriage deals within 30 days and "certainly" before the end of the 2013 season.
Crane's comments also included a brief reference to the economics of the network owned by the Astros, Rockets and NBC Sports Group. He said the partners had infused more cash into the enterprise "and that will run out again and ultimately we'll have to make a decision on which direction we're going."
The CSN Houston carriage negotiations with DirecTV, Dish Network and AT&T U-verse came during a general conversation on the team between Crane and KFNC (97.5 FM) co-hosts Dave Tepper and Chronicle columnist Jerome Solomon.
"I think something's going to break here pretty quick," he said. "We're optimistic that certainly we'll get the games on before the season ends. … We're focused on it. We work on it every day and have been exchanging details in conversations with Comcast almost weekly, and so something, I think, will develop within 30 days."
Crane repeated the team's stance that settling for a lesser monthly carriage fee than what the Astros feel the market commands will hurt its long-term chances of fielding a team that can compete and spend money on payroll at the same rate as the Rangers and Mariners.
"Something's going to break here pretty soon," he said.