Various rumours consolidated: 1. SPEED will be rebranded Fox Sports 1 2. FUEL will be rebranded Fox Sports 2 3. FX to split into two networks; new network FXX will either be spun off into a new channel or will take over Fox Sports Soccer - FX would be primarily drama while FXX would be primarily comedy - with the two new sports networks, FX would no longer have ANY sports content. 4. No changes to Fox News, but message board commenters will still feel compulsion to make stupid references to it
I can see this eventually being a good thing, but there's likely to be some pain in the short term for cable subscribers as those currently without these niche channels will be very unhappy when the stations become much less niche, yet remain off the channel lineup. I expect there will be the usual outcry from NASCAR and/or UFC fans as their programs move around from SPEED and FX to the channel that used to be FUEL. (Of course, FUEL is very heavily UFC already, so there may be less noise from MMA fanboys. NASCAR fans, however, may go ballistic if, say, the truck series was permanently shunted to Fox Sports 2.) We'll probably know more in a few months as the Fox Sports rebranding is rumoured for August.
They are literally changing the names to Fox Sports 1 and 2? I'm going to assume this means the format of SPEED and FUEL will be changed to a general sports format like ESPN. This leaves me with four Fox Sports channels in the Detroit area. Overkill much?
"I'm the only winner on this team. The rest of 'em, they're losers. Either by choice, or by birth." - Jack Parkman (Major League 2)
Fox recently renamed their Mexico "Fox Sports +" channel in to "Fox Sports 2" - maybe someone did some name awareness testing and applied it globally?
The soccer people would probably be upset as well, but losing the EPL probably meant they didn't have enough weekly programming to support the network and FOX will still be invested in doing something with soccer since they have the World Cup rights. And all this should be sorted out way before 2018 (or we'll all be watching TV on the internet and it won't matter any more.)
The TBS/TNT model presumably has been successful for Turner, although I have no idea what is on TBS since Braves games left, other than Conan.
Fox Soccer is a mostly pointless channel after losing the EPL, except for Champions League which can easily become part of a general Fox Sports channel.
Given the amount of footage UFC has, FOX could make one sports channel into its own MMA network: Pride and Strikeforce and especially the old UFC PPVs (pretty much everything before the network ascension). And it would drive McMahon batty.
I would also like FXM to stop running ads during its films.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Originally posted by Matt TrackerGiven the amount of footage UFC has, FOX could make one sports channel into its own MMA network: Pride and Strikeforce and especially the old UFC PPVs (pretty much everything before the network ascension). And it would drive McMahon batty.
That's apparently what FUEL is nowadays, and probably will be large part of Fox Sports 2.
As a UFC fan, this would hurt a lot right now, as I don't/can't get FUEL currently (on Comcast Philly). Of course if this was just predicated on getting Fuel into as many homes as FX, then all will be well.
"Put on your helmets, we'll be reaching speeds of 3!" "It was nice of you to give that dead woman another chance." "All right, look alive everybody...oh sorry Susan."- MST3K: Space Mutiny Click Here (facebook.com)
I imagine if these changes take place, Fox will likely put leverage on cable companies to carry the channels and put them in better locations "on the dial."
I saw someone suggest "FFX" (Funny FX) as a better name than "FXX."
MLB will have a big presence on Fox Sports 1. Starting in 2014, FOX Saturday Baseball gets cut down to 12 weeks, while the majority of the national MLB coverage moves to FS1. There will be 40 coverage windows for MLB on FS1, so most likely there will more national FOX broadcasts than just Saturdays, but no details other than that have been announced.
Originally posted by VgmastrMLB will have a big presence on Fox Sports 1. Starting in 2014, FOX Saturday Baseball gets cut down to 12 weeks, while the majority of the national MLB coverage moves to FS1. There will be 40 coverage windows for MLB on FS1, so most likely there will more national FOX broadcasts than just Saturdays, but no details other than that have been announced.
Hey, if this stops them from preempting all the regular shows on Fox broadcast, then it can't come fast enough!
SPEED works for that channel because it is all motorsports. If they switch format and programming, there could be a chance that Canadian carriers may drop it due to their rules and regulations. That would suck.
Thinking of outcry: We don't get Fuel here in Canada, and if they move NASCAR there, I'll be missing out on THE HUB, and all the races that TSN doesn't air. That would also suck.
Originally posted by PapadocOliver, I'm sure you'll be OK with your NASCAR coverage. They aren't dropping NASCAR, just dropping all the awful programming when NASCAR isn't on.
I just hope they keep Rolex Racing, K&N Pro Series, and some of the qualifying shows on.
That's what I'm talking about. I love watching the K&N series, the ARCA series, and the qualifying runs.
Dear American Dad...Please forgive me for being OK with the network's decision to take you off the air for what turned out to be a horrible, horrible show.