"Fox Sports 1," The New SPEED Channel (W/ The Official Press Release)

SPEED Channel to become FOX Sports 1, with more standard sports coverage, while still covering NASCAR.  See my thoughts and the full press release with all the information involved.

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Back in October of 2012, I apprised my readers that this change from SPEED to FOX Sports was coming.  If you're a regular reader of NB&P, this news is no surprise.  Now it's confirmed via a Fox press release from yesterday, (3/5/13) that the FOX Sports Media Group made the name change official, as they announced their plans for this new FOX Sports network. (There's a huge bundle of information in the press release...)

FOX Sports is in its 20th year of covering sports and FOX Sports 1 is set to debut on Saturday, August 17th, 2013 and it's estimated that it will premiere into over 90 million homes with nearly 5,000 hours of live events slated to be covered. (Annually)

But as we warned you back in October, they're including a lot more material aside from NASCAR or auto racing,

"A robust schedule of live events forms the backbone of FOX Sports 1's programming from Day 1, with college basketball, college football, NASCAR, soccer and UFC all on tap between launch and year's end."

And word on the street is that this new sports network will no longer be a special tier cable channel that you have to pay extra for.

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GOODBYE EXTRA BUCKS TO COMCAST (Or your favorite cable outlet).

To be honest, I've always disliked these extra tier fees cable companies charge, just because a channel is favored by the consumers.  I recall back in the mid-90s a huge survey push by all the cable companies asking their consumers what they liked.  And back then I took note how many folks said SPEED channel.

Once the cable companies had their information, it wasn't long after that, that we saw the SPEED Channel get added to a "special" tier.  Special meaning, you want it and we're going to charge you for it.  (This is why I HATE out of the blue surveys or "contests" picking your favorite show crap.)

I thought it was a BS practice they pulled, but what are you going to do?  SPEED allowed it.  Of course, it was only a few bucks more a month, so it wasn't a big deal, right?

But if you have ever wondered how many cable subscribers there are in the U.S., as of September of 2012, there are over 56 million Cable Video Customers.   If you do the math on that "mere" extra fee, 56 million multiplied by $5, equals an additional $280M per month of revenue for that extra tier.

My other issue has been that when NASCAR gets covered outside of basic networks, that culls many potential eyes for the sport.  Being on an extra cable tier, even more so.

I can't tell you how many friends or peers of mine have to sit out and wait for information on events covered by cable outlets like ESPN, SPEED, and other such networks because they simply can't afford the extra channels. 

Now obviously, with FOX Sports 1 being on the standard tier (If that stays true), more folks will be able to have coverage in their homes with the basic cable package.  That means more eyeballs and more useful televised coverage for the sponsors of NASCAR... particularly, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, whose only exposure has been on SPEED.

So good for FOX for finally bringing this back to basic.

And I don't think it will be all bad.  As it was, SPEED had a little too much reality TV for a live sports network, because frankly, considering their subject coverage, they were a bit limited.  Now they can have genuine sports coverage, with auto racing included in that coverage.  And it doesn't seem as if NASCAR Truck series fans are going to lose anything to it.  Food for thought!!!

Plus, if you look over the press release, it notes Sprint Cup Series races being covered in 2015.
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That's the news, and the official press release is included below, with the new cool logo and all!  (Other web guys, if you scrape the press release, some 'via' link love would be appreciated.)

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FOX SPORTS MEDIA GROUP GIVES RISE TO FOX SPORTS 1,

A NEW NATIONAL MULTI-SPORT NETWORK

Officially Debuts Saturday, Aug. 17 in Over 90 Million Homes;

Biggest Sports Network Launch in History

4,800 Hours of Exclusive Live Event, News & Original Programming Planned

Mega-Stars Terry Bradshaw & Regis Philbin Appear Daily

New York – Today, FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) makes television history, officially unveiling plans to launch a new, national, multi-sport network called FOX Sports 1.  The announcement was made by FSMG Co-Presidents and COOs Randy Freer and Eric Shanks.  Set to debut on Saturday, Aug. 17, just as FOX Sports kicks-off its 20^th anniversary year, FS 1 is available in over 90 million homes, making this the biggest sports cable network launch in history, and one of the largest network launches ever.  At the outset, FS1 boasts nearly 5,000 hours of live event, news and original programming annually.

"Our 'secret,' admittedly a very poorly kept one, is now revealed," said Shanks.  "Fans are ready for an alternative to the establishment, and our goal for FS1 is to provide the best in-game experience possible, complemented by informative news, entertaining studio shows and provocative original programming."

A robust schedule of live events forms the backbone of FOX Sports 1's programming from Day 1, with college basketball, college football, NASCAR, soccer and UFC all on tap between launch and year's end.  In fact, the schedule on Aug. 17 features live events morning, noon and night including a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from Michigan and "UFC on FS1 1" in prime time.  In 2014, FSMG's new rights agreement with MLB takes effect, bringing regular and postseason games to FS1.

"As a company we haven't been afraid to innovate and take well-calculated risks, added Freer." "We've devoted significant resources over the last few years to acquire and/or extend multi-platform rights with a wide variety of leagues and governing bodies well into the next decade, enough to give us a rich schedule right out of the box."

More people consume and care about sports than ever before, so to satisfy that voracious demand FSMG deems the time is now to launch FS1.  For example, when FOX Sports launched in 1994, late Sunday afternoon NFL on FOX games ranked as the 26^th highest-rated program on television. Today, FOX's national doubleheader games rank No. 1 for three years running.

FOX Sports 1 Programming Highlights –

COLLEGE BASKETBALL – Dozens of exclusive prime time games on Monday and Thursday nights, plus Saturday and Sunday coverage of the Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL – Led by Notre Dame at Stanford, the Big Ten Championship Game and Pac-12 Championship Game (2014) on FOX, dozens of  exclusive, live games from the Pac-12, Big 12 and Conference USA games on Thursday nights and Saturdays; triple- and quadruple-headers on Saturdays; Saturday pre- and postgame coverage. 

MLB – Beginning in 2014, select League Championship Series and Division Series games; regular-season games over 26 Saturdays; live game-in-progress look-in show.

NASCAR – Select NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races as soon as 2015; NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races; NASCAR Sprint All-Star race; all SpeedWeeks events leading up to the Daytona 500 including: Daytona 500 Qualifying, Sprint Unlimited at Daytona (2014, 2017-22) and the Budweiser Duel, now in prime time; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NCWTS Practice and Qualifying sessions; NASCAR RaceDay, providing pre- and post-race coverage; NASCAR Victory Lane, a weekly wrap-up show; and Race Hub, a daily mid-day studio show with the latest from drivers, owners and garages.

SOCCER – Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday afternoon coverage of the world's most prolific club soccer competitions, the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, and CONCACAF Champions League featuring many of the world's greatest and most successful clubs; the world's oldest soccer competition, the FA Cup; CONCACAF Gold Cup; CONCACAF Qualifiers, FIFA Women's World Cup coverage in 2015 and 2019; FIFA Men's World Cup coverage in 2018 and 2022; delayed matches in prime time; weekly magazine and highlights shows.

UFC – Featured on Wednesday nights; live FIGHT NIGHTS through 2014, the first is scheduled for launch night, Saturday, Aug. 17; FOX event preliminary cards; UFC Tonight, the weekly authority for UFC news and information; 14 Saturday pay-per-view preliminary cards; hundreds of hours of library programs and events.

In addition to live events and studio programs, FS1 introduces FOX SPORTS LIVE, a 24/7 news franchise providing around-the-clock coverage through regularly scheduled programs, hourly updates and an information-rich ticker that provides a network agnostic sports event television schedule.  Thousands of hours of news programming are expected annually from newly minted sets including a nightly program at 11:00 PM ET or immediately following events.  A morning newscast is expected to launch in January 2014 in conjunction with FSMG's expansive coverage of Super Bowl XLVIII.

"Building credibility and trust with our audience is paramount, so naturally we'll provide the staples, like news, scores and highlights, but we'll do it in a FOX Sports way," offered Shanks. "Just as FOX NFL SUNDAY reinvented the pregame show, FOX SPORTS LIVE breaks new ground in the way sports news is presented.  We already have the home-team advantage of significant audiences watching local games on our 22 regional sports networks as a platform to launch our new national news."

Complementing FS1's live events and news coverage at launch are several original programs, highlighted by RUSH HOUR, hosted by Regis Philbin, airing live weekdays (5:00-6:00 PM ET).  Originating in New York City, Regis leads the charge along with a panel of sports professionals, celebrity guests and die-hard fans in this brand new, unpredictable, talk show.  Following RUSH HOUR live every day is FOX FOOTBALL DAILY (6:00-7:00 PM ET), an extension of FOX NFL SUNDAY, the most-watched NFL pregame show for 19 straight years.  FOX FOOTBALL DAILY, hosted by NFL on FOX personalities, including Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Jay Glazer, Gus Johnson, Erin Andrews and Mike Pereira, provides a daily dose of news, interviews and commentary from pro and collegiate football worlds.  Both shows are expected to premiere at launch in August.  Earlier this year, FSMG unveiled a unique and groundbreaking documentary franchise titled BEING:, a deep look into today's greatest athletes, teams and sports icons via unprecedented access.  The first subject to appear this fall on FS1 is BEING: MIKE TYSON, the most feared man ever to step in a boxing ring.  The multi-episode series is now in production.

FSMG's experimentation with the "double box" commercial format, intended to keep viewers engaged throughout breaks, is expected to be an FS1 staple.  Custom commissioned research conducted this year by Innerscope in concert with FOX Sports advertisers, along with data from IAG and Nielsen, demonstrates how the "double box" format adds value compared to the traditional full-screen break: IAG reported a 62% increase in brand recall; younger viewers are more likely to view "double box" commercials, according to Nielsen minute-by-minute ratings; Innerscope's engagement score for "double box" commercials ranked +13% than average; and viewers see advertiser logos more than three times longer in "double box" versus standard format.

Launching together with FOX Sports 1 will be FOX Sports GO – a groundbreaking mobile sports experience for iPhone, iPad, Android devices, and web. FOX Sports Go will offer more than 1,000 live games and events from across FOX Sports, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports' 22 regional sports networks, as well as scores, highlights, news, stats, and analysis.  The live games and events will be available to subscribers of participating cable, satellite, and telco providers at no additional cost.

-- FOX Sports 1 --

  

About FOX Sports Media Group

FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation's wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets.  Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships.  FSMG includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; FOX Sports 1; Fox's 22 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; FOX Soccer, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccer 2Go; FUEL TV; FOX Deportes and FOX College Sports.  In addition, FSMG also encompasses FOX Sports Digital, which includes FOXSports.com on MSN, FOX Sports GO, Whatifsports.com, FOXSportsNext.com and Yardbarker.com.  Also included in the Group are Fox's interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network, BTN 2Go and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network and FOX Sports Skybox restaurants.

MAJOR FSMG RIGHTS ACQUISITIONS, 2010-2012

Nov. 2010        Acquired rights to Big Ten Football Championship Game from 2011-2016.

Dec. 2010        Acquired rights to UEFA Champions League 2012/13 to 2014/15.

April 2011        Acquired rights to Big 12 Conference. A 13-year agreement for the exclusive cable rights which took effect in 2012. (See 2012 update)

May 2011        Acquired rights to Pac-12 Conference for 12 years beginning in 2012. Deal secures rights to 22 regular-season Pac-12 football games annually; six Pac-12 Football Championship Games in even years beginning in 2012 through 2022 in prime time; 22 men's regular-season basketball games annually; three men's basketball Tournament games, including the championship game, in even years beginning in 2014 through 2024.

Aug. 2011       Acquired rights to Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC) beginning in 2012 through 2018.

Oct. 2011        Acquired rights to Women's World Cup (Canada) in 2015; the Men's World Cup (Russia) in 2018, the Women's World Cup (TBD) in 2020, and the Men's World Cup (Qatar) in 2022.

Dec. 2011        Reacquired rights to the NFL's NFC package. The new nine-year, multi-platform media rights agreement begins in 2014 and runs through 2022.

Sept. 2012       New eight-year agreement with Big 12 Conference. Now, FSMG and ESPN share the Conference's football over-the-air and cable rights. Replaces deal struck in April 2011. Deal begins 2012-13 runs through 2024-25.

Oct. 2012        Reacquired NASCAR rights. The new eight-year, multiplatform media agreement begins in 2015 and runs through 2022. 

Oct. 2012        Reacquired MLB in a new eight-year, multiplatform rights agreement that significantly increases FSMG's television, digital and Spanish-language rights beginning in 2014 on MLB at FOX through 2021.

Nov. 2012        News Corporation acquires 49% stake in the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (YES).  The YES Network also announced a media rights agreement that will keep Yankees baseball on the YES Network through 2042. 

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