Stadium College Sports

Stadium College Sports
Country	United States
Broadcast area	Nationwide
Programming
Language(s)	English
Picture format	720p (HDTV); (HD feeds downgraded to letterboxed 480i for SDTVs)
Ownership
Owner	Diamond Sports Group ; (a joint venture between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Allen Media Group)
Key people	David Nathanson, David Rone
Sister channels	Tennis Channel ; Bally Sports ; Stadium
History
Launched	June 2001;23 years ago
Closed	December 31, 2023
Former names	Fox Sports Digital Networks (2001–2004) ; Fox College Sports (2004–2021)

Last updated September 04, 2024

Stadium College Sports (formerly Fox College Sports) was a group of three American sports networks. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and Allen Media Group (under the joint venture Diamond Sports Group), the three channels aired college and high school sporting events and programming. The channels were divided into three feeds—Atlantic, Central, and Pacific. Programming was drawn from the Bally Sports regional sports networks and Stadium. The channels were shut down on December 31, 2023.

History

Fox College Sports logo

The three networks were originally launched in June 2001 as Fox Sports Digital Networks as a complement to Fox Sports Net for digital cable subscribers, since they did not have access to out-of-market regional sports networks that were available on satellite. The networks were managed by FOX Sports executive, David Nathanson, from 2001-2005^[1] and David Rone from 2005-2007^[2] . The majority of the programming presented on the networks originated from the various Fox Sports regional networks and affiliates. The networks focused on college sports, but also had out-of-market baseball games (which would be phased out after the first few years).^[3] In 2004, the networks were relaunched as Fox College Sports to emphasize their college sports programming.^[4]

On June 18, 2021, more than a year after the networks sold to Sinclair after having been sold to Disney as part of the 21st Century Fox purchase, and the rebranding of the FSN networks as Bally Sports in late-March of that year, the channels were quietly rebranded as Stadium College Sports, taking their name from Sinclair and Silver Chalice's national sports channel Stadium.^[5] In August 2021, Verizon Fios became the first major provider to provide the networks in high-definition.

On December 31, 2021, YouTube TV announced that the three channels would be removed from their Sports Plus tier on January 1, 2022.^[6] Coverage of ACC sports was lost with the move of those rights to The CW. With Sinclair's sale of their stake in Stadium in full to Silver Chalice and the Stadium network being replaced over-the-air with The Nest, Stadium College Sports was quietly and ultimately wound down on December 31, 2023.^[7]

Programming

The channels are divided into three geographical areas, which are Stadium College Sports Atlantic (formerly FCS Atlantic), Stadium College Sports Central (formerly FCS Central), and Stadium College Sports Pacific (formerly FCS Pacific). In addition to the events, the network features weekly coach's shows for various universities, programs from the various conferences and schools that highlight their athletes, and the regional sports reports from Bally Sports and other regional sports channels not within the Bally Sports system. Also featured are high school basketball and football games, and some state championships for these sports.^[8]

Major events include:

The three Stadium College Sports channels generally air simulcast and live games produced by the Bally Sports networks or by Stadium through the digital only WCC Network and Mountain West Network.

Former Programming

Previously, each network sourced its programming from the various Fox Sports Networks as follows:

FCS Atlantic: Shows Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East Conference, East Coast Athletic Conference, Ivy League and Southeastern Conference content from Root Sports Pittsburgh, Fox Sports South, Fox Sports Carolinas, Fox Sports Tennessee, Fox Sports Southeast, Fox Sports Florida, Sun Sports, and MSG Plus.
FCS Central: Shows Big 12 Conference and Mid-American Conference content from 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
FCS Pacific: Shows Big 12 Conference and Pac-12 Conference content from Fox Sports Arizona, Fox Sports West, Prime Ticket, Root Sports Rocky Mountain, Root Sports Utah, and Root Sports Northwest.
Pac-12 Conference football and basketball
FCS Final Score, a news program similar to FSN's former program Final Score , also aired on this network at the top of the hour; it has since been cancelled.
The National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship
Exclusive Home to The Paradise Jam Tournament from the Virgin Islands
The FCS Tailgate Tour
The NSSA College Surfing Championships
The South Padre Invitational
FISU International Collegiate Olympic Games every 2 years - both Winter and Summer. FCS was the exclusive domestic television carrier for these events.

Related Research Articles

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. Disney subsequently agreed to sell the networks to Sinclair; the transaction was completed on August 22, 2019. The networks continued to use the Fox Sports name only under a transitional license agreement while rebranding options were explored. 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.

Bally Sports South (BSSO) is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports Networks. 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 Bally Sports.

Bally Sports Ohio is an American regional sports network owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and is operated as an affiliate of Bally Sports. The channel broadcasts regional coverage of sports events in the state of Ohio, with a focus on professional sports teams based in Cleveland and Cincinnati, which are broadcast on separate programming feeds, as well as Columbus.

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.

Bally Sports 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 Bally Sports, along with its sister network Bally Sports 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. Bally Sports West is available on cable providers throughout Southern California, the Las Vegas Valley and Hawaii; it is also available nationwide on satellite via DirecTV.

Bally Sports Florida is an American regional sports network owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports. The channel broadcasts local sports coverage in the state of Florida, with a focus on professional sports teams based in Miami, Tampa and Orlando.

Bally Sports Southeast (BSSE) 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 Bally Sports. 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.

Bally Sports North is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as a Bally Sports 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.

Bally Sports 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 Bally Sports. The channel broadcasts regional event coverage of sports teams throughout the Midwestern United States, most prominently, professional sports teams based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Bally Sports Southwest is a Texas-based regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports. 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 Bally Sports Networks' operations center in Atlanta, which houses master control operations for its regional networks in the Southeastern United States.

Bally Sports Wisconsin (BSWI) is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports. 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 Brewers of Major League Baseball and 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 Bally Sports, 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.

Bally Sports 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 Bally Sports, along with its sister network Bally Sports 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.

Bally Sports Kansas City (BSKC) is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports. The channel broadcasts coverage of professional, collegiate, and high school sports events both within and outside the Kansas City area. It maintains offices at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

Bally Sports Indiana (BSIN) is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports. 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.

Bally Sports New Orleans is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports. The channel broadcasts local coverage of professional and collegiate sports events within New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.

Stadium is an American internet television sports network owned by Silver Chalice. It is headquartered at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

The Bally Sports Regional Networks are a group of regional sports networks in the United States owned by Diamond Sports Group, a joint-venture company of the Sinclair Broadcast Group and Allen Media Group. The naming rights to the network were sold to casino operator Bally's Corporation.

Stadium College Football was the broadcast of NCAA Division I football games by Stadium for the Stadium network, Facebook, the Bally Sports regional networks and Marquee Sports Network. Stadium College Football debuted on September 2, 2017, with a college football game between C-USAs UAB and SWACs Alabama A&M.

Major League Baseball on Fox Sports Networks refers to Major League Baseball television coverage on the former chain of Fox Sports regional networks.

References

↑ Alleynepublished, P. Llanor (2001-09-10). "Fates & Fortunes". Broadcasting Cable. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
↑ Dempsey, John (2005-08-23). "Fox College Sports taps G.M." Variety. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
↑ "Fox Set to Rename Cable Sports Service | TVWeek". TV Week. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
↑ "Fox Shuffles Cable Offerings". The New York Times. 26 May 2004. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
↑ "Fox College Sports to become Stadium College Sports". Bend Broadband. 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
↑ Gurwin, Jason (2021-12-31). "YouTube TV Drops CNBC World, NECN, and Stadium College Sports". The Streamable. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
↑ France, Erin (2023-12-21). "Stadium College Sports Channels Shutting Down". MIDTEL. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
↑ "Fox College Sports Name Change: Fox College Sports will become Stadium College Sports on June 18, 2021. All programming will remain the same". Rainier Connect. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.

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[1] Alleynepublished, P. Llanor (2001-09-10). "Fates & Fortunes". Broadcasting Cable. Retrieved 2024-09-03.

[2] Dempsey, John (2005-08-23). "Fox College Sports taps G.M." Variety. Retrieved 2024-09-03.

[3] "Fox Set to Rename Cable Sports Service | TVWeek". TV Week. Retrieved 15 April 2021.

[4] "Fox Shuffles Cable Offerings". The New York Times. 26 May 2004. Retrieved 15 April 2021.

[5] "Fox College Sports to become Stadium College Sports". Bend Broadband. 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.

[6] Gurwin, Jason (2021-12-31). "YouTube TV Drops CNBC World, NECN, and Stadium College Sports". The Streamable. Retrieved 2024-01-02.

[7] France, Erin (2023-12-21). "Stadium College Sports Channels Shutting Down". MIDTEL. Retrieved 2024-01-02.

[8] "Fox College Sports Name Change: Fox College Sports will become Stadium College Sports on June 18, 2021. All programming will remain the same". Rainier Connect. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.

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