AT&T SportsNet Southwest

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AT&T SportsNet Southwest is an American regional sports network owned by the AT&T Sports Networks subsidiary of AT&T Inc., as part of the AT&T SportsNet brand of networks. It is the only AT&T SportsNet regional network that does not maintain a programming affiliation with Fox Sports Networks, since its coverage area is shared by FSN owned-and-operated outlet Fox Sports Southwest.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, the network broadcasts regional coverage of sports events throughout Southeast Texas, mainly focusing on professional sports teams based in Greater Houston, namely the Houston Astros and Houston Rockets, as well as local college teams. AT&T SportsNet Southwest is available on cable providers throughout Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, parts of Oklahoma and eastern New Mexico, and nationwide on satellite via DirecTV.

Video AT&T SportsNet Southwest

History

Launch of Comcast SportsNet Houston

The idea for a team-owned regional sports network in Houston was proposed in 1999, when George Postolos, then the president of the Houston Rockets, floated the idea to Fox, which passed on the offer. Four years later, in 2003, the Rockets decided to partner with the Houston Astros to launch an RSN. The first order of business was to sever ties with Fox Sports Net Southwest, which carried games from both teams at the time (first through the main network, and then through a subfeed called Fox Sports Houston for the Houston market launched in April 2005). This led to a protracted court battle between Fox and the two teams that was settled after 20 months, leading to a new broadcast deal with the network valued at $600 million over 10 to 15 years. However, this contract contained a clause allowing the teams to terminate the contract and negotiate with other networks starting in late 2009. Fox Sports then moved the Astros and Rockets telecasts to Fox Sports Houston, which was separated from Fox Sports Southwest into its own network on January 12, 2009.

The Astros/Rockets group held discussions with Comcast, DirecTV and AT&T about partnering to form a new network, all of which failed to garner a deal. The continuation of the Astros and Rockets broadcasts on Fox Sports Houston was on the table as the network offered $1.2 billion over 10 years. However, it was ownership in a regional sports network that the two teams wanted. This led to the teams agreeing to a $1 billion contract with Comcast, which included a 77.307% ownership interest in the network (with Comcast holding the remaining 22.693% interest), through a joint subsidiary, Houston Regional Sports Network L.P. The new network, Comcast SportsNet Houston (which operated as part of the Comcast SportsNet RSN group), launched on October 1, 2012. On October 4, three days after Comcast SportsNet Houston launched, Fox Sports Houston was shut down and its former programming moved back to parent network Fox Sports Southwest.

Carriage controversies

CSN Houston was available only on Comcast systems in Houston, along with several smaller providers. In total, as CSN Houston, it reached only around 40% of all television households in the Houston market. Upon its launch, ratings for CSN Houston's sports telecasts were competitive based on the total number of households that received the network, but suffered due to its lack of availability within the Houston market. The first 15 games of the Houston Rockets' 2012-13 season had an average audience share of 0.95 (totalling 21,050 households). In comparison, the first 15 games of the Rockets' 2011-12 season when broadcast on Fox Sports Houston had an average audience share of 1.45. Network president Matt Hutchings later explained that "Everybody wants the channel. We want them to have it. We just have to find that right deal."

The lack of availability of Comcast SportsNet Houston on other major television providers serving Greater Houston, such as DirecTV, Dish Network, Suddenlink and U-verse, was controversial. NBCUniversal had demanded subscriber rates as high as $3.40 per month from providers in order to carry the network. In particular, DirecTV CEO Michael White criticized CSN Houston, along with other recently established regional sports networks, for having increasingly high carriage fees that must be passed on to consumers. On April 5, 2013, Houston Mayor Annise Parker invited officials from AT&T, Comcast, DirecTV and Suddenlink to a summit on expanding carriage of the network. In a bid to improve its carriage, CSN Houston offered a 37-day free preview of the network through May 2013 to providers in the network's regional territory, which also included Time Warner Cable and Suddenlink Communications, along with a number of smaller providers. However, only three smaller cable operators opted to carry the network's free preview, and Suddenlink got into further conflicts over the terms regarding the free preview, as the provider refused to offer it carriage outside of Houston proper. In the midst of its eventual bankruptcy, En-Touch, a small provider serving suburbs and outlying cities in the area (such as Cypress, Katy, Missouri City, and Sugar Land), threatened to drop CSN Houston due to its high carriage rates not being justified for the amount of programming being offered, and its overall ratings among the provider's customers.

Bankruptcy filing and new ownership

On September 27, 2013, NBCUniversal announced that affiliates of it and parent company Comcast had filed an involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition for the network to "resolve structural issues affecting CSN Houston's partnership." The move did not sit well with the Astros, which stated that the filing was made "improperly" to prevent the team from ending its agreement with the network. The Astros also revealed that it did not receive its rights fees from the network's parent company for the final three months of the 2013 season. On February 4, 2014, Judge Marvin Isgur placed Comcast SportsNet Houston under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

On August 6, 2014, DirecTV and AT&T proposed a reorganization plan, in which it would acquire CSN Houston in a 60/40 joint venture. At the time, AT&T was in the process of acquiring DirecTV, pending regulatory approval. The reorganization offer was approved by the court on October 30, 2014, although Comcast appealed the decision in order to address a $100 million loan that had been given to the network. Attorneys from the companies involved reached an agreement to allow the deal to continue through Comcast's appeals process. The Rockets' general counsel Rafael Stone stated that the approval gave a "clear path" for the network to return to full-time service in November, and transition to DirecTV's Root Sports brand, and the network subsequently cancelled all of its existing studio shows on October 22, 2014.

Relaunch as Root Sports Southwest, then AT&T SportsNet Southwest

DirecTV and AT&T's joint acquisition of the network was closed on November 17, 2014. The network officially rebranded as Root Sports Southwest at 6:00 a.m. that day, and began to be carried on AT&T U-verse and DirecTV, as promised in the final reorganization plan. The new brand, which matches that of its Fox-owned competitor, signifies that the network would serve the entirety of its broadcast region rather than solely Houston - a distinction which had brought difficulties in negotiating carriage deals outside of the Houston area. Some of CSN Houston's employees, primarily on-air talent and staff responsible for the network's Rockets and Astros telecasts, were retained, however it laid off 96 other employees. At its relaunch, Root Sports Southwest does not air as many locally produced studio programs as it did under Comcast ownership.

The $48.5 billion acquisition by DirecTV by AT&T was approved by the FCC and closed on July 24, 2015, which effectively places Root Sports Southwest under full AT&T ownership by virtue of its ownership of DirecTV. On April 8, 2016, DirecTV Sports Networks rebranded under the AT&T name as AT&T Sports Networks.

On June 12, 2017, AT&T Sports Networks announced that the network, along with Root Sports Rocky Mountain, Root Sports Utah, and Root Sports Pittsburgh, will rebrand under the name AT&T SportsNet, with all network programming and on-air talent remaining intact. The name change took effect on July 14, 2017.

Maps AT&T SportsNet Southwest

Programming

Houston Astros

AT&T SportsNet Southwest serves as the regional television broadcaster of Major League Baseball games involving the Houston Astros, airing all games not nationally televised. All telecasts are preceded by a half-hour pre-game show and followed by a post-game show. On the days of home games, these shows are usually broadcast live from Minute Maid Park, whereas on the days of away games they are broadcast from the AT&T SportsNet studio. The network also airs a half-hour magazine show entitled Astros Bases Loaded, which includes both regular weekly editions during the regular season and several special editions aired sporadically during the off-season. Other Astros programming includes game replays, Spring Training games, Astros Playback (re-airs of significant Astros games from the previous season during the off-season), and coverage of special events, including Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and press conferences.

Houston Rockets

AT&T SportsNet also serves as the home of National Basketball Association games involving the Houston Rockets. As with the network's Astros coverage, all games that are not being featured on a national network are televised and include 30 minute pre-game and post-game shows. Rockets coverage also includes the team magazine show Rockets All Access, which includes both weekly regular season editions and less frequent special and "best of" editions, most of which air during the off-season, as well as Rockets Playback (similar to Astros Playback), game replays, and coverage of team press conferences and other special events.

Collegiate Programming

AT&T SportsNet Southwest airs college football and basketball games from the Mountain West and Southland conferences, football from the Southwestern Athletic and Big Sky conferences, West Coast Conference men's basketball, and the annual Shriners College Classic baseball tournament. Collegiate magazine and coaches shows airing on the network feature the athletic programs of several mid-major universities throughout the Southwest. These include:

Houston Football Central (Houston Cougars football)
Houston Basketball Central (Houston Cougars basketball)
The Tubby Smith Show (Memphis Tigers basketball)
Islanders Insider (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders athletics)
More than 94' (Central Arkansas Bears basketball)
Beyond the Stripes (Central Arkansas Bears football)
Owls Insider (Rice Owls football)
Lobo Football with Bob Davie (New Mexico Lobos football)
UTSA Football Insider (UTSA Roadrunners football)

Former Programming

UIL Texas high school football
Houston Dynamo (MLS) (now seen over-the-air on KUBE-TV)
Houston Dash (NWSL)
Conference USA athletics (Rice and UTSA magazine/coaches shows continue to air on the network.)

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Availability

AT&T SportsNet Southwest is available on most pay television providers serving the Greater Houston area, including Comcast, AT&T U-verse and national satellite provider DirecTV, along with smaller providers such as Phonoscope Communications, Coastal Link, En-Touch and Consolidated Communications. Dish Network, Charter Communications, and Suddenlink Communications are the only remaining major providers in the area that do not carry the network at present. Per their new ownership of the network, AT&T and DirecTV added the network upon its re-launch under the Root Sports brand.

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