In Houston, David Barron cited a court filing yesterday as showing that the Astros and Rockets are "working with a prospective buyer or buyers for the parent company of Comcast SportsNet Houston and want more clearly defined confidentiality requirements in place, withholding details from the public and even from some Comcast/NBC Sports Group officials, as those talks continue." The teams said that as a condition of negotiations, the prospective purchaser for CSN Houston has "required that its identity and its terms not be disclosed" to the net’s BOD until the purchaser agrees "to do so or until July 31," which U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur has set as the deadline for disclosure (CHRON.com, 7/14).
THE END IS NEAR: In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes the second half of the Yankees' season is "all about" SS Derek Jeter. He is the "only marketable commodity" the Yankees and the YES network "may have left to sell." Jeter, who is retiring at the end of the year, is all the franchise has "left to sell tickets and lure eyeballs to YES telecasts." Raissman: "It's going to be a hard sell." His ability to "play out the season as the Yankees ticket and TV magnet cannot and should not be cavalierly dismissed" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/15).
FOX TROT: In L.A., Joe Flint notes the Fox Television Group will now report to Fox Networks Group Chair & CEO Peter Rice. He “already was over Fox Broadcasting’s and 21st Century Fox’s vast array of cable networks including FX and Fox Sports 1,” and now “has control of all the TV operations with the exception of the Fox News unit and the local TV stations” (L.A. TIMES, 7/15).
