DirecTV Sports Networks has hired David Peart as general manager of its Root Sports Southwest network.

Peart, an executive with a quarter century of experience in the sports and entertainment industries, most recently with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, will have day-to-day oversight for the regional sports network that is home to the NBA's Rockets and MLB's Astros.

When he begins his new job on March 2, Peart will report to DirecTV Sports Networks president Patrick Crumb,

Root Sports Southwest replaced CSN Houston in November through a bankruptcy transaction. The RSN, which counts both DirecTV and AT&T U-verse as owners and is carried by the lhe would-be merger partners, has registered a significant ratings rise in the Houston DMA over the 2013-14 NBA season. Not only are the Rockers performing well on the court, the expanded distribution footprint has helped the service record a 32% increase to a 1.56 household rating in the Houston area through the All-Star break.

Peart comes to the network with some roots in the Lone Star State, spending nine years with NFL, MLB and NHL teams in Texas. He previously worked at the Texas Rangers/Dallas Stars organization as assistant vice presidents sponsorship and sales and then moved to the NNFL Houston Texans in the role of vice president, business development. While with the Texans he played a leadership role in launching the expansion franchise and associated business initiatives. Most recently he served as senior vice president for the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he was responsible for all local revenue and business development.      

“We are happy to have David lead the Root Sports Southwest team,” said Crumb. “His extensive experience, particularly with the region’s advertising sales community, and his existing relationships with team partners, will be a huge asset. His strong relationships in Houston, as well as his collaborative leadership approach, make him an excellent fit for this position.”

“I spent many wonderful years with teams in the Southwest market, and my heart is still in Texas, so I’m excited about returning to Houston,” said Peart. “I also look forward to working with the exceptional team of professionals at ROOT SPORTS Southwest to maximize the great potential of this new network.”

As Root Sports Southwest progressed through its debut day ahead of its initial airing of Houston Rockets' NBA coverage, Patrick Crumb was already looking ahead.

The president of DirecTV Sports Networks, which is operating the service, is eyeing more distribution growth, looking to add key personnel, including the general manager position, and wants to bolster the regional sports network’s programming roster.

Borne from DirecTV and AT&T U-verse’s purchase of CSN Houston from chapter 11 bankruptcy, Root Sports Southwest, which will also be the local home to MLB’s Houston Astros, signed on at 6 a.m. (CT) with a poker show and was scheduled to air sports talk  programming and pregame fare previewing its Rockets-Memphis Grizzlies presentation at 7 p.m.

DirecTV Sports Network is introducing the service with a multimedia ad campaign, featuring outdoor billboards, print, radio and online ads, as well as positions on social networks, including Facebook and Twitter. There is also in-arena messaging at the Toyota Center, the Rockets' home court, as well as ads in media guides and programs.  DirecTV and AT&T are also employing various marketing tactics to their subscribers.

At launch, the network, the fourth to operate under the Root Sports banner, counts some 4 million subs through carriage on its owners, as well as Comcast, whose NBC Sports unit formerly operated CSN Houston. That’s four times more than CSN Houston held via Comcast and a handful of smaller providers.  Crumb said the network has 80% coverage in Houston coming out of the gate. AT&T U-verse has a presence in Dallas and other parts of the state, while DirecTV is available throughout the TV territory.

Crumb said the goal for the network is to achieve 100% carriage – up to a potential 9 million households -- in Texas and the rest of its TV territory that encompasses Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the eastern part of New Mexico, factoring in restrictions for other NBA teams in those areas.

Noting DirecTV Sports has extant relationships with distributors from Root Sports Pittsburgh, Rocky Mountain and Northwest, Crumb said the affiliate team has had preliminary discussions about Root Sports Southwest. “We’re looking to further engage with the distributors pretty much immediately,” he said.

He declined to discuss the network’s rate card, or characterize it relative to its predecessor’s reported $4 monthly subscriber ask within its core market and 70 cents elsewhere.

A spokesman for Suddenlink, which was one of the major holdouts for CSN Houston, said “we have been contacted by the new owners of the network and are scheduling time to talk further with them.”

Calling it the first “hot swap in RSN history,” Crumb said DirecTV Sports had to change out Comcast systems, software and servers. DirecTV Sports’ technical crew has been on the ground in Houston since last week and the company had been working on the on-air graphics package since summer.  Root Sports Southwest is utilizing the studio that was part of Comcast’s facility in downtown Houston.

Relative to personnel, the bankruptcy reorganization resulted in between 70 and 75 people losing their jobs, while 45, notably on-air talent for the Rockets and Astros, were retained.  There are currently job postings for general manager, national sales and account executives.

Crumb said he interviewed multiple candidates for the GM post, while he and DirecTV Sports executive team were in Houston last week.  “We hope to ID someone quickly and have them in the seat soon,” he said.

On the affiliate side, DirecTV Sports’ centralized team works from headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., with a point person on the ground in the RSN’s home markets.

In addition to Rockets and Astros telecasts, which will be supplemented by pre- and post-game and other related programming, Root Sports Southwest will show Big Sky and Southern Conference football, plus Mountain West and Conference USA pigskin and hoops action. Rice basketball is in the mix, flanked by a coaching show, as well as a University of Houston coach’s basketball program.

Simulcasts of The Rich Eisen Show and The Dan Patrick Show, both staples of DirecTV’s Audience Network and other outlets, are on the RSN's weekday schedule.

Crumb said he has had conversations with the Houston Dynamo, which also was part of the CSN Houston lineup and hopes to have a deal in place when the MLS club kicks off its 2015 season. He said high schools sports could also join the Root Sports Southwest roster. “Football is very important in Texas,” he understated.

Ratings will begin in a few days, and Crumb was encouraged by how the Rockets – currently residing atop the NBA’s Southwest Division – have performed in the Houston DMA during early-season national telecasts.

Crumb recognizes that much work lies ahead for the network to establish itself with a largely disaffected sports community.

“Most of them have gone without games for about two years, and had no way to switch providers that carried [CSN Houston]. Obviously, that’s less than the ideal way to launch,” he said.

Still, he’s sanguine about the prospects: “Root Sports Southwest represents an opportunity to work with distributors and fans and build this network. The opportunity is great. It’s a large territory, but three big providers are in place. There is a very talented staff. We’re very excited to launch Root Sports Southwest.”

Root Sports Southwest is live and available to more than 4 million homes in the Houston area.

The regional sports network, owned by AT&T U-verse and DirecTV, which is being operated by the DBS leader, tipped off at 6 a.m. (CT) with a poker show and will present its first Houston Rockets NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies at 7 p.m. (CT).

Root Sports Southwest is the successor to Comcast Sports Houston, which AT&T and DirecTV bought out of bankruptcy. The RSN, the fourth under DirecTV Sports Networks portfolio -- Rocky Mountain, Pittsburgh and Northwest -- will also televise games and related programming from MLB’s Houston Rockets.

Root Sports Southwest, which is being carried by AT&T and DirecTV, which are awaiting federal approval of their proposed, as well as Comcast, is available to more than 4 million homes in and around Houston. DirecTV said that’s up from under 1 million for CSN Houston, which was only carried by Comcast and a handful of smaller providers.

Root Sports Southwest is positioned on U-verse channels 758 in standard-definition and 1758 in the high-definition format, while DirecTV subs can find it on channel 674. Local Comcast cable customers will see Root Sports Southwest in place of CSN Houston on channels 39 in SD and 639 in HD.  The new network’s programming schedule is available on www.rootsports.com.

“We know these past two years have been tough for many Rockets and Astros fans who couldn’t cheer on their teams while sitting in front of their TVs at home,” said Patrick Crumb, president of DirecTV Sports Networks. “So we welcome this opportunity to work with the teams and the talented, passionate Houston-based network staff to deliver a high quality, innovative sports network that millions more families can enjoy.”

“This is a great day for Houston sports fans,” said Aaron Slator, president, content development, AT&T. “Together with DIRECTV Sports Networks, we're excited to be able to offer Root Sports Southwest and bring the Rockets and Astros back into the homes of our U-verse customers.”

The launch of Root Sports Southwest follows 14 months of chapter 11 wrangling. Under the reorganization plan, the Astros (46%), Rockets (31%) and Comcast (23%) lost their network equity positons, and the teams agreed to forego payment of more than $100 million in unpaid rights fees. DirecTV and AT&T bought the RSN for $5,000.

For its part, Comcast, through a financial appeal, is still trying to recoup more of the $100 million secured loan that was earmarked for CSN Houston's start-up costs, including a studio build-out and the teams' rights fees. The bankruptcy court ruled it could only receive $26 million of that total.

With a reported $4 per month per subscriber ask within its central area, and 70 cents elsewhere, CSN never collected enough affiliate revenue to pay the clubs their rights fees and meet its other obligations. Among those sitting on the sideline were AT&T, DirecTV, Suddenlink, Charter, Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. The RSN’s TV territory extends throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and eastern New Mexico.

The new RSN started Monday at 6 a.m. (CT), with Heartland Poker Tour: Season 10. Its schedule then follows with four hours of paid programming.  The Rich Eisen Show and The Dan Patrick Show, both staples of DirecTV’s Audience Network and other outlets, will run for three hours apiece, before more poker fare bridges the gap until the Rockets pregame show at 6:30 p.m., the team’s contest against the Memphis Grizzlies at 7 p.m. and the post-game show at 9:30 p.m. 

Given NBA TV territorial restrictions, the RSN evidently will present an alternate feed of encore of the college football game between Texas Southern and Jackson State from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with Poker Night in America subbing for the post-game show in restricted areas.

According to the website's listing of teams, Root Sports Southwest will be home to 70 Rockets games, plus the pre- and post-game shows, and auxiliary fare.  On the diamond, 160 Astros games and related programming also are on tap.

From the college ranks, the listing outlines Big Sky and Southern Conference football, plus Mountain West and Conference USA pigskin and hoops action. Rice basketball appears to be in the mix, flanked by a coaching show, as well as a University of Houston coach’s basketball program.

Although 96 of the 141 CSN Houston employees have lost their gigs in the change, the talent subheading under the "about us" tab on the site indicates that Bill Worrell, Matt Bullard and Clyde Drexler will still call Rockets games, with Calvin Murphy remaining a part of the club’s studio shows. Bill Brown, Alan Ashby, Geoff Blum and Art Howe (studio) will call the 2015 Astros season.