This article is about the former regional sports channels. For the flagship national sports channel owned by the Fox Sports Media Group, see Fox Sports 1. For the current regional sports channels, see Bally Sports.
Fox Sports Networks (FSN), formerly known as Fox Sports Net, was the collective name for a group of regional sports channels in the United States. Formed in 1996 by News Corporation, the networks were acquired by The Walt Disney Company on March 20, 2019, following its acquisition of 21st Century Fox. A condition of that acquisition imposed by the U.S. Department of Justice required Disney to sell the regional networks by June 18, 2019, ninety days after the completion of its acquisition.[1] Disney subsequently agreed to sell the networks (excluding the YES Network, being reacquired by Yankee Global Enterprises) to Sinclair;[2][3] the transaction was completed on August 22, 2019.[4] The networks continued to use the Fox Sports name only under a transitional license agreement while rebranding options were explored.[5] A rebranding cross-partnership with Bally's Corporation took effect on March 31, 2021, and the networks were rebranded as Bally Sports, ending the Fox Sports Networks branding after 25 years.[6][7]
Each of the channels in the group carried regional broadcasts of sporting events from various professional, collegiate and high school sports teams (with broadcasts typically exclusive to each individual channel, although some were shown on multiple FSN channels or syndicated to a local broadcast station within a particular team's designated market area), along with regional and national sports discussion, documentary and analysis programs.
Depending on their individual team rights, some Fox Sports Networks maintained overflow feeds available via subscription television providers in their home markets, which provided alternate programming when not used to carry game broadcasts that the main feed could not carry due to scheduling conflicts. Fox Sports Networks was headquartered in Houston, Texas, with master control facilities based in both Houston and Los Angeles; FSN also maintained production facilities at Stage 19 at Universal Studios Florida (which formerly served as home of Nickelodeon Studios until its closure in 2005).
History
Beginnings
Former Fox Sports Net headquarters in Los Angeles
At the dawn of the cable television era, many regional sports networks (RSNs) vied to compete with the largest national sports network, ESPN. The most notable were the SportsChannel network, which first began operating in 1976 with the launch of the original SportsChannel (now MSG Sportsnet) in the New York City area and later branched out into channels serving Chicago and Florida; Prime Network, which launched in 1983 with Home Sports Entertainment (now Bally Sports Southwest) as its charter member network and later branched out onto the West Coast as "Prime Sports"; and SportSouth, an RSN operated by the Turner Broadcasting System.
On October 31, 1995, News Corporation, which ten years earlier launched the Fox Broadcasting Company, a general entertainment broadcast network that formed its own sports division in 1994 with the acquisition of the television rights to the National Football Conference of the National Football League, entered into a joint venture with TCI's Liberty Media, acquiring a 50% ownership interest in the company's Prime Sports affiliates Liberty in turn gained a stake in Fox's year-old cable channel FX.[8][9] On July 3, 1996, News Corporation and Liberty Media/TCI announced that the Prime Sports networks would be rebranded under the new "Fox Sports Net" brand;[10] the Prime Sports-branded affiliates were officially relaunched as Fox Sports Net on November 1 of that year.[11][12][13] The first new network to come out of the partnership was Fox Sports Arizona which launched on September 7, 1996, nearly two months before the existing networks would be rebranded.[14][15] That same year, Fox purchased SportSouth from Turner, and rebranded that network as Fox Sports South in January 1997.[16]
On June 30, 1997, the Fox/Liberty joint venture purchased a 40% interest in Cablevision/NBC's sports properties including the SportsChannel America networks, Madison Square Garden, and the New York Knicks and New York Rangers professional sports franchises, a deal worth $850million; the deal formed the venture National Sports Partners to run Fox Sports Net's national programming operations.[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] In early 1998, SportsChannel America was integrated into the Fox Sports Net family of networks; SportsChannel Florida, however, remained as the lone SportsChannel America-branded network before it joined FSN as well in 2000 after News Corporation and Cablevision purchased Florida Panthers owner Wayne Huizenga's controlling interest in that network.[26]
Former Fox Sports Networks logos
FSN logo from 1996 to 1999
FSN logo from 1999 to 2004
FSN "pillbox" logo from 2004 until 2008 (remained in use until 2011 by networks that would become part of Root Sports)
FSN logo from 2008 to 2012
Fox ownership
In 1999, Liberty Media (which had become a subsidiary of AT&T when AT&T acquired TCI earlier that year) sold its interest in Fox Sports Net and FX to News Corp. The sale was part of a complex transaction involving a stock swap that gave Liberty an 8% interest in News Corp, making it the second largest shareholder.[27] News Corp became the sole owner of Fox Sports Net.
On July 11, 2000, Comcast purchased a majority interest in the Minneapolis-based Midwest Sports Channel and Baltimore-based Home Team Sports from Viacom.[28] News Corporation, a minority owner in both networks, wanted to acquire them outright and integrate the two networks into Fox Sports Net. Home Team Sports had been affiliated with FSN since 1996.[29] The company filed a lawsuit against Comcast ten days later on July 21, in an attempt to block the sale.[30][31] On September 7, 2000, as part of a settlement between the two companies, Comcast traded its equity interest in Midwest Sports Channel (which became Fox Sports Net North) to News Corporation in exchange for exclusive ownership of Home Team Sports (which subsequently joined competing regional sports network Comcast SportsNet as Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, now NBC Sports Washington).[32]
In September 2004, Fox Sports Net became known simply as "FSN"; however, the former name remained in common use until 2010, when "Fox Sports Local" was adopted for use in referencing its regional networks. On February 22, 2005, Fox's then-parent company, News Corporation, acquired full ownership of FSN/Fox Sports Local, following an asset trade with Cablevision Systems Corporation, in which Fox sold its interest in Madison Square Garden and the arena's NBA and NHL team tenants in exchange for acquiring sole ownership of Fox Sports Ohio and Fox Sports Florida. Cablevision simultaneously gained sole ownership of Fox Sports Chicago and Fox Sports New York, and a 50% interest in Fox Sports New England (with Comcast retaining its existing 50% stake); Fox and Cablevision, however, retained joint ownership of Fox Sports Bay Area.[33][34]
Affiliate realignments
Fox Sports Chicago ceased operations in June 2006, after losing the regional cable television rights to local professional teams (including the Chicago Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs and White Sox) two years earlier to the newly launched Comcast SportsNet Chicago.[35]
On December 22, 2006, News Corporation sold its interest in four Fox Sports regional networks—FSN Utah, FSN Pittsburgh, FSN Northwest and FSN Rocky Mountain—as well as its 38.5% ownership stake in satellite provider DirecTV to Liberty Media for $550million in cash and stock, in exchange for Liberty's 16.3% stake in News Corporation.[36][37] On May 4, 2009, DirecTV Group Inc. announced it would become a part of Liberty's entertainment unit, with plans to spin off certain properties into a separate company under the DirecTV name, which would operate the four acquired FSN-affiliated networks through DirecTV Sports Networks,[38] a new division formed on November 19, 2009, upon the spin-off's completion.[39]
On April 30, 2007, Cablevision sold its 50% interests in the New England and Bay Area networks to Comcast for $570million;[40] both networks became part of Comcast SportsNet, with FSN New England relaunching as Comcast SportsNet New England in July 2007 and FSN Bay Area relaunching as Comcast SportsNet Bay Area March 2008. Despite Cablevision's sale of the networks, the channels continued to use "Fox Sports Net/National Sports Partners" in its copyright tag until 2008 (the copyright used has since changed to "National Sports Programming").
On April 1, 2011, DirecTV Sports Networks rebranded its FSN regional affiliates under the Root Sports brand.[41]
In 2012, News Corporation acquired a 49% stake in the YES Network, the regional sports network in the New York metropolitan area co-owned by Yankee Global Enterprises.[42] It was also in that year that FSN/Fox Sports Local relocated its headquarters from the Fox Studio Lot in Los Angeles to Houston, and then re-branded to its current branding. The FSN owned-and-operated networks were spun off along with most of News Corporation's U.S. entertainment properties into 21st Century Fox on July 1, 2013. On January 25, 2014, 21st Century Fox then became the YES Networks' majority owner by purchasing an additional 31% share of it, increasing the company's ownership interest from 49% to 80%.[43] In September 2013, the network gained the affiliation for FSN's national programming (sharing it with MSG Plus, the former FSN New York)
Sale to Sinclair Broadcast Group
On December 14, 2017, The Walt Disney Company announced its intention to acquire 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion after the spin-off of certain businesses into a new entity (Fox Corporation). While the acquisition was originally slated to include Fox Sports' regional operations (which, presumably, would have been re-aligned with Disney's ESPN division),[44][45] the Justice Department ordered that they be divested within 90 days of the completion of the acquisition due to the concentration of the market that ESPN would hold.[46][47]
Fox did not bid for the channels in the first round. On November 20, 2018, Amazon, Sinclair and CVC jointly,[55] Apollo, KKR and Tegna officially bid for the network.[56] It was also reported that a Sinclair/CVC joint venture was the leading bidder.[57][58] In December 2018, it was reported that due to the low bids, there was the possibility that the networks could be sold individually instead of as a single group, and that the banks were in talks with those who made partial bids, such as Amazon (who only bid for the YES Network) and Charter (who only bid for Fox Sports South). Minnesota Twins owner Jim Pohlad was reportedly interested in his team's broadcaster Fox Sports North.[59] Discovery CEO David Zaslav stated that the company had considered a bid, but that regional sports networks were a "very treacherous market".[60]
In a January 2019 SEC filing, Fox Corporation stated that it no longer had any plans to bid for the channels.[61] On January 11, 2019 CNBC reported that Apollo, Blackstone, CVC and other bidders except Sinclair backed out of the deal for the networks with the sole bidder being the Sinclair/CVC joint venture.[62] It was also reported that the possibility of spinning out the channels as an independent company was also being considered.[63][64] In February 2019, it was reported that Apollo and Sinclair had dropped out (but with the former seeking a new partner), but that Liberty Media and Major League Baseball had made offers.[65][66][67] Later that month, it was reported that Pohlad and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores (via his private equity firm Platinum Equity) had joined the Liberty Media bid.[68]
On March 8, 2019, it was reported that the Yankees had reached a deal to re-purchase Fox's share in the YES Network for $3.5 billion, with Sinclair, Amazon and The Blackstone Group holding minority shares. MLB also confirmed a $10 billion bid, seeking to use them to bolster the income of its small-market teams.[69][70] It was also reported that month that Ice Cube and LL Cool J (via Ice Cube's 3-on-3 basketball league Big3—which had Fox as its initial broadcast partner) were also preparing a bid of around $15 billion.[71] Big3 stated that it wanted to expand the channels to include programming covering "broader cultural and political topics" of local interest alongside sports. In April 2019, Big3 filed a complaint with the Department of Justice and FCC, accusing Charter Communications of attempting to "undermine" its bid by threatening to not carry the channels if it won the auction. Liberty Media owner John Malone has an ownership stake in Charter; the company denied Big3's allegations.[72] The final round of bids were due on April 15, 2019,[73] with bids having been in excess of $10 billion or higher. Liberty and MLB were reported to have partnered on a joint bid, Big3's bid contained $6.5 billion in debt and only $3 billion in outside funding, while Sinclair had re-entered contention in a joint bid with Apollo.[60]
On April 26 and May 2, respectively, Fox Business Network and The Wall Street Journal reported that Sinclair was nearing an agreement to purchase the networks for $10 billion.[74][75] On May 3, Sinclair officially announced that via its subsidiary Diamond Sports Group, it had agreed to purchase the networks for $10.6 billion, pending regulatory approval. At the same time, it was also revealed that Allen Media Group would hold an equity stake in the company and serve as a "content partner".[76] Three senators (Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren) called for the sale to be reviewed by the Department of Justice, citing concerns over Sinclair's political views, and that it could use the networks as leverage for carriage agreements for its broadcast television stations.[77]
The sale was completed on August 22, 2019. The networks would continue to temporarily use the "Fox Sports" branding under a transitional license agreement with Fox Corporation; Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley stated that there were plans to eventually rebrand them under either a new name, or to "partner with a brand who wants more exposure". There were also plans to increase non-event programming, and emphasis on sports betting in its programming.[5] In November 2019, the Sun-Sentinel reported that Fox Sports Florida was to be rebranded "within the next few months".[78]
On November 17, 2020, it was reported by Sportico that Sinclair was considering rebranding the networks via a naming rights agreement, and was reportedly in talks with multiple companies involved in sports betting.[84] The next day, Sinclair announced that it had entered into an agreement with casino operator Bally's Corporation to acquire the naming rights under a 10-year deal. The agreement included integration of Bally's content on the channels and other Sinclair properties (including its television stations, Stadium, and Tennis Channel), and a warrant giving Sinclair the option to acquire a 14.9% stake in Bally's Corporation, and up to 24.9% if performance criteria are met.[6] Sinclair announced in December 2020 that it planned to launch its own direct-to-consumer Bally's-branded streaming service, including live streaming of its linear sports networks, in 2021.[85]
On January 27, 2021, Sinclair announced that the networks would be rebranded as Bally Sports with Fox Sports Carolinas and Fox Sports Tennessee discontinued and their sports programming dispersed to the Bally Sports South and Southeast channels. To better reflect their target markets, Prime Ticket and SportsTime Ohio were rebranded as Bally Sports SoCal and Bally Sports Great Lakes, respectively.[86][87] In March 2021, Sinclair revealed that the relaunch would occur on March 31, the eve of Major League Baseball's Opening Day.[88]
Launched September 7, 1996 as first network to use Fox Sports name. Network closed October 21, 2023 as Bally Sports Arizona due to losing all broadcast rights.
Created through Fox Sports' acquisition of the local television rights to most of Detroit's professional sports teams from PASS Sports, resulting in Post-Newsweek Stations (owner of that market's NBC affiliate WDIV-TV) shutting down the latter in 1997.
Shares broadcast rights with sister network Fox Sports Sun; it was the last FSN network acquired by News Corporation through its joint venture with Liberty Media to retire the SportsChannel name, upon becoming Fox Sports Net Florida in 2000.
Originally launched as a subfeed of Fox Sports Southwest; became a 24-hour channel on January 12, 2009.[89] Fox Sports Houston was the television home of the Houston Astros and the Houston Rockets until Comcast SportsNet Houston acquired the rights to both teams in 2012;[90] that deal resulted in the shut down of Fox Sports Houston on October 5, 2012, with the main Fox Sports Southwest feed replacing it on area cable providers.[91] Comcast SportsNet Houston became Root Sports Southwest after that network went into bankruptcy.
Broadcast area originally served by Prime Sports Midwest and Fox Sports Midwest; Fox Sports Indiana became a separate channel in 2006, after Fox Sports acquired the regional broadcast rights to the Indiana Pacers. It is still considered as a subfeed of Fox Sports Midwest in some markets. Fox Sports South carries select Indiana Pacers games aired by Fox Sports Indiana in Kentucky.
Broadcast area originally served by Prime Sports Midwest and Fox Sports Midwest; Fox Sports Kansas City was created as a spin-off of FSN Midwest, after it acquired the broadcast rights to the Kansas City Royals from the defunct Royals Sports Television Network in a long-term deal with the team. Fox Sports Midwest remains available in the region, carrying St. Louis Cardinals game telecasts that Fox Sports Kansas City is unable to broadcast due to conflicts with Royals telecasts. Some of the channel's programming is produced by Fox Sports Midwest.
Cardinals games carried by Fox Sports Midwest are, respectively, broadcast by Fox Sports South in West Tennessee and Fox Sports Tennessee in northern Mississippi. Fox Sports Midwest re-acquired the local television rights to the Royals in 2008, following the shutdown of the Royals Sports Television Network, resulting in the creation of spin-off channel Fox Sports Kansas City.
Launched in October 2012, and created through Fox Sports' acquisition of the local broadcast rights to the then-New Orleans Hornets.[92] Network closed October 21, 2024 as Bally Sports New Orleans due to losing major sports rights.
Fox Sports North operates regional subfeeds for the Minnesota/Dakotas region. The Wisconsin feed, which is not available in areas of the state adjacent to the Minneapolis–St. Paul market, was spun off in April 2007 into the separate Fox Sports Wisconsin, which also carries select game broadcasts from Fox Sports North.
Reds games broadcast by Fox Sports Ohio are televised on local origination cable channels in portions of Tennessee (including the Nashville market) and western North Carolina. AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcasts select Cavaliers games televised by Fox Sports Ohio. Separate subfeeds also exist for the Cincinnati and Cleveland markets with the Reds owning a 50% stake in the Cincinnati subfeed.
Broadcast area formerly served by Fox Sports Southwest; Fox Sports Oklahoma launched on October 29, 2008, created through a broadcast agreement in which Fox Sports Southwest and then-independent stationKSBI (which carried select games produced by Fox Sports) acquired the television rights to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Select Dallas Mavericks NBA games televised by Fox Sports Southwest are broadcast on Fox Sports Oklahoma in areas within 75 miles of the Oklahoma City market. The channel also carries Big 12 Conference and occasional Texas Rangers games from Fox Sports Southwest; some Fox Sports Southwest-televised games are available through the Fox Sports Oklahoma Plus overflow feed.
Launched in March 2012, as a sub-feed of Prime Ticket. Network liquidated in April 2024 as Bally Sports San Diego following a settlement with the San Diego Padres relating to repeated failures to pay the team the previous year.
Sister network Fox Sports Southeast shares Atlanta Braves and Hawks broadcast rights with Fox Sports South. Production of the Braves game telecasts aired by Atlanta independent stationWPCH-TV was transferred from Turner Sports to Fox Sports South in 2011 (a byproduct of the Turner Broadcasting System's local marketing agreement with the Meredith Corporation that consolidated WPCH's operations with CBS affiliate WGCL-TV). On February 28, 2013, Fox Sports South and the then-SportSouth reached a deal with the Braves to acquire the 45-game package held by WPCH, rendering the team's game telecasts cable-exclusive beginning with the 2013 season and ending the station's 40-year relationship with the Braves.[93]
Formerly known as Turner South, and operated as a general entertainment cable channel, from 1999 to October 13, 2006, when it adopted the name SportSouth following its sale by Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary to then Fox Sports Networks parent News Corporation. SportSouth and Fox Sports South aired Atlanta Thrashers games until the team's relocation to Winnipeg (as the Winnipeg Jets) in 2011. Fox Sports South carries select Memphis Grizzlies games aired by SportSouth in Kentucky. SportSouth was rebranded as Fox Sports Southeast on October 5, 2015, citing viewer confusion caused by the Fox Sports Networks' 2012 rebranding that replaced the "FS" with "Fox Sports" as a prefix for the regional outlets.[94][95]
Formerly operated as a sub-feed of Fox Sports North beginning in 1998, Fox Sports Wisconsin became a separate channel in 2008 after Fox Sports North acquired the broadcast rights to the Milwaukee Brewers. It is still considered a sub-feed of Fox Sports North in some markets, and carries Minnesota Wild and Minnesota United FC games, which air on the alternate feed if the main feed is otherwise occupied. Fox Sports Wisconsin maintains master control and certain back office operations shared with Fox Sports North at the latter channel's headquarters in Minneapolis, but maintains separate production operations based in Milwaukee.
Prime Ticket aired Los Angeles Dodgers games from 1997 to 2013 when Fox lost the broadcast rights to Spectrum SportsNet LA, a joint venture between the team and Time Warner Cable that launched in April 2014.[97]
SportsTime Ohio
Ohio eastern Indiana Kentucky northwestern Pennsylvania southwestern New York
Launched in 2006, after the Cleveland Indians declined to renew its broadcast contract with Fox Sports Ohio; Fox would eventually purchase the network on December 28, 2012.
Prime Sports KBL (1995–1996) Fox Sports Pittsburgh (1996–2011) Root Sports Pittsburgh (2011–2017)
1996
2021
Acquired by Liberty Media in 2008 as part of an asset swap with then-Fox Sports owner News Corporation, these networks were spun off into the AT&T Sports Networks division of DirecTV in 2009.[98] DirecTV's Fox Sports affiliates were rebranded as Root Sports on April 1, 2011, and all except Northwest later rebranded as AT&T SportsNet in 2017 after AT&T acquired DirecTV two years earlier.[41]AT&T SportsNet Southwest is the only network in the group that does not air Bally Sports-sourced programming.
Partially owned by TCI; signed a three-year affiliation agreement in March 1997 due to Cablevision's initial refusal to allow SportsChannel Pacific to carry FSN programming. Carried Fox Sports News, Pac-10 games and Thursday Night Baseball. Fox Sports News was moved to Fox Sports Bay Area in March 1998, but Pac-10 games continued to air on BayTV until January 2000.
Comcast SportsNet Bay Area
Northern and central California northwestern Nevada parts of southern Oregon
Pacific Sports Network (PSN) (1989–1991) SportsChannel Bay Area (1990–1991) SportsChannel Pacific (1991–1998) Fox Sports Bay Area (1998–2008)
In April 2007, Cablevision sold its 60% interest in FSN Bay Area to Comcast. The network was rebranded as Comcast SportsNet Bay Area on March 31, 2008, and continued to carry select FSN programming until August 2012. Fox Sports sold its stake in the network to Comcast in April 2008. Continued affiliation as Comcast SportsNet Bay Area until 2012. Programming sometimes aired on Comcast SportsNet California.
Rebranded in January 1998, along with the other former SportsChannel RSNs. Despite the new name, the network was blocked from affiliating with FSN until January 1, 2000, due to an existing agreement with the New England Sports Network. In April 2007, Cablevision sold its 50% interest in FSN New England to Comcast, effectively giving the latter full ownership of the channel. It was rebranded as Comcast SportsNet New England on July 1, 2007, and continued to carry select FSN programming until August 2012.
Upstate New York northern Pennsylvania eastern Ohio
1996
2005
Defunct
Previously a Prime Network affiliate, it became an FSN affiliate by default in 1996, though it did not use FSN branding. The channel was shuttered in 2005 (due to the bankruptcy of parent company Adelphia) and was replaced by MSG Network and later MSG Western New York.
Sportsvision Chicago (1982–1989) SportsChannel Chicago (1989–1998)
1998
2006
Defunct
FSN Chicago served as the production hub for the Chicago Sports Report, Ohio Sports Report and Bay Area Sports Report (all of which were 50% owned by Rainbow Sports/Cablevision). NBC Sports Chicago aired FSN's national programming from 2006 until August 2012, and occupies FSN Chicago's former facilities at 350 North Orleans Street, which also houses the offices of the Chicago Sun-Times. The former Chicago Sports Report set was purchased by NBC affiliate WREX in Rockford, Illinois for use as that station's main news set. FSN Chicago shut down on June 23, 2006.
Launched in 2020 and co-owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and Chicago Cubs, restoring Fox Sports Network programming to the Chicago market after more than a five-year absence.
New York northern New Jersey northeast Pennsylvania southern Connecticut
1998
2021
After Cablevision became a partner in FSN and converted their SportsChannel networks to the FSN banner, MSG Network also became an FSN outlet, albeit keeping its own branding and graphics (a variant of the MSG logo of the time with a Fox Sports Net logo underneath was used on occasion). MSG carried FSN programming at different times to FSN New York and also contributed footage to FSN programs. (Prior to either MSG or SportsChannel New York, then-independent station WBIS-TV, now WPXN-TV, carried FSN programming as part of its sports offerings.)
New York northern New Jersey northeast Pennsylvania southern Connecticut
Cablevision Sports 3 (1976–1979) SportsChannel New York (1979–1998) Fox Sports New York (1998–2008)
1998
2021
Operates as a sister network of MSG Network; Owned by MSG Networks, a spin-off of Cablevision. Fox previously had partial ownership of the network. It was rebranded as MSG Plus on March 10, 2008.[99][100] Starting in 2013, MSG Plus aired a reduced schedule of Fox Sports programming, with certain other programs airing on YES Network.
SportsChannel New England rebranded to Fox Sports New England in January 1998, but carried no FSN national programming until NESN's contract expired on December 31, 1999.
Prime Sports Network- Utah (1989–1990) Prime Sports Network- Intermountain West (1991–1995) Prime Sports Intermountain West (1995–1996) Fox Sports Utah (1996–2011)
Launched in 2002, News Corporation acquired a 49% stake in YES in November 2012, in a deal that included an option to allow the company to expand its interest in the network to 80% within three years.[42] The option carried over to 21st Century Fox, following its founding through the subsequent 2013 spin-off of News Corporation's entertainment assets, which exercised the option for Fox Sports to acquire 80% majority control of YES (with the network's founding parent Yankees Global Enterprises retaining the remaining 20%) in January 2014.[43] YES later began carrying Fox Sports-sourced programming in September 2013; prior to the Fox Sports purchase, YES had carried select Yankees game telecasts over-the-air broadcast on Fox-owned MyNetworkTV station WWOR-TV and the Tribune-owned station WPIX. On December 14, 2017, The Walt Disney Company announced their intent to acquire 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion after the spin-off of certain businesses to a "New Fox" company, while the acquisition was originally slated to include Fox Sports' regional operations, the Justice Department ordered their divestment under antitrust grounds, citing Disney's ownership of ESPN. Yankee Global Enterprises invoked a clause the rights to buy their stake of the YES Network back following the acquisition from Disney. On March 8, 2019, it was reported that the Yankees had reached a deal to re-purchase Fox's share in the network for $3.5 billion, with Sinclair Broadcast Group, Amazon.com and The Blackstone Group holding minority shares.
This deal stemmed from the circumstances surrounding the 1997 launch of the original Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia, where Rainbow's regional sports network SportsChannel Philadelphia, and sister premium service PRISM (which offered a mix of sports and movies) were seemingly gutted by Comcast's acquisition of Spectacor—owner of the Philadelphia Flyers—and a stake in the Philadelphia 76ers, with plans to launch their own network,[102][103][104] only for Rainbow to join Fox and Liberty, possibly meaning SportsChannel and PRISM would become FSN affiliates instead.[105][106] Ultimately, the potential issues were settled in a deal that saw PRISM and SportsChannel's local coverage move to Comcast SportsNet, which would then become an FSN affiliate, while PRISM was replaced by Liberty's premium movie network Starz!.[107][108][109][110]
Most of Fox Sports Networks' other programming was later carried in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. markets on MASN2. Select games were also shown on Cox Communications local origination channels (later branded YurView), mostly in Rhode Island and Virginia. The Cox networks were exclusive to their cable systems.
Broadcast TV partners
At least two times in its history Fox Sports Net, partnered with broadcast TV stations to fill coverage gaps in markets where it did not have an affiliated regional sports network. Upon its launch, Fox Sports Net did not have an outlet in New York, the nation's largest media market (Cablevision's SportsChannel would not merge into Fox Sports until the following year). To overcome this obstacle, Fox Sports Net paid WBIS-TV $30 million to broadcast games and nightly news shows for the next five years. WBIS-TV itself was a new station that launched on July 1, 1996, when Dow Jones & Company and ITT Corporation purchased it from the City of New York. The Fox Sports programming complimented its "S+" format which combined sports programming and business news.[111]
From September 2012 to September 2013, Fox syndicated select college football and basketball games produced by the Fox Sports regional networks to broadcast television stations in some of the markets where the aforementioned Comcast SportsNet had dropped coverage. These stations included WLVI (Boston), KICU-TV (San Francisco), WMCN-TV (Philadelphia) and WDCA (Washington, D.C.).
Fox Sports Networks also operated Fox College Sports (FCS), a slate of three digital cable channels (Fox College Sports Atlantic, Fox College Sports Central and Fox College Sports Pacific) featuring programming divided by region (primarily collegiate and high school sports, as well as minor league sports events) from each individual FSN network; the FCS networks also carry each affiliate's regional sports news programs and non-news-and-event programming (such as coaches shows, team magazines and documentaries). The three networks were, more or less, condensed versions of the 22 FSN-affiliated networks (including Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic), though the channels also showed international events that did not fit within the programming inventories of FSN or Fox Soccer Plus (and prior to 2013, the latter's now-defunct parent Fox Soccer), such as the Commonwealth Games, World University Games and the FINA World Swimming Championships.
The three FCS channels offered FSN feeds from the following channels, including live Big 12 Conference football, Pac-12 Conference football and basketball and Atlantic Coast Conference basketball games. The channels also rebroadcast shows originally produced by and shown on the following listed networks:
FCS Atlantic: Fox Sports South, Fox Sports Carolinas, Fox Sports Tennessee, Fox Sports Southeast, Fox Sports Florida, Fox Sports Sun, MSG Plus and AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh;
FCS Central: Fox Sports Detroit, Fox Sports Southwest, Fox Sports Oklahoma, Fox Sports North, Fox Sports Wisconsin, Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Kansas City, Fox Sports Indiana and Fox Sports Ohio;
Fox College Sports also broadcast high school and Independent Women's Football League games, and college magazine and coach's shows. Fox College Sports formerly partnered with Big Ten Network to provide programming.
High definition
All of the Fox Sports Networks regional affiliates maintained high-definition simulcast feeds presented in 720p (the default resolution format for 21st Century Fox's broadcast and pay television properties). All sports programming broadcast on each of the networks (including most team-related analysis and discussion programs, and non-event amateur sports programs) was broadcast in a format optimized for 16:9 widescreen displays, with graphics framed within a widescreen safe area rather than the 4:3 safe area, intended to be shown in a letterboxed format for standard definition viewers.
National programs
Programming strategy
The programming strategy adopted by most of the Fox Sports Networks was to acquire the play-by-play broadcast rights to major sports teams in their regional market. This did not include NFL games, since the league's contracts require all games to be aired on broadcast television in each participating team's local markets. Therefore, FSN focused on other major professional leagues, like the MLB, NHL, NBA and WNBA.
In addition to local play-by-play coverage, the FSN networks also broadcast and produced pre-game shows, post-game shows and weekly "magazine" shows centered on the teams that maintained rights with the individual network. In some markets, FSN competed directly with other regional sports networks for the broadcast rights to team-specific programming. FSN networks also purchased shows or broker time slots for sports and outdoors programming from outside producers in their region to fill out their schedule further, with Fox Sports purchasing additional programming for national airing. Finally, low-trafficked late night and early morning timeslots were programmed locally with paid programming.
Also, FSN competed directly with ESPN in acquiring the conference rights to various collegiate sports events. One notable agreement was that with the Pac-12 Conference, in which packages of football and men's basketball regular season games were broadcast across all FSN networks within the regions served by each Pac-12 member university. Fox Sports Networks broadcast the majority of the Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament, except the tournament final, as well as a few Pac-12 matches from other conference-sanctioned sports (such as baseball and volleyball).
Besides play-by-play game rights, FSN provided a common set of programming that was available to all its regional sports networks, most notably The Dan Patrick Show, The Best Damn Sports Show Period and Final Score (TBDSSP and Final Score eventually ceased production, while The Dan Patrick Show later moved to the NBC Sports Network). Until August 2012, in some of regions served by that RSN, member channels of the competing Comcast SportsNet (as mentioned above) carried FSN programming through broadcast agreements with Fox Sports.
Fox Sports Networks' national sports telecasts were formerly marketed under the "FSN" brand; these national programs began to use more generic branding with fewer references to FSN or Fox in 2008, as a result of a number of Fox Sports Net affiliates being rebranded or realigned with other RSN chains (including FSN New England and FSN Bay Area, which both became part of Comcast SportsNet; FSN New York's relaunch as MSG Plus, the sister to MSG Network; and the eventual relaunch of several FSN affiliates acquired by DirecTV Sports Networks under the Root Sports brand); however, these networks later reverted to utilizing Fox branding on their FSN-syndicated broadcasts.
National prime time programming
In addition to regional programming, the Fox Sports Networks carried some prime time programming distributed to all of the regional networks (including past and present series such as The Best Damn Sports Show Period and Chris Myers Interviews). FSN tried to compete with ESPN in regards to original programming, most notably with the National Sports Report, a daily sports news program designed to compete with ESPN's SportsCenter, which debuted on FSN in 1996. Originally a two-hour program known as Fox Sports News, the running time of National Sports Report was steadily cut back (eventually dwindling to 30 minutes) as its ratings declined and the cost of producing the program increased. FSN hired popular former SportsCenter anchor Keith Olbermann and used him to promote the show heavily; ratings continued to slide (especially as Best Damn Sports Show Period's popularity increased), however, leading Fox Sports to cancel the National Sports Report, which aired its last edition in February 2002.
In some markets, FSN aired the Regional Sports Report (whose headline title was usually customized with the name of the region in which the particular program was broadcast, such as the Midwest Sports Report or Detroit Sports Report), a companion news program focusing primarily on regional sports as well as highlights and news on other sports teams that debuted in 2000 to complement the National Sports Report; many of the regional reports were cancelled in 2002 due to increasing costs of producing the individual programs.[112]
Most of the national studio programming seen on FSN originated from the Fox Television Center in Hollywood, California; in 1998, operations moved to the new Fox Network Center, located on the 20th Century Fox backlot in Century City. Some programming was instead produced from the FSN headquarters in the Westwood district.
2Xtreem Motorcycle TV (2008) – a renovation series focusing on motorcycle customizing, hosted by four-person team of current and former AMA licensed racers and mechanics. The show remains in production and was offered to FSN and its other networks in a brokered programming arrangement.
54321 (November 2002 – November 2003) – a short-lived action sports news and variety program hosted by Leeann Tweeden, Chad Towersey, Kip Williamson and Jason "Wee-Man" Acuña.
Amazing Sports Stories (2007–2011) a weekly half-hour re-enactment series illustrating various sports-related human interest stories (among those recounted included those on Bert Shepard's only game as a major-league pitcher, in which he made history as the first Major League Baseball player to play wearing a prosthetic device (it replaced one of his legs); Jackie Mitchell, a female pitcher who struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game; Lawrence Lemieux, a Canadian Olympicyachtsman who sacrificed his chance at a medal to save the life of two fellow competitors from Singapore; and Ben Malcolmson, a writer for the University of Southern California newspaper The Daily Trojan who walked onto the USC Trojans football team).
Baseball's Golden Age (July 6 – September 28, 2008) – a 13-episode documentary series profiling the history of baseball from the 1920s to the 1960s, illustrated partly using archived film footage.
BCS Breakdown (September 2006 – 2011) – a preview of the week's top college football games, with analysis on their potential influence on the Bowl Championship Series standings; the program was hosted by Tom Helmer, with Gary Barnett and Petros Papadakis as analysts. The program was created through Fox Sports' acquisition of the television rights to the Bowl Championship Series (with the exception of the Rose Bowl Game) that ran until the 2011 series.
The Best Damn Sports Show Period (July 23, 2001 – June 30, 2009) – a late-night panel discussion program featuring analysis of sports headlines and interviews.
Beyond the Glory (January 7, 2001 – January 1, 2006) – a biographical program focusing on events and notable athletes in sports.
Boys in the Hall (2011–2012) a documentary series, narrated by Tom Brokaw, chronicling notable baseball players.
Breaking Par (2016–2021) a monthly half-hour series that looks at the game of golf through a different lens.[113]
The Chris Myers Interview (2008–2011) – an interview program featuring one-on-one discussions with sports figures, hosted by Chris Myers.
Destination Polaris (2013–2021) A weekly magazine show focusing on all-terrain vehicles made by Polaris Industries, their owners, and what people do with their ATVs.[115] Sponsored by Polaris and runs on the network via a brokered-time agreement.
FSN Across America (2003–2004) – a newsmagazine program featuring in-depth stories and interviews. Original co-host Carolyn Hughes was released by FSN citing a violation of a morals clause in Hughes's contract following the discovery of her affair with Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Derek Lowe in 2004; the show was cancelled shortly afterward.
The FSN Baseball Report (2006–2008) – a daily baseball analysis program aired during the Major League Baseball season.
FSN Final Score (2006–2011) – a half-hour national sports news program (later retitled as simply Final Score on April 23, 2008) strictly focusing on game highlights that ran from July 3, 2006, to 2011; the program was originally anchored by FSN veterans Van Earl Wright, Barry LeBrock and Andrew Siciliano, later joined by newcomers Greg Wolf and Danyelle Sargent.
FSN Pro Football Preview (2005–2010) – a weekly analysis program featuring previews of the week's upcoming National Football League games.
Goin' Deep (2000–2001) – an hour-long newsmagazine series focusing on contentious issues in sports; the program was originally hosted by Joe Buck and later by Chris Myers.
I, Max (May 10, 2004 – February 18, 2005) – a talk show hosted by Max Kellerman; the program was cancelled due to multiple factors, including Kellerman taking time away from the sports television industry after his brother's murder and creative differences regarding the show's future direction.
The Last Word (March 1998 – May 2002) – a nightly sports analysis and discussion program originally hosted by Wallace Matthews (in New York City) and Jim Rome (in Los Angeles), the latter of whom later took over as the program's sole host.
Million Dollar Challenge (2000) – a game show where six contestants compete in sports-related physical challenges for a chance to win up to $1 million.
Mind, Body & Kickin' Moves (2007–2009) – a re-edited version of the British martial arts show Mind, Body & Kick Ass Moves.
NASCAR This Morning (2001–2004) – a morning program featuring analysis and news around the NASCAR circuit.
The Next Great Champ (2004, Episodes 5–10) – A reality television series where 12 fighters battled for a professional contract with Oscar De La Hoya'sGolden Boy Promotions and a cash prize. The Fox television network cancelled the show after 4 episodes, and the final six aired on FSN. Otis Griffin was the winner of the competition.
NFL This Morning/The NFL Show (2001–2002) – An NFL pregame show with a mix of football talk and comedy, hosted by Chris Myers, along with Marv Levy, Deacon Jones, Billy Ray Smith and Jay Mohr. Mohr, Smith, Jones and Levy were replaced with Tony Siragusa, Michael Irvin, and comedian Tommy Davidson for season 2.
The Official BCS Ratings Show (October 15, 2006 – 2011) – The weekly program announcing the current Bowl Championship Series standings (equivalent to ESPN's current College Football Playoff standings show); the program was hosted by Tom Helmer, with Gary Barnett and Petros Papadakis as analysts. The program aired on FSN as a result of Fox Sports' acquisition of the television rights to the Bowl Championship Series (with the exception of the Rose Bowl Game that ran until the 2011 series.
Shaun Alexander Live (2001) – a short-lived variety show that ran for several months in 2001; the program poked fun of host Shaun Alexander's lack of recognition despite his accomplishments.[117]
Toughest Cowboy (2007–2008) – a series of weekly competitions in which rodeocowboys attempted to ride in bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding. Each of those three disciplines was a round in the event, and this show toured arenas throughout the United States.
The Sports List (August 1 – September 7, 2004) – a daily sports news program featuring a countdown of ten stories based on sports topic, hosted by Summer Sanders.
Sport Science (September 9, 2007 – October 20, 2009) – a weekly program explaining various athletic skills and techniques through scientific methods, many of which analyzed for the program in a performance laboratory at an airport hangar set up by FSN. The concept then moved to ESPN, where Sports Science is a regular SportsCenter segment with some 'best-of' compilation programs.
TNA iMPACT! (June 2004 – May 2005) – a professional wrestling program featuring matches from the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion; the program has since moved to several different networks, and the promotion rebranded as Impact Wrestling in 2017, but then reverted to their original name in 2024.
Totally Football (2000–2001) – a weekly football analysis program.
Totally NASCAR (2001–2004 and 2010) – a daily program featuring news around the NASCAR circuit, interviews and race highlights (including those not permitted for carriage by the similarly formatted ESPN2 program RPM 2Night). Many FSN affiliates carried Around the Track, a similarly formatted version of the program.
The Ultimate Fan League (1998–1999) – a sports trivia game show, hosted by Bil Dwyer.
You Gotta See This (1998–2007) – a video compilation series featuring unusual and amazing highlights from the world of sports.
In addition, FSN aired an extensive lineup of poker shows, including Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament and MansionPoker.net PokerDome Challenge. The World Poker Tour began broadcasting on FSN with its seventh season. It recently concluded airing its 15th season.
FSN also provided pay-per-view coverage of select college football games. These were usually early-season games, and would feature either a Big 12 or SEC team against a lesser-known opponent. The pay-per-view coverage of SEC games ended upon the launch of the SEC Network in 2014, and most Big 12 schools phased out pay-per-view telecasts around this time as well. Oklahoma was the last school to feature select games on pay-per-view, doing so through 2021.
Americans in Focus
In February 2008, FSN launched a public service initiative called "Americans in Focus", with the sponsorship support of Farmers Insurance. This initiative consists of one-minute vignettes profiling non-white persons, with segments airing on the FSN networks in February 2008 and 2009 during Black History Month, from September 15 to October 15, 2008, for Hispanic Heritage Month and in March 2009 for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The Americans in Focus vignettes and the companion sub-site on the Fox Sports website were discontinued in April 2009.
FanDuel Sports Network Sun is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, a joint venture between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios, and operates as an affiliate of FanDuel Sports Network. The channel broadcasts local coverage of professional, collegiate and sporting events in the state of Florida, with a focus on professional sports teams based in Miami, Tampa and Orlando. FanDuel Sports Network Sun and sister regional sports network FanDuel Sports Network Florida are headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with studios located in Tampa.
NBC Sports Regional Networks is the collective name for a group of regional sports networks in the United States that are primarily owned and operated by the NBCUniversal division of the cable television company Comcast. The networks were originally established as Comcast SportsNet (CSN), a unit of Comcast's cable television business, beginning with a network in Philadelphia which launched in 1997. Their operations were aligned with the national NBC Sports division following the 2011 acquisition of NBCUniversal by Comcast. NBC Sports Regional Networks' business and master control operations are based in Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
FanDuel Sports Network South is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of FanDuel Sports Network. The network carries regional coverage of professional and collegiate sports events from across the Southern United States, along with other sporting events and programming from FanDuel Sports Network and FanDuel TV.
FanDuel Sports Network Ohio is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group as part of the FanDuel Sports Network chain.
FanDuel Sports Network Great Lakes is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of FanDuel Sports Network. The channel, which is a sister network to FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, broadcasts statewide coverage of professional, collegiate and high school sports events throughout northern Ohio, including the Cleveland area.
A regional sports network (RSN) in the United States and Canada is a television channel that presents sports programming to a local media market or geographical region. Such channels often focus on one or a few teams who currently play in Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, and/or National Hockey League. Minor league sports, College sports, and High school sports, may also be shown on such networks and are less commonly a focus of a channel such as the Longhorn Network and a few defunct Spectrum Sports channels such as Spectrum Sports and Spectrum Sports (Wisconsin).
FanDuel Sports Network Detroit is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group that operates as a FanDuel Sports Network affiliate. It provides coverage of local sports teams in the state of Michigan, primarily focusing on those in Metro Detroit. The network airs exclusive broadcasts of games involving the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Pistons, and Detroit Red Wings; repeats of Detroit Lions preseason games; and some high school sports.
FanDuel Sports Network West is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, a joint venture between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios, and operated as part of FanDuel Sports Network, along with its sister network FanDuel Sports Network SoCal. The channel broadcasts regional coverage of professional and collegiate sports events in California, focusing primarily on teams based in the Greater Los Angeles area. FanDuel Sports Network West is available on cable providers throughout Southern California, the Las Vegas Valley and Hawaii; it is also available nationwide on satellite via DirecTV.
FanDuel Sports Network Florida is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group as an affiliate of FanDuel Sports Network. The channel broadcasts local sports coverage in the state of Florida, with a focus on professional sports teams based in Miami, Tampa and Orlando.
FanDuel Sports Network Southeast is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, a joint venture between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios, and operates as an affiliate of FanDuel Sports Network. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the channel broadcasts regional coverage of sports events throughout the southeastern United States, with a focus on professional sports teams based in Atlanta, Tennessee, and Charlotte.
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) is an American regional sports network serving Greater Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania. Jointly owned by Fenway Sports Group and Robert Nutting via the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Pirates, respectively. It serves as the main broadcaster of both teams. It is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with some of its operations handled from the facilities of sister network NESN in Watertown, Massachusetts.
FanDuel Sports Network North is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as a FanDuel Sports Network affiliate. The channel broadcasts coverage of sporting events involving teams located in the Upper Midwest region, with a focus on professional and collegiate sports teams based in Minnesota.
FanDuel Sports Network Midwest is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, a joint venture between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios, and operates as an affiliate of FanDuel Sports Network. The channel broadcasts regional event coverage of sports teams throughout the Midwestern United States, most prominently, professional sports teams based in St. Louis, Missouri.
FanDuel Sports Network Southwest is a Texas-based regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of FanDuel Sports Network. The channel broadcasts regional coverage of professional, collegiate and high school sports events throughout the South Central United States. The network is headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Irving, Texas, with master control hubbed at FanDuel Sports Network's operations center in Atlanta, which houses master control operations for its regional networks in the Southeastern United States.
FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of FanDuel Sports Network. Operating as the "Wisconsin" sub-feed of Fox Sports North until 2007, the channel was known as Fox Sports Wisconsin until 2021. It broadcasts regional coverage of sports events throughout the state of Wisconsin, with a focus on professional sports teams based in Milwaukee, namely the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association. It primarily operates from a studio/office facility in downtown Milwaukee, with secondary offices and production studio/office hub based in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Most Major League Baseball games not broadcast exclusively by its media partners are televised by regional sports networks, which present sports programming of interest to their respective region. Most MLB broadcasters are members of chains such as NBC Sports Regional Networks and FanDuel Sports Network, although several teams are broadcast by regional networks that are independent of these chains. Some teams own partial or majority stakes in their regional broadcaster.
FanDuel Sports Network SoCal is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, a joint venture between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios, and operated as part of FanDuel Sports Network, along with its sister network FanDuel Sports Network West. The channel broadcasts regional coverage of professional and collegiate sports events in California, focusing primarily on teams based in the Greater Los Angeles area. Bally Sports SoCal is available on cable providers throughout Southern California, the Las Vegas Valley and Hawaii; it is also available nationwide on satellite via DirecTV.
FanDuel Sports Network Indiana is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of FanDuel Sports Network. The channel broadcasts local professional and high school sports coverage throughout the state of Indiana, with a focus on professional sports teams based in Indianapolis, namely the NBA's Indiana Pacers.
AT&T Sports Networks, LLC (ATTSN) was a group of regional sports networks in the United States that primarily own and operate AT&T Sports Networks. It was owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through TNT Sports. Each of the networks carried regional broadcasts of sporting events from various professional, collegiate and high school sports teams.
FanDuel Sports Network is a group of regional sports networks in the United States owned by Diamond Sports Group. The networks carry regional broadcasts of sporting events from various professional, collegiate, and high school sports teams. Through its owned-and-operated networks and several other affiliates, its programming is available to all or part of at least 33 states.
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