Fox Soccer
| Fox Soccer | |
|---|---|
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| Launched | November 1, 1997 |
| Closed | September 2, 2013 |
| Owned by | Fox Entertainment Group (News Corporation) |
| Picture format | 720p (HDTV) 480i (SDTV/16:9 letterbox) |
| Slogan | Live It Here |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas, United States |
| Formerly called | Fox Sports World (1997-2005) Fox Soccer Channel (2005-2011) |
| Replaced by | FXX |
| Sister channel(s) | Fox Soccer Plus FX |
| Website | www.foxsoccer.com |
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Availability
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| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | 619 (HD/SD) |
| Dish Network | 390 (HD/SD) |
| Cable | |
| Available on select cable systems | Check local listings for channels |
| Verizon FiOS | 584 (HD) 84 (SD) |
| IPTV | |
| AT&T U-verse | 1654 (HD) 654 (SD) |
Fox Soccer (formerly Fox Soccer Channel) is an American television specialty channel, owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group, that specializes in soccer. It formerly broadcast rugby and Australian rules football, but is now dedicated strictly to soccer.
As Fox lost the U.S. television rights to broadcast Premier League soccer events to NBC,[1] Fox Soccer will be replaced on September 2, 2013 by FXX, an entertainment sister network to FX.[2] All of the remaining sports programming from Fox Soccer will be shifted over to Fox Sports 1, which launches on August 17, 2013.[3]
Contents |
Background[edit]
Launched on November 1, 1997, when it was originally known as Fox Sports World, the channel took its current name in 2005, later dropping the word "channel" from its name on August 13, 2011. Fox Soccer offers its own game programming for United States soccer leagues through arrangements with outside production companies.
Most of Fox Soccer's coverage which originates outside the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America, Caribbean) consists of picking up international broadcast feeds to which Fox Soccer has the U.S. broadcast rights. The A-League broadcasts are produced by Fox Sports (Australia). The English coverage generally comes to Fox Soccer direct from IMG, Input Media and The Media Company, which produce the Premier League and FA Cup/England national team world feed broadcasts and Fox Soccer News reports respectively.
The network's soccer coverage is not limited to game play; Fox Soccer airs reruns of Dream Team, a British soap opera that aired in the UK on Fox Soccer's corporate cousin Sky One until 2007 and focused on a fictional Premiership team. The channel also televises a live soccer talk-show, Fox Football Fone-in, featuring viewer calls and predictions for that weekend's Premier League matches. During the Premier League term, Fox Soccer also produces and airs a couple of studio-based shows surrounding its game coverage.[4]
In 2006, Fox Soccer announced that they had dropped coverage of other sports other than soccer. Amongst the leagues dropped were Super Rugby (rugby union), the Australian Football League (the principal Australian rules football league), and the Australian National Rugby League. The Super 14 games resided on Setanta Sports USA until it went off the air in early 2010, while ESPN offers the AFL. In return, Setanta gave Fox Soccer the rights to some national team matches that would not otherwise air live. After Setanta's demise in the US, News Corporation acquired most of Setanta USA's former rights and created the new Fox Soccer Plus as a second broadcast outlet.
Fox Sports World originally filled out its schedule with an eclectic mix of programming; among the sports featured (either in anthology form or actual events) were motorsports (prior to News Corporation's acquisition of SPEED), cricket, pool, darts, and extreme sports. It also aired the Final Four of the Euroleague in basketball; that league is now more extensively covered by NBA TV.
Until the middle of 2012, the morning hours on non-game days (when the English and European afternoon is timed to in the United States) and some odd afternoon half hours were slotted with paid programming time until additional loops of Fox Soccer News and Sky Sports News were placed in those slots.
Current programming[edit]
The channel focuses on soccer throughout the world. Among the countries whose matches it currently televises:
United Kingdom[edit]
- Live and tape-delayed matches each week from the English Premier League, plus weekly magazine (Premier League World), preview (Premier League Preview Show, and Matchday) and recap (Premier League Review and Goals on Sunday) shows. Besides matches on Fox Soccer, Fox Deportes and Fox Soccer Plus, up to 3 matches each season will be available live free-to-air on Fox. Up to 74 matches each season have been sublicensed to ESPN, Inc. Contract runs through May 2013, at which point coverage goes to NBC Sports for three years.
- The season-opening FA Community Shield live through August 2017.
- English FA Cup through May 2013. Some matches air on Fox Soccer Plus.
- England under-21 - selected home matches through May 2013. Other home matches air on Fox Soccer Plus.
- England national football team - selected home friendlies through May 2013 and home qualifying matches for FIFA World Cup 2014 through October 2013. Other home matches air on Fox Soccer Plus.
Australia[edit]
- One live match per week plus a weekly highlights package from Australia's A-League, culminating with the A-League Grand Final. Contract runs through April 2015.
- All three Rugby League State of Origin games live as well as the NRL Grand Final. Other NRL matches will air on Fox Soccer Plus.[5][6]
Japan[edit]
- A weekly highlights package Gambare! from the J. League.
United States[edit]
- Live coverage of selected United Soccer Leagues matches, including:
- The championship matches of all USL leagues — USL Pro, Premier Development League, and W-League.
- Up to three live college soccer matches each week in September and October via an agreement with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Other matches may air on Fox Sports Networks affiliates or Fox College Sports multiplex channels as part of multi-sport deals between various conferences and those channels.
Other events[edit]
- UEFA:
- Live coverage of the UEFA Super Cup through August 2014.
- Live coverage of the UEFA Champions League through May 2015. Fox Sports Media Group has the first, second, and third picks of live matches for each night of the competition. Different live matches will air on Fox Soccer, Fox Soccer Plus, Fox Deportes and regional Fox Sports Net affiliates, with rebroadcasts on Fox Soccer. DirecTV broadcasts all remaining matches during the playoff round and the group stage. Fox Soccer will air semifinal matches on Tuesdays and FX will air semifinal matches on Wednesdays. The final will air live free-to-air on Fox.
- Live coverage of the UEFA Europa League for the 2012-2015 seasons plus a highlight show for each round of the competition. Different matches will air live on Fox Soccer, Fox Soccer Plus and Fox Deportes & DirecTV ch. 480-489 in HD.
- CONCACAF:
- Live coverage of the CONCACAF Champions League, including any matches that involve Major League Soccer teams based in the U.S., plus both semifinals and the final, through April 2017.
- Live coverage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2011, featuring all U.S. matches plus the final.
- FIFA:
- FIFA World Cup 2018 and 2022.
- FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 and 2019.
- FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 and 2021.
- FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021.
- FIFA U-17 World Cup 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021.
- FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022.
- FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022.
- FIFA Club World Cup through December 2012.
- Through 2006, Fox Soccer aired several other FIFA events (see "Past programming" section immediately below). However, ESPN holds the U.S. English-language television rights to all FIFA events except for the Club World Cup, from 2007 through 2014. Coverage of FIFA events will return to Fox Soccer for the 2015-2022 contract cycle.
High definition[edit]
The 720p high definition simulcast of Fox Soccer launched in January 2010. It is available from the majority of cable and satellite providers.
Sky Sports News[edit]
Fox Soccer picks up the feed from its corporate cousin, Sky Sports News in the United Kingdom. In 2007, Fox Soccer began running the feed live at 2 a.m., noon and 7 p.m. Eastern Time (the 7 p.m. edition moved to Fox Soccer Plus effective September 2010). This arrangement dates back to its days as Fox Sports World, and offers updated soccer news throughout the day (along with coverage of other international sports such as rugby, cricket and British horse racing.)
During the international off-season from May–August 2010 the 2am simulcast of the 7am GMT hour was replaced with a tape-delayed broadcast of Sky News at Ten from SSN & Fox Soccer sister network Sky News, which features a comprehensive recap of the day in sports; likely this was due to 2010 World Cup highlights exclusivity by American rightsholder ESPN, in addition to Sky Sports News converting their operations to high definition. The 2am simulcast of Sky Sports News was restored in August 2010 with the start of the European season.
Fox Soccer News[edit]
Fox Soccer News began airing August 17, 2012, with hosts Brendan Dunlop, Kara Lang, Ben Ennis, and analysts Bobby McMahon and Thomas Rongen. It airs nightly at 10 p.m. Eastern (or after a live prime-time match- though highlights of that game are not included because the show is taped), with a few re-airs overnight and during the morning. It is produced for Fox Soccer by Sportsnet, a Canadian sports network owned by Rogers Media.
Until August 16, 2012, Fox Soccer's flagship studio program was Fox Soccer Report, anchored by Michelle Lissel, Eoin O'Callaghan and Asa Rehman, with former Scottish amateur footballer Bobby McMahon, produced by the now-defunct Fox Sports World Canada at the studios of Global Winnipeg.
References[edit]
- ^ "NBC secures English Premier League soccer rights". AP. October 28,2012.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 28, 2013). "FX Officially Unveils FXX Channel To Launch In September, New Branding Campaign". Deadline.com. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^ "News Corp. may convert Fox Soccer into entertainment network". LATimes. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ "Fox Sports on MSN - FSC Programming Guide". Retrieved 2008-03-12.
- ^ "Live Origin broadcast by America's Fox Sports - NRL.com". 'NRL.com'. Retrieved 2011-07-07.
- ^ http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2012/03/12/Media/Fox-Soccer-Plus.aspx
External links[edit]
Template:Sports television in the United Kingdom
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