Fox Sports launches direct challenge to ESPN dominance

[WoodysGirl]

Fox Sports 1 cable channel will have a news show, live sports events and Regis Philbin

NEW YORK -- Fox, in Tuesday announcing a Fox Sports 1 sports cable channel launching Aug 17, is mounting what executives say will be a direct challenge to ESPN.

"Our hope is that we can be equally professional" with ESPN, says David Hill, who headed Fox Sports when it launched 20 years ago and is overseeing the new channel. "It's going to take us a while. We're not expecting to knock ESPN off in the first week or two. It's going to take two to three years. It will be a slog."

FS1 will debut in about 90 million TV households compared to about 99 million on ESPN and ESPN2. It will have a daily 11 p.m. ET Fox Sports Live show meant to directly challenge ESPN's SportsCenter.

"ESPN, quite frankly, is a machine," says Fox Sports programmer Billy Wanger. "We're trying to take on the establishment, no different than what Fox broadcast did in launching in the 1980s and Fox News did in the 1990s. We're going to have to scratch and claw (against ESPN). But we have no illusions."

Read the rest: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...hallenging-espn-dominance-catholic-7/1965299/

 

[AmericasTeam81]

Interesting. Great to have another voice. Hopefully a voice different from ESPN which has a ton of surreptitious agendas

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

This is great! BSPN needs some competition.

I hope Fox does well. If they do as well as they have done with FoxNews we will all benefit.

 

[Bane]

Good, it's about time we have some more variety, I wonder if they will try to create a Saturday morning College Football Show to compete with ESPN's College Gameday too....

 

[calico]

Fox? No thanks.
If they didn't have NFL games I'd never watch them at all.

I work for fox and only watch it for sports :laugh2: this has been a long time coming though. The properties have been at fox for a while just took a long time.

I'm looking forward to it. A lot of live sporting events will be coming to fox in prime time.

 

[SportsGuru80]

I welcome this actually, BSPN will have to step up their game...

 

[Hoofbite]

Is Regis gonna do the sports?

If so, talk about starting off on the wrong foot.

 

[Picksix]

"Our hope is that we can be equally professional"

That's not really setting the bar that high.

 

[AmericasTeam81]

Yes, because Fox is famous for not having an agenda.

What portion or section of Fox are you referring to?

 

[Macnalty]

What portion or section of Fox are you referring to?

Let it go this is a football site, diversity makes us stronger but another thread is needed if you want to discuss the fox network agenda.

 

[NickZepp]

Let it go this is a football site, diversity makes us stronger but another thread is needed if you want to discuss the fox network agenda.

If you are talking about news networks, none of them promote diversity, but as you said that's a different topic for a different board.

FoxSports tried this when they first started but it didn't work out. But it is a different time now. The thing that FoxSports will have to do is try and steal as much programming hours from ESPN as possible.

 

[TheRomoSexual]

Because when I think of a worthy challenger to ESPN's sports reign, I think of Regis Philbin.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

If you are a Big 12 fan...this is a GOOD thing.

 

[Macnalty]

If you are talking about news networks, none of them promote diversity, but as you said that's a different topic for a different board.

FoxSports tried this when they first started but it didn't work out. But it is a different time now. The thing that FoxSports will have to do is try and steal as much programming hours from ESPN as possible.

I agree was referencing more opinion diversity on the forum.

 

[HoosierCowboy]

was it Sportschannel that existed in the 80s when ESPN was new?

 

[Wood]

Competition is always good. I like it. If they really wanna be different maybe Fox can like Cowboys little more often than ESPN.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

STOP the political talk about the network.

This is talking about the sports package and there is no need to go into stuff in the political realm.

 

[Avenging Hayseed]

STOP the political talk about the network.

This is talking about the sports package and there is no need to go into stuff in the political realm.

You are absolutely right,...and I apologize. I did it as a reaction to the earlier posts and I shouldnt have. Should have taken the high road. Sorry bout that .

 

[Avenging Hayseed]

I do think its a good idea though,...just because I like alot of sports programming,...specifically football.

 

[mldardy]

was it Sportschannel that existed in the 80s when ESPN was new?

CNN had one in the 80s with the late Nick Charles and Fred Hickman. Then there was a couple in the 90's. Fox had one with Olbermann and Kevin Frazier and there was CNNSI. Neither panned out and I don't think this one will either. First you are probably going to have to find what channel this new one with FOX will be on. Second ESPN has such a built in brand whether we like it or not it's going to be hard to pull their audience to something else that is essentially talking about the same thing.