Give kudos to Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times who broke the story of DirecTV, Dish Network and Time Warner Cable coming to an agreement with Fox to pick up Fox Sports 1 in time for the launch on Saturday. I thought the three holdouts would remain stubborn and refuse to pick up the network until after the launch, but good on all parties to make an agreement so all subscribers can see the network.
It means Fox will hit its goal of reaching 90 million cable and satellite homes. If you need to find the channel location on your provider, Fox has a finder right here (channel finder is on the right).
So Fox Sports executives can breathe a sigh of relief and totally focus on the production and look of the network (not that weren’t already).
Here’s the official announcement.
FOX SPORTS 1 TO LAUNCH ACROSS ALL MAJOR DISTRIBUTORS
NEW NATIONAL SPORTS CHANNEL DEBUTS SATURDAY, AUGUST 17Fox’s new national sports network, FOX Sports 1, will debut on Saturday, August 17th, with every major distributor on board, making this the biggest sports cable network launch in history, and one of the largest network launches ever. The announcement was made by Mike Hopkins, President, Distribution, Fox Networks.
“We are thrilled that virtually all pay-television customers across America will have access to FOX Sports 1,” said Mr. Hopkins. “This network launch is a major milestone for Fox and will alter the sports television landscape. We are grateful to our distribution partners for making this all possible.”
At the outset, FOX Sports 1 boasts nearly 5,000 hours of live event, news and original programming annually. 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, boxing and UFC all on tap between launch and year’s end. In fact, the schedule on August 17th features live events morning, noon and night including a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from Michigan and UFC FIGHT NIGHT: SHOGUN VS. SONNEN in prime time. In 2014, FOX Sport’s new rights agreement with MLB takes effect, bringing regular and postseason games to FOX Sports 1.
Viewers can learn where to find FOX Sports 1 on their system by visiting FOXSports1.com.
Previously announced Programming Details
FOX Sports 1 Programming Highlights –
ORIGINAL PROGRAMS – FOX SPORTS LIVE, a nightly news, highlights and analysis program, airing hourly every night live from 11:00 PM-2:00 AM ET; FOX SOCCER DAILY (4:00-4:30 PM ET); NASCAR RACE HUB (4:30-5:00 PM ET); CROWD GOES WILD, an irreverent and unconventional talk show about sports featuring Regis Philbin (live weekdays, 5:00-6:00 PM ET); FOX FOOTBALL DAILY, providing the latest college and NFL news and analysis (live weekdays, 6:00-7:00 PM ET); BEING:, a contemporary sports documentary series with upcoming episodes on Mike Tyson, Mariano Rivera and the NYPD tackle football team..
BOXING – Golden Boy Promotions / GOLDEN BOY LIVE!
COLLEGE BASKETBALL – Dozens of exclusive prime time games on Monday and Thursday nights, plus Saturday and Sunday coverage of the BIG EAST, Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL – Dozens of exclusive, live games from the Pac-12, Big 12 and Conference USA on Thursday nights and Saturdays; triple- and quadruple-headers on Saturdays; Saturday pre- and postgame coverage.
GOLF – FOX Sports 1 becomes the primary cable outlet for the USGA and the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open Championships, as well as the USGA’s national amateur championships and other live content beginning in 2015.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL – FOX HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
HORSE RACING – The Jockey Club
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.
MOTORSPORTS – ARCA Racing Series; FIA Formula E and AMA Supercross; Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series; Lucas Oil Pro Motocross; MotoGP World Championship; MotoGP Moto 2; MotoGP; Moto 3; MotoGP World Championship Qualifying; IMSA United SportsCar Racing.
NASCAR – Select NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races as soon as 2015; NASCAR Nationwide Series races; 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 post-race wrap-up for Sprint Cup races; 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; UEFA EURO 2016 and 2018 FIFA World Cup European qualifying matches; 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. 17th; 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.
And Fox provides the schedule for its first day of programming this Saturday.
Live NASCAR, UFC Highlight Day 1 Schedule
Fall Lineup Includes Live Football, Soccer, NASCAR & UFC Events & Exciting New Studio PremieresNew York – FOX Sports 1, America’s new sports network, officially launches at 6:00 AM ET on Saturday, Aug. 17, marking a new era in sports television. The first thing that viewers will see as the channel goes on air is a promise – a promise from FOX Sports to the viewer, affirming the network’s commitment to always put the fan first.
Once FOX Sports 1 is officially on the air, the first program to hit the airwaves is FOX COLLEGE FOOTBALL KICKOFF, beginning at 6:00 AM ET. Taped this week, the one-hour season preview highlights key title contenders and potential superstars and features interviews and expert analysis. Following FOX COLLEGE FOOTBALL KICKOFF are back-to-back episodes of FANTASTIC FINISHES, a 30-minute program that relives legendary last-second finishes in sports.
Live programming begins at 8:00 AM ET with six and a half hours of NASCAR coverage, beginning with NASCAR LIVE and featuring a guest appearance from NASCAR Hall of Famer and NASCAR on FOX analyst Darrell Waltrip. Following NASCAR LIVE is two hours of NASCAR Sprint Cup practice from Michigan sandwiched around 90 minutes of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) qualifying. Trucks action continues at 12:00 PM ET with 30 minutes of prerace coverage with host Danielle Trotta and reporters Ray Dunlap and Hermie Sadler, followed by two hours of live racing from 12:30-2:30 PM ET. Rick Allen calls the action alongside analysts Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip with Dunlap and Sadler reporting.
FOX SPORTS 1-ON-1, an original program in which FOX Sports icons like Terry Bradshaw, Chris Myers, Gus Johnson and more sit down for in-depth interviews with legends in the world of sports, entertainment and politics, premieres at 2:30 PM ET. Saturday’s episode features FOX Sports’ Michael Strahan with legendary New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Live events continue at 5:00 PM ET with pre-fight programming leading up to the UFC’s debut appearance on FOX Sports 1, SHOGUN VS. SONNEN at the TD Garden in Boston. Prelims begin at 6:00 PM ET, followed by the main event at 8:00 PM ET with UFC announcers Jon Anik and Joe Rogan on the call. Jay Glazer, Kenny Florian and Brian Stann provide pre-fight studio coverage with Ariel Helwani interviewing fighters live in Boston.
Day 1 wraps up as FOX SPORTS LIVE, FOX Sports’ nightly news, opinion and highlights show, makes its premiere at 11:00 PM ET. FOX SPORTS LIVE features the highlights team of Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole, host Charissa Thompson and panelists Donovan McNabb, Ephraim Salaam, Gary Payton and Andy Roddick and airs nightly from 11:00 PM-2:00 AM ET.
FOX SPORTS 1’s full Day 1 schedule is as follows (all times ET; L denotes Live):
Time Event/Program
6:00-7:00 AM FOX COLLEGE FOOTBALL KICKOFF
7:00-7:30 AM FANTASTIC FINISHES
7:30-8:00 AM FANTASTIC FINISHES
8:00-8:30 AM NASCAR LIVE (L)
8:30-9:30 AM NASCAR SPRINT CUP PRACTICE (L)
9:30-11:00 AM NCWTS QUALIFYING (L)
11:00 AM-12:00 PM NASCAR SPRINT CUP FINAL PRACTICE (L)
12:00-12:30 PM NCWTS SETUP (L)
12:30-2:30 PM NCWTS RACING (L)
2:30-3:00 PM FOX SPORTS 1-ON-1: STRAHAN-BRADY
3:00-3:30 PM FANTASTIC FINISHES
3:30-4:30 PM FOX COLLEGE FOOTBALL KICKOFF
4:30-5:00 PM UFC ULTIMATE INSIDER
5:00-6:00 PM UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREFIGHT: SHOGUN VS. SONNEN (L)
6:00-8:00 PM UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS: SHOGUN VS. SONNEN (L)
8:00-11:00 PM UFC FIGHT NIGHT: SHOGUN VS. SONNEN (L)
11:00 PM-2:00 AM FOX SPORTS LIVE (L)
Following the launch date are several major premieres on Monday, Aug. 19. FOX SOCCER DAILY kicks off a block of live studio programming at 4:00 PM ET and is hosted by Julie Stewart-Binks with analysis from Eric Wynalda, Warren Barton and Brian McBride and Grant Wahl. FOX SOCCER DAILY delivers soccer news, highlights and analysis, covering the major soccer leagues and competitions across the globe.
NASCAR RACE HUB, with co-hosts Steve Byrnes and Danielle Trotta, takes over at 4:30 PM ET with highlights, news, opinion and a heavy dose of unexpected fun from the world of NASCAR. RACE HUB brings viewers closer to the inner workings of NASCAR, providing unique access to drivers and race teams.
The highly anticipated original show CROWD GOES WILD premieres at 5:00 PM ET with Regis Philbin, Jason Gay, Michael Kosta, Trevor Pryce, Georgie Thompson, Katie Nolan and in-studio guests taking on the biggest sports stories of the day. CROWD GOES WILD comes at the day’s top news from multiple points of view in free-flowing and spontaneous conversation and engages the audience through some of the latest advances in social media.
FOX FOOTBALL DAILY follows at 6:00 PM ET with Curt Menefee, Jay Glazer, Mike Pereira, Ronde Barber, Randy, Moss and Brian Urlacher breaking down the latest stories from the NFL and college football on the premiere show. The FOX FOOTBALL DAILY cast also includes Scott Fujita and Joel Klatt as well as contributing analysis from FOX Sports’ NFL and college football experts. FOX SOCCER DAILY, NASCAR RACE HUB, CROWD GOES WILD and FOX FOOTBALL DAILY air each weekday from 4:00-7:00 PM ET, unless preempted by live event coverage.
GOLDEN BOY ON FOX also makes its debut on Monday, Aug. 19, beginning at 9:00 PM ET. Top middleweight contender Danny Jacobs faces former world title challenger Giovanni Lorenzo in a headlining the bout that takes place at Best Buy Theater in Manhattan. Commentator Dave Bontempo has the call alongside Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins and Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi. Monday’s fights are the first of 24 Golden Boy Live! events televised by FOX Sports 1 over the next year.
Soccer makes its FOX Sports 1 debut on Tuesday, Aug. 20, with the first leg of the UEFA Champions League playoffs, as PSV Eindhoven faces AC Milan at 2:30 PM ET. Host Rob Stone along with analysts Eric Wynalda, Warren Barton and Brian McBride handle all pre-, postgame and halftime coverage from the FOX Sports 1 studio. Later that evening, the Houston Dynamo (USA) take on DirecTV W Connection (TRI) in CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage – Match Day 2 at 8:00 PM ET. Broadcaster JP Dellacamera calls the action. UEFA Champions League playoffs continue the following afternoon at 2:00 PM ET on Wednesday, Aug. 21.
NASCAR is back on Wednesday, Aug. 21, with a special Wednesday night NCWTS race under the lights from Bristol. Live coverage starts with practice at 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM ET and race action set to begin at 8:00 PM ET. Rick Allen calls the action on the track with analysts Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip and reporters Ray Dunlap and Hermie Sadler. Danielle Trotta hosts prerace coverage with Dunlap and Sadler reporting.
FOX Sports 1 goes under the lights on Friday, Aug. 23, with the premiere of FOX HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL. Bishop Gorman out of Nevada takes on Mountain Pointe of Arizona at 10:00 PM ET in the first of a seven-episode series that showcases the best high school teams in the country. MLB on FOX play-by-play announcer Daron Sutton and former NFL linebacker Ben Leber call the action.
The following weekend features premieres of original shows as well as live event programming, including NASCAR, UFC and MOTO GP. CROWD GOES WILD WEEKEND, compilation of highlights from the week’s shows, debuts Saturday, Aug. 24, at 2:00 PM ET, while THE JONES AND MOSELEY SHOW makes its premiere on Sunday, Aug. 25, at 6:00 PM ET. Featuring hosts Dhani Jones and Johnny Moseley, THE JONES AND MOSELEY SHOW delivers non-stop highlights from the crazier side of sports, featuring everything from cliff diving to bull riding.
FOX Sports 1’s first UFC-branded Wednesday FIGHT NIGHT is Aug. 28, at 8:00 PM ET featuring the Condit vs. Kampmann II main event and prelims from 8:00-11:00 PM ET. Play-by-play announcer Jon Anik and analyst Kenny Florian call the action, while Karyn Bryant hosts prefight coverage with analysts Chael Sonnen and Rashad Evans with Ariel Helwani interviewing fighters backstage.
College football comes to FOX Sports 1 on Thursday, Aug. 29, with the premiere of FOX COLLEGE THURSDAY at 7:00 PM ET. The debut edition is an hour long and features the FOX COLLEGE SATURDAY crew of Erin Andrews, Joel Klatt, Eddie George, Mike Pereira and Clay Travis, leading into Utah State at Utah at 8:00 PM ET. Play-by-play announcer Justin Kutcher, analyst Petros Papadakis and sideline reporter Kristina Pink call the contest, which marks the first in FOX Sports 1’s Thursday night
Gridiron action continues on Friday night with North Dakota at K-State at 8:00 PM ET before a full day of games on Saturday, Aug. 31. Saturday kicks off with the debut of FOX COLLEGE SATURDAY, FOX Sports 1’s two-hour pregame studio show with Erin Andrews, Eddie George, Joel Klatt, Petros Papadakis, Mike Pereira and Clay Travis. FOX Sports 1 airs three games on college football’s opening Saturday, highlighted by Boise State at Washington at 10:00 PM ET with play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson, analyst Charles Davis and sideline reporter Kristina Pink.
UFC is back on the schedule on Wednesday, Sept. 4, with an action-packed two-hour event that leads in to the season premiere of THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER at 10:00 PM ET. THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER, the UFC’s signature reality series, moves to its new Wednesday home, where it anchors FOX Sports 1’s Wednesday primetime UFC block. The coming season features UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and challenge Miesha Tate as coaches.
FOX Sports 1 is on the ground to cover the opening Sunday of the NFL season with the premiere episode of FOX NFL KICKOFF on Sunday, Sept. 8. FOX NFL KICKOFF is a one-hour show each Sunday that leads in to FOX NFL SUNDAY on the broadcast network, typically airing from 11:00 AM-12:00 PM ET, with the exception of Week 1, when it airs from 11:00-11:30 AM ET. Featuring Jay Glazer, Joel Klatt, Brian Urlacher, Randy Moss, Ronde Barber and Mike Pereira, FOX NFL KICKOFF offers an early take on the day’s games and stories around the league and provides a behind-the-scenes look at FOX NFL SUNDAY.
And there you have it.
