With a cap tip to Astros County, we learn that Houston has seen the second-steepest decline in TV ratings this season. They're also in the bottom five ratings in the entire league now. This is a bad thing, in case the headline didn't give it away. Why?
↵Well, you may have also heard that the Astros are planning on launching their own television network soon. A fledgling network needs ratings to attract advertising, to pay for the on-air talent and to generally survive (even with Comcast money backing them). Plus, new potential owner Jim Crane just paid a premium for his share in that TV network with the understanding that it'd be an incredibly profitable part of the business he was acquiring.
↵Rating like the ones above will not help that investment.
↵But, it's not the end of the world. After all, a big reason for that ratings drop is the Astros are really, really bad. Look at the other teams on that list. Three of the five are some of the worst teams in baseball and the other two are in big markets that also can see other teams.
↵If Crane is looking for a quick solution to fixing his network woes, it's spending money on the major league product. Otherwise, he's doomed to see low ratings until the team starts winning again.
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