Fox Sports is a group of channels available in Argentina and operated by Mediapro. The network is focused on sports-related programming including live and pre-recorded event broadcasts, sports talk shows and original programming, available throughout Argentina. The network is based in Argentina. The channel's name and various programs are licensed from Fox Sports Media Group, a subsidiary of Fox Corporation.[1]
The network was launched in 1996 as Prime Deportiva, under the ownership of Liberty Media. Prior to its launch, on October 31, 1995, News Corporation acquired a 50% ownership interest in Liberty's Prime Network group and its international networks (including sister channels Premier Sports and Prime Sports Asia) as part of an expansion of its Fox Sports properties in the Americas.[2][3] In 1996, the channel was rebranded as Fox Sports Américas, later shortened to Fox Sports in 1999. In 2002, Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst, a Dallas private equity firm, Liberty Media Corp and News Corp created a holding company (Fox Pan American Sports) to jointly operate FOX Sports Latin America.[4] News Corp owned approximately 38% interest.[5] Liberty later exited leaving HMTF and News Corp as co-owners of the cable network. News Corp purchased the ownership rights from HMTF of FOX Sports en Espanol and rebranded as FOX Deportes in 2010. News Corp purchased the remaining ownership rights for the holding company from HMTF and fully owned the FOX Sports Latin America cable network in 2011.
Fox Sports logo, used from February to November 2012.
In 2009, a second feed called Fox Sports+ (FOX Sports mas) was launched, to allow simultaneous broadcasting of football. In 2010, FOX Sports signed a deal with UFC to be the first cable network to show it in Latin America. FOX Sports also opened a studio in 2010[6] in Mexico City where it broadcasts original programming and licensed programming. In 2012, the channel was renamed to Fox Sports 2, whereas Speed Channel was rebranded to Fox Sports 3.
On August 21, 2017, Fox launched a new channel called Fox Sports Premium that broadcast the replays of the matches of the Argentine Primera División until August 25, 2017, when the Superliga Argentina began an agreement with TNT Sports to share the directives of Argentine football.
Fox Sports logo, used from November 2012 to August 2022.
On October 16, 2020, the Argentine Football Association would breach their television contract to broadcast Argentinian football on Fox Sports due to the Disney acquisition of 21st Century Fox, with TNT Sports being the only broadcasters leaving open the possibility that the Televisión Pública of reacquiring the rights. However, on October 30 the Argentinian court would rule in favor of Fox, with Fox being able to broadcast the matches.[7]
On January 29, 2021, Disney would reach in agreement with Argentine Football Association to broadcast Argentine Primeira Division matches until 2030 with its sister channel ESPN to also broadcast outside of Argentina with Televisión Pública broadcasting matches in Argentina.[8]
Fox Sports logo, used from August 2022 to February 2023.
In November 2021, Disney announced that Fox Sports' main channel would be renamed ESPN 4 except in Argentina on December 1, 2021. Fox Sports 2, Fox Sports 3 and Fox Sports Premium would continue on the air in Argentina.[9]
On January 20, 2022, CNDC ordered Disney to divest the Fox Sports television network from the 21st Century Fox purchase in order to get an approval from the government of Argentina.[10]
On February 15, 2022, Disney announced it would sell Fox Sports Argentina to Mediapro.[11] The sale was approved by the CNDC on April 27, 2022.[12]
It was announced that on May 1, 2022, Fox Sports Premium would rebrand to ESPN Premium.[13]
On October 4, 2022, it was reported that Mediapro and Fox Deportes signed an licensing agreement to use channels brand name and produce programming for the channel.[1][14]
Finally, on February 6, 2023, a new Fox Sports began with Mediapro and in this new stage the sports signal will have a renewed graphic identity, a new journalistic team and segmented programming with its own live programs, where Fox Sports will be dedicated mainly to the most traditional sports for the Argentine public, Fox Sports 2 to not so popular disciplines, more of an urban niche and Fox Sports 3 will acquire a closer orientation to young people, with e-Sports competitions, streaming and culture of social networks.[15]
Programming
Fox Sports Argentina broadcasts sports-related programming 24 hours a day in Spanish. The network carries a wide variety of sports events, including football (Copa Libertadores, UEFA Champions League etc.), and WWE programming. Fox Sports also airs talk shows (La Vuelta) as well as other programming including exercise programs.
Telemundo Deportes is the programming division of NBC Sports Group, owned by NBCUniversal, that is responsible for the production of sports events and magazine programs that air on NBCUniversal's Spanish language television networks Telemundo and Universo and the streaming service Peacock. Originating as the former's sports division Deportes Telemundo from 1999 to 2015, it broadcasts an array of sports events, including the soccer matches from various international soccer leagues and the Olympic Games, among others.
Fox Deportes is an American pay television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming in Spanish, aimed at the Hispanic population in the United States. Launched in 1993, Fox Deportes, a division of Fox Sports, is the first and longest-running Spanish-language sports network in the country.
Fox Sports is a Mexican pay television network operated by Grupo Multimedia Lauman. The network focuses on sports-related programming including live and pre-recorded event broadcasts, sports talk shows and original programming, available throughout Mexico. The network was previously based in Los Angeles with production studios in Argentina and Mexico. The network continues to use the Fox Sports name under a license agreement with Fox Corporation.
Torneos y Competencias S.A. is an Argentine sports communications firm created by businessman Carlos Ávila, associated with Jose Santoro, and Héctor Dayan. It is an important force in the world of Argentine sports, with interests in publications and radio and TV broadcasting. Its headquarters are in Buenos Aires.
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from the Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Film, named after founder William Fox.
Fox Sports International (FSI) was an international sportscasting and production division of Fox Networks Group, a division of 21st Century Fox.
Mediaproducción, S.L.U., better known as Mediapro, is a multimedia communications group in Spain founded in April 1994 in Barcelona. The company is well involved in movie and television production.
The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico. Formerly known as the Primera División de México, it is contested by 18 clubs and is divided into two tournaments – "Apertura" and "Clausura"– which typically run from July to December and January to May. The champion of each tournament is decided via a playoff ("Liguilla") system. Since 2020, promotion and relegation has been suspended, which is to last until 2026.
GOL PLAY is a Spanish sports television network dedicated fully to football and other sports. The channel, created by Mediapro in September 2008, is distributed through cable operators, Internet television, and from August 2009, through digital terrestrial television.
ESPN4 is a Brazilian sports channel that was launched on 5 February 2012 as Fox Sports, replacing the Brazilian variant of Speed. A second channel, Fox Sports 2 was launched on 24 January 2014, which continues to use the Fox Sports name temporarily due to contractual obligations. On May 6, 2020 Brazil's antitrust regulator CADE announced that Fox Sports and ESPN Brasil could merge as part of the 21st Century Fox merger with Disney, with it remaining as-is until January 1, 2022 due to its broadcast rights and overall structure.
The Walt Disney Company Latin America is one of The Walt Disney Company's international divisions. It is responsible for the Disney brand and its businesses throughout the region. It has offices in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Miami.
Fox Sports was a Chilean pay television channel specialised on broadcasting sport events. The localised feed was launched in August 2013, replacing Fox Sports Básico.
Fútbol para todos was an Argentine television program that presented matches and tournaments of the Argentine Primera División, Primera B Nacional and Copa Argentina, as well as matches of the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana when teams from Argentina are involved and some matches of the Argentina national football team. It aired from 2009 to 2017, with the final program airing on 27 June 2017.
beIN Sports Spain was a Spanish network of sports channels owned by Qatari Sports Investments and operated by Mediapro. It was the Spanish version of the global sports network beIN Sports.
The Apertura 2015 Copa MX Final was the final of the Apertura 2015 Copa MX, the seventh edition of the Copa MX under its current format and 74th overall organized by the Mexican Football Federation, the governing body of association football in Mexico.
ESPN Africa is an African pay television sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the Hearst Communications, that was re-branded in August 2014, replacing Setanta Sports and Setanta Action. The channel broadcasts in Sub-Saharan Africa in English and French. It was also previously available for a brief period in 2016 in Portuguese.
TNT Sports Argentina is a subscription television channel mainly dedicated to the broadcast of the Argentine Primera División, along with ESPN Premium, which began broadcasting on Friday, August 25, 2017, from 6:00 p.m., after the alliance of Turner and Fox by the television rights of the Argentine First Division of Argentine soccer, being replacement of the governmental program Fútbol para Todos.
ESPN Latin America is the Latin American division of ESPN Inc., and broadcasts sports-related programming for the region in Spanish. It was launched on 31 March 1989. Its programming is adapted to the likes of viewers, who tend to prefer football and Hispanic baseball players to the more locally produced programs.
Fox Sports was a group of channels available in Latin America and operated by The Walt Disney Company Latin America, a unit of the Disney International Operations. The network was focused on sports-related programming including live and pre-recorded event broadcasts, sports talk shows and original programming, available throughout Latin America.
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