Fox Sports 1 vs ESPN

[LAWeaver]

Fox Sports 1 and NBC Sports Network better be added to the basic packages of Dish Network, DirecTV, etc. Otherwise, NASCAR will have one less fan. I don't enjoy the idea of listening to the race on the radio every weekend, though the announcers on MRN are pretty good.

[Sodboy13]

They'll stay in the sports tier. Pay up, tightass.

[Gothamite]

How many people though Fox News channel would succeed when it was first launched in 1996?

Quite a few, actually. The news business has never been monolithic, Murdoch had already started new channels before, and his deep pockets ensured that he could weather losses until it became profitable.

This situation is slightly different, though. There's no monopoly on news events, but FS1 is going to have carry some sporting events, and the biggest names are already locked up for a while.

[The_Admiral]

If Fox Sports does for sports what Fox News did for news, then this will get very ugly very quickly.

Soon we'll be talking about how Bucky Dent's home run won the 1957 AL East for the Red Sox.

Don't you kind of forfeit the drive-bys on conservative media when you're off handjobbing uber-authority figures like Roger Goodell and the NCAA?

[Gothamite]

Clever fellow.

[slapshot]

I will tune in to whichever one is broadcasting something I want to watch. I don't really watch any highlight shows, except for NFL Prime Time. If there is a good highlight somewhere, I'll probably come across it on Twitter or Facebook. If one channel is offering exposure to a sport not normally broadcast over here, I'll watch it for the curiosity, and if I enjoy it, all the better, because I'll be able to see it regularly.

Right now, I watch most of the major channels about equally. Even CBS Sports Network.

What I really wish was on was the old NFL weekly highlight packages from the mid 70s. ESPN Classic used to show them. I don't know why the NFL Network doesn't put them on, at least in the offseason.

[NJTank]

I will tune in to whichever one is broadcasting something I want to watch. I don't really watch any highlight shows, except for NFL Prime Time. If there is a good highlight somewhere, I'll probably come across it on Twitter or Facebook. If one channel is offering exposure to a sport not normally broadcast over here, I'll watch it for the curiosity, and if I enjoy it, all the better, because I'll be able to see it regularly.

Right now, I watch most of the major channels about equally. Even CBS Sports Network.

What I really wish was on was the old NFL weekly highlight packages from the mid 70s. ESPN Classic used to show them. I don't know why the NFL Network doesn't put them on, at least in the offseason.

Inside the NFL now on Showtime is close, I wish that NFLN or ESPN would show past seasons of Primetime and Inside the NFL.

[Needschat]

If FS1 does for sports what Fox and Speed did to NASCAR, we'll be looking at dumbed down sports coverage. Seriously, remove Mike Joy from their NASCAR coverage and you have far too many monosyllabic "reporters" and "analysts", or those that will use "common folk" speak because they don't want to take the time to explain the big words.

[kmccarthy27]

I think Fox Sports 1/2 will be ok, it will be the welcome change and it will be different, kinda like the way ESPN2 was back in the day. I think at some point within 5 years, they will end up taking that long journey to the middle and fall into the exact same crap that ESPN presents now.

As far as NBCSN, I think that they are preparing for a bugger debut in the fall with the EPL and such, but they will end up that way too.

CBS sports, no one is EVER going to watch that. How bad can you be when you have to simulcast your only worthwhile exclusives (NCAA tourney games) on TBS

No matter what the key to any of this is to embrace all different sports and not just the ones you carry on your network and are located in NYC or Boston.

[slapshot]

I will tune in to whichever one is broadcasting something I want to watch. I don't really watch any highlight shows, except for NFL Prime Time. If there is a good highlight somewhere, I'll probably come across it on Twitter or Facebook. If one channel is offering exposure to a sport not normally broadcast over here, I'll watch it for the curiosity, and if I enjoy it, all the better, because I'll be able to see it regularly.

Right now, I watch most of the major channels about equally. Even CBS Sports Network.

What I really wish was on was the old NFL weekly highlight packages from the mid 70s. ESPN Classic used to show them. I don't know why the NFL Network doesn't put them on, at least in the offseason.

Inside the NFL now on Showtime is close, I wish that NFLN or ESPN would show past seasons of Primetime and Inside the NFL.

I try to remember to watch Inside the NFL...I forget it's on a lot. The highlight shows I'm thinking of were similar to it and were hosted by Pat Summerall. I like those better than hearing Berman and LOUD NOISES.

[infrared41]

What I really wish was on was the old NFL weekly highlight packages from the mid 70s. ESPN Classic used to show them. I don't know why the NFL Network doesn't put them on, at least in the offseason.

The highlight shows I'm thinking of were similar to it and were hosted by Pat Summerall.

"This Week in the NFL" was awesome. I loved that show when I was a kid. Sadly, it would probably put young people to sleep today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13M_L8koHZg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWcnIwoh8I0&list=PL36C43EA90076B7CC

[RyanMcD29]

The actual live sports, though, should be good, granted I'm in the ballpark of thinking that every sport Fox airs or ever airs, someone does it better.

Absolutely no one cares or needs any explanation on this point, but I'm gonna do it anyway because I'm bored

-NFL: Yeah... CBS and NBC blow Fox out of the water, I guess the pregame beats ESPN's 3 hour overload and most of the crews are better than THIS GUY RIGHT HERE Gruden, and the actual game coverage is better than NFLN's TNF

-MLB: LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

-College Football: LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

-NHL: Better than ABC by a country mile, at first better than NBC but from about 2008ish on NBC's been the gold standard in terms of NHL coverage, non-NHL Network airing HNIC, in the states, yes even with Pierre and Milbury. Still, credit where credit is due for Fox putting the NHL in a new level of exposure

-NASCAR: At first, yes, Fox was probably the best at this. Then they let it become too much of the Waltrip show in recent years and its gone downhill from there. At this point I'd say ESPN's coverage is the best for NASCAR, even though its sadly going away after next year, yes even with Rusty Wallace and Brad Daughty

-Soccer: I was in the mindset that I'd rather have Ian Darke call my team's match than the international feed Fox Soccer had (FSC also loses points for not using Martin Tyler, who's on a News Corp. owned outlet, when the game was also on Sky Sports) plus NBC looks like they're putting more effort into EPL than Fox Soccer did, and the Gus Johnson experiment's kinda "meh" at this point with UEFA Champions League. Also sad to see ESPN not have the World Cup after next year

[Gothamite]

Inside the NFL now on Showtime

Why'd they move again? HBO has 50% more subscribers.

[CubsFanBudMan]

I think this move is too late, as the era of all-sports networks is dwindling. I watch the league-specific channels now depending on what sport I'm into (usually baseball). If Fox Sports 1 just becomes another NFL Network like ESPN, I'll lose interest. I can't handle 23/7 coverage (yes, 23/7 -- I'm giving them a little credit) of a weekly sport.

I have some concerns about the direction MLB Network is going as well. Their "MLB Tonight" started off yesterday afternoon with "The Tigers have won 12 straight and the Braves 13, but the big news is A-Rod back in the Bronx." No, it's not. ESPN thinks that's big news. Because they can debate it all day. Should they boo? Should they cheer? Blah, blah, blah. The winning streaks and playoff races should be much more compelling to BASEBALL fans, which MLB Network should serve. The live look-ins on every A-Rod at-bat since his suspension is bizarre to me as well.

EDIT: "I don't want to get off on a rant here..." Oops.

[Kramerica Industries]

To me, MLB Network's biggest problem is that their analysis is shït. Too many of those guys say stuff that I either dispute or is flat out wrong. I also really loathe that frat house culture on MLB Tonight, where some of those guys during the live look-ins honestly act like they've never seen a routine flyball off the bat before. And that Greg Amsinger fellow, holy crap, that guy.

[zpqmaowl]

I remember when MLBN showed games that didn't involve the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays or Tigers and just left those for ESPN. A couple weeks ago I guessed the weekly national TV schedule just by looking at the upcoming games. That is not a good thing.

[HedleyLamarr]

Yeah, but the MLB Network has Sam Ryan, which covers up a lot of their flaws.....

[Eye]

Yeah, but the MLB Network has Sam Ryan, which covers up a lot of their flaws.....

What team did he play for? Never heard of him.

[Eye]

How many people though Fox News channel would succeed when it was first launched in 1996? CNN was the established channel and had a long reputation of covering news. By 2001 FNC was #1 and has been #1 since. If Fox Sports1 can do the same I wont be shocked, ESPN needs a rival and we need a channel that gives us highlights and not BS list and discussion shows that are all the same.

Substitute sports for politics and that's what FNC is. I don't care if ESPN or FNC is number one in their respective programming, both suck, and so does their competition, so it's not a ringing endorsement, but for FS1 to work, you can't be the same as your competition, which has already been mentioned.

[dfwabel]

FS1 will also have something else to repair for me which stemmed back from their last attempt at national programming (Best Damn and the National Sports Report).

When there was the outcry that ESPN had too much "East Coast Bias", it seemed that FOX Sports tried to give us "West Coast Bias" in giving too much coverage to L.A. teams. During that time (circa 2001-2005) their news shows were focused on the Dodgers (which News Corp. then owned), USC football, and the Lakers. This was still while they had the majority of the regional networks as there was no CSN or Root Sports.

The current setup will be based both in NYC and LA, but since then the viewing habits of many have changed to the point that watching an hour of programming after 11PM is a tough task to gain. Adult Swim, The Daily/Colbert Show block, and other shows have a foothold. They need live games, not just the "FOX Sports Live" evening show with Clarissa Thompson, the Canadian guys, and a host of has-been athletes who need a check to run for six to eight hours a night.

As of Sunday night, we know this:

1- DirecTV/Dish/TimeWarnerCable still have not reached and agreement to carry it. That is about 50 million households.

2- Those Pac-12/Big XII/C-USA games and UFC events which were FX last year will move to FS1. No more sports on FX.

3- They are buying rights to HS football to air immediately.

4- Murdoch split News Corp. earlier this year into a cable/TV/movie company (21st Century Fox) and a publishing company (News Corp.)

5- This process is long term. So long term that FOX executives say that FS1 will become profitable after 3 years. Once "profitable", then it could be game on.