Fox Sports 1 Update

[stever20]

I think the big question now will be do these truly outstanding ratings for soccer carry over into other sports for FS1. The thing is, like BEwannabe alludes to, the viewing audience for soccer is quite different from other sports. Will it carry over into MLB coverage and then into American Football coverage? I think that's the key question now for FS1. The soccer can't just be a one off type of thing.

[Xudash]

I think the big question now will be do these truly outstanding ratings for soccer carry over into other sports for FS1. The thing is, like BEwannabe alludes to, the viewing audience for soccer is quite different from other sports. Will it carry over into MLB coverage and then into American Football coverage? I think that's the key question now for FS1. The soccer can't just be a one off type of thing.

I'm not sure that is the big question.

The overriding concern for Big East fans has to do with the financial viability of FS1.

At a minimum, it's overall portfolio has to work out well in the long run. Soccer certainly seems more than capable of delivering solid ratings numbers and those numbers most likely will increase over time.

FS1 appears to be trending well at this point. No panic necessary as we move into season number three.

[stever20]

I think the big question now will be do these truly outstanding ratings for soccer carry over into other sports for FS1. The thing is, like BEwannabe alludes to, the viewing audience for soccer is quite different from other sports. Will it carry over into MLB coverage and then into American Football coverage? I think that's the key question now for FS1. The soccer can't just be a one off type of thing.

I'm not sure that is the big question.

The overriding concern for Big East fans has to do with the financial viability of FS1.

At a minimum, it's overall portfolio has to work out well in the long run. Soccer certainly seems more than capable of delivering solid ratings numbers and those numbers most likely will increase over time.

FS1 appears to be trending well at this point. No panic necessary as we move into season number three.

The channel though needs to be more than just soccer. One major thing with that is that the soccer audience is a lot different than the football audience or basketball audience. That's the challenge that FS1 has- can they get good numbers with football and baseball in the fall, and then moving on to the winter.

And the thing as well for the Big East- we can't have audience figures as bad as last year. Can't have title game get only 415k viewers. In a lot of ways, with the soccer audiences- the excuse that no one knows about FS1 is gone gone, long gone. Soccer doing well on FS1. UFC doing well on FS1. NASCAR doing well on FS1.

[marquette]

I think the big question now will be do these truly outstanding ratings for soccer carry over into other sports for FS1. The thing is, like BEwannabe alludes to, the viewing audience for soccer is quite different from other sports. Will it carry over into MLB coverage and then into American Football coverage? I think that's the key question now for FS1. The soccer can't just be a one off type of thing.

I'm not sure that is the big question.

The overriding concern for Big East fans has to do with the financial viability of FS1.

At a minimum, it's overall portfolio has to work out well in the long run. Soccer certainly seems more than capable of delivering solid ratings numbers and those numbers most likely will increase over time.

FS1 appears to be trending well at this point. No panic necessary as we move into season number three.

The channel though needs to be more than just soccer. One major thing with that is that the soccer audience is a lot different than the football audience or basketball audience. That's the challenge that FS1 has- can they get good numbers with football and baseball in the fall, and then moving on to the winter.

And the thing as well for the Big East- we can't have audience figures as bad as last year. Can't have title game get only 415k viewers. In a lot of ways, with the soccer audiences- the excuse that no one knows about FS1 is gone gone, long gone. Soccer doing well on FS1. UFC doing well on FS1. NASCAR doing well on FS1.

Soccer fans are a lot like UFC fans and NASCAR fans. That is to say, generally aware of what they want to watch and will find it whatever channel it is on. College basketball fans are much more fickle. If you didn't go to a particular school it had better be convenient for you to find the game.

[R Jay]

The channel though needs to be more than just soccer. One major thing with that is that the soccer audience is a lot different than the football audience or basketball audience. That's the challenge that FS1 has- can they get good numbers with football and baseball in the fall, and then moving on to the winter.

And the thing as well for the Big East- we can't have audience figures as bad as last year. Can't have title game get only 415k viewers. In a lot of ways, with the soccer audiences- the excuse that no one knows about FS1 is gone gone, long gone. Soccer doing well on FS1. UFC doing well on FS1. NASCAR doing well on FS1.

Soccer fans are a lot like UFC fans and NASCAR fans. That is to say, generally aware of what they want to watch and will find it whatever channel it is on. College basketball fans are much more fickle. If you didn't go to a particular school it had better be convenient for you to find the game.

+1. Before Creighton was in the Big East and Valley games on TV were few and far between, I was a "regular" college basketball fan. I just picked out which game I thought was the best game on ESPN or ESPN2. Maybe watched the Saturday afternoon game on CBS or a random game on the Big 12 Network (regional broadcast). Didn't even go to ESPNU, CBSSN, or the FSN regional affiliates (unless Creighton was playing on FSN Midwest, of course).

[BEwannabe]

I think the big question now will be do these truly outstanding ratings for soccer carry over into other sports for FS1. The thing is, like BEwannabe alludes to, the viewing audience for soccer is quite different from other sports. Will it carry over into MLB coverage and then into American Football coverage? I think that's the key question now for FS1. The soccer can't just be a one off type of thing.

I'm not sure that is the big question.

The overriding concern for Big East fans has to do with the financial viability of FS1.

At a minimum, it's overall portfolio has to work out well in the long run. Soccer certainly seems more than capable of delivering solid ratings numbers and those numbers most likely will increase over time.

FS1 appears to be trending well at this point. No panic necessary as we move into season number three.

Dash has this right. Sustainability is #1 priority for a startup like FS1 and soccer is helping Fox keeping startup FS1 head above water. The squeeze is on so to speak as this week ESPN announced more cutbacks by way of parting way with more of their on air talent. Olbermann got the axe (what a shame), ESPN let him go as they're squeezed by the loss of 3.2 mil viewers (year to year) primarily related to cable subscribers cutting the cord. Those cord cutters are taking basic packages, eliminating ate sports pkg and they often are choosing some streaming services like Netflix. On the expense side new competition like FS1 is driving the cost of property acquisition and on air talent higher.

So in this scenario with Fox having acquired a lot of soccer over the next decade they would appear to have struck a vein of gold. But all the other contaminants to success are still very much in play for FS1. People aren't going to watch MLB, it's boring and I can tell you golfers like myself panned Fox's US Open coverage but in the next breath I'll tell you golfers will still watch even with bad coverage because it's the only coverage.

There are a lot of moving parts for both Fox and the Big East and it will be interesting to watch their direction.

[MUPanther]

Difference being there is only one event on when talking about golf, nascar or soccer on FS1. There are 6 to 10 different networks on at once for college football and basketball.

[Jet915]

Fox made 40 million in ad revenue for the World Cup.

http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/fox-earned-40-million-in-ad-revenue-from-the-womens-world-cup.html

[MUPanther]

NHRA races move to FS1
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Dail ... 3/fs1.aspx

[Jet915]

1.035 million viewers for USA vs. Haiti last Friday. USA vs. Panama tonight on FS1 although USA has already advanced to the next stage so this game doesn't have much meaning.