Fox Soccer Plus is an American sports channel dedicated to soccer and rugby. It was formed as a spin-off of Fox Soccer when its owner Fox Entertainment Group re-acquired rights from competitor Setanta Sports USA in January 2010, putting the latter channel out of business. It launched on March 1, 2010.^[1]

Coverage rights[link]

Soccer[link]

The channel airs soccer matches from the UEFA Champions League, England's Barclays Premier League, the FA Cup,^[1] the Football League Cup, England's Football League Championship, and the Scottish Premier League. Moreover, Fox Soccer Plus has acquired the rights to a handful of English national team matches, for both the senior and junior squads.

Rugby[link]

Fox Soccer Plus has picked up rights to major rugby competitions in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Fox Soccer Plus has rights to the Europe-wide Heineken Cup plus England's Aviva Premiership and the Magners League in the Celtic nations and Italy (although Magners League matches are non-existent in Fox Soccer Plus' schedule for the first six weeks of the season). In 2010 it secured the rights to broadcast the 2010 Rugby League Four Nations.^[2]

Starting in 2012, Fox Soccer Plus will broadcast some National Rugby League, Super League, and AFL Aussie Rules matches live. ^[3][4]

Former[link]

Coverage of Italy's Serie A and France's Ligue 1 ended in May 2012, as both will move to BeIN Sports USA starting with the 2012-2013 season.^[5]

The channel formerly held rights to all major properties in the SANZAR countries—the Tri Nations involving the national teams of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia; Super Rugby, involving franchises from each of these countries; South Africa's Currie Cup; and New Zealand's ITM Cup.^[6] However, in 2011, Fox Soccer Plus lost broadcasting rights for Super Rugby and Tri Nations to DirecTV. ^[7]

Carriage[link]

Fox Soccer Plus is available nationally on DirecTV ^[8] and Dish Network, ^[8] and regionally on Verizon FiOS, ^[8] Time Warner Cable, ^[8] Brighthouse Networks,^[9] Cablevision, ^[10] and AT&T Uverse. ^[11]

High Definition[link]

Fox Soccer Plus's 720p HD feed is available nationally on DirecTV, ^[12] and regionally on Time Warner Cable, ^[13] Brighthouse Networks, ^[9] and AT&T Uverse. ^[11]

References[link]

Fox Soccer (formerly Fox Soccer Channel) is an American television specialty channel, owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group, that specializes in soccer. It formerly broadcast rugby and Australian rules football, but is now dedicated strictly to soccer. Launched on November 1, 1997, when it was originally known as Fox Sports World, the channel took its current name in 2005, later dropping the word "channel" from its name on August 13, 2011. In 2006, most non-soccer programming (other than Sky Sports News - see below) was dropped.

Current programming[link]

The channel focuses on soccer throughout the world. Among the countries whose matches it currently televises:

United Kingdom[link]

• Live and tape-delayed matches each week from the English Premier League, plus weekly magazine (Premier League World), preview (Premier League Preview Show, and Matchday) and recap (Premier League Review and Goals on Sunday) shows. Besides matches on Fox Soccer, Fox Deportes and Fox Soccer Plus, up to 3 matches each season will be available live free-to-air on Fox. Up to 74 matches each season have been sublicensed to ESPN, Inc. Contract runs through May 2013.
• The season-opening FA Community Shield live through August 2017.
• English FA Cup through May 2018. Some matches air on Fox Soccer Plus.
• English Football League Championship - Promotion playoff final only. Other matches air on Fox Soccer Plus.
• English Football League Cup - One semifinal series and the Final. Other matches air on Fox Soccer Plus.
• England under-21 - selected home matches through May 2018. Other home matches air on Fox Soccer Plus.
• England national football team - selected home friendlies through May 2018 and home qualifying matches for FIFA World Cup 2014 through October 2013. Other home matches air on Fox Soccer Plus.
• Scottish Premier League - Old Firm derbies between Celtic F.C. and Rangers F.C. through May 2014 via an agreement with SPORTFIVE International. Commentary will be provided by the host broadcaster BSkyB. Other Scottish Premier League matches will air on Fox Soccer Plus.

Italy[link]

• English-language TV coverage of Serie A through the 2011-2012 season. Coverage is shared with Fox Soccer Plus. Contract will NOT be renewed as U.S. TV coverage will move to BeIN Sports USA starting with the 2012-2013 season.^[1]

France[link]

• 5 Ligue 1 matches each season through the 2011-2012 season. Fox Soccer Plus will air 38 matches each season. Contract will NOT be renewed as U.S. TV coverage will move to BeIN Sports USA starting with the 2012-2013 season.

Australia[link]

• One live match per week plus a weekly highlights package from the A-League, culminating with the A-League Grand Final. Contract runs through April 2015.
• All three Rugby League State of Origin games live as well as the NRL Grand Final. Other NRL matches will air on Fox Soccer Plus. ^[2][3]
• Australian Football League (AFL) - weekly live matches will air on Fox Soccer Plus, with the Grand Final to be aired live on either Fox Soccer or Fox Soccer Plus (to be determined).

Japan[link]

• A weekly highlights package Gambare! from the J. League.

United States[link]

• Live coverage of selected United Soccer Leagues matches, including:
  • The championship matches of all USL leagues — USL Pro, Premier Development League, and W-League.
• Up to three live college soccer matches each week in September and October via an agreement with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Other matches may air on Fox Sports Net affiliates or Fox College Sports multiplex channels as part of multi-sport deals between various conferences and those channels.
• Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final (2006–2011). The competition is the U.S. equivalent of the English FA Cup.

Other events[link]

• UEFA:
  • Live coverage of the UEFA Super Cup through August 2014.
  • Live coverage of the UEFA Champions League through May 2015. Fox Sports Media Group has the first, second, and third picks of live matches for each night of the competition. Different live matches will air on Fox Soccer, Fox Soccer Plus, Fox Deportes and regional Fox Sports Net affiliates, with rebroadcasts on Fox Soccer. DirecTV broadcasts all remaining matches during the playoff round and the group stage. Fox Soccer will air semifinal matches on Tuesdays and FX will air semifinal matches on Wednesdays. The final will air live free-to-air on Fox.
  • Live coverage of the UEFA Europa League for the 2012-2015 seasons. Different matches will air live on Fox Soccer, Fox Soccer Plus and Fox Deportes

• CONCACAF:
  • Live coverage of the CONCACAF Champions League, including any matches that involve Major League Soccer teams based in the U.S., plus both semifinals and the final.
  • Live coverage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2011, featuring all U.S. matches plus the final.

• FIFA:
  • FIFA World Cup 2018 and 2022.
  • FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 and 2019.
  • FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 and 2021.
  • FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021.
  • FIFA U-17 World Cup 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021.
  • FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022.
  • FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022.
  • FIFA Club World Cup through December 2012.
    • Through 2006, Fox Soccer aired several other FIFA events (see "Past programming" section immediately below). However, ESPN holds the U.S. English-language television rights to all FIFA events except for the Club World Cup, from 2007 through 2014. Coverage of FIFA events will return to Fox Soccer for the 2015-2022 contract cycle.

Past programming[link]

In the past, Fox Soccer also aired the following:

• Argentina: One match every week from the Argentine Primera División, plus the weekly highlights show Fútbol de Primera, through the 2009-2010 season. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) terminated its TV rights contract with Fox Sports International for the Americas except Argentina and Brazil, which was not scheduled to expire until 2014, shortly before the start of the 2010 Torneo Apertura. Argentine Primera División matches now air in the U.S. on GOLTV and TyC Sports USA.

• Mexico: Limited coverage of the Primera División through the early part of the 2007 Apertura season. Showed home games from teams such as Cruz Azul, C.F. Pachuca, Santos Laguna and Tecos UAG.

• Germany: First Bundesliga through the 2005-2006 season. Bundesliga coverage moved to GolTV effective with the 2006-2007 season.
• Spain: Selected La Liga matches that notably did not have FC Barcelona, Valencia CF, Real Madrid or Atlético Madrid, four of Spain's biggest clubs, involved, through the 2003-2004 season. Coverage moved to GolTV effective with the 2004-2005 season.
• Netherlands: Eredivisie in the 2004-2005 season.
• United States:
  • Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2003 - 2011, before coverage moved to NBC Sports Network through at least the 2014 season.^[4]
  • A Major League Soccer highlight show entitled MLS Wrap.
  • United States men's national soccer team and United States women's national soccer team: Selected friendlies. Coverage has moved to NBC Sports Network for 2012-2014.

• UEFA Euro 2000
• FIFA:
  • Confederations Cup through 2005. Coverage will return to Fox Soccer in 2017.
  • FIFA World Youth Championship, now the FIFA U-20 World Cup, through 2005. Coverage will return to Fox Soccer in 2015.
  • FIFA U-17 World Championship, now the FIFA U-17 World Cup, through 2005. Coverage will return to Fox Soccer in 2015.
• CONMEBOL: Live and tape-delayed coverage of selected Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana matches. Now air exclusively on Fox Deportes in Spanish with English-language SAP.

• Super Rugby - Coverage has moved to DIRECTV.
• Tape delay coverage of the 2003 Rugby World Cup (live coverage was on Setanta Sports USA).

HD Programming[link]

Fox Soccer HD is a 720p high definition simulcast of Fox Soccer that launched in January 2010. On February 10, 2010, Fox Soccer HD became available on Dish Network.^[5] DirecTV added it on August 11, 2010.^[6] Verizon FIOS added Fox Soccer HD on April 14, 2011.^[7] Comcast began rolling out Fox Soccer HD in June 2011, but only to selected markets.^[8]

[edit] Sky Sports News

Fox Soccer picks up the feed from its corporate cousin, Sky Sports News in the United Kingdom. In 2007, Fox Soccer began running the feed live at 2 a.m., noon and 7 p.m. Eastern Time (the 7 p.m. edition moved to Fox Soccer Plus effective September 2010). This arrangement dates back to its days as Fox Sports World, and offers updated soccer news throughout the day (along with coverage of other international sports such as rugby, cricket and British horse racing.)

During the international off-season from May–August 2010 the 2am simulcast of the 7am GMT hour was replaced with a tape-delayed broadcast of Sky News at Ten from SSN & Fox Soccer sister network Sky News, which features a comprehensive recap of the day in sports; likely this was due to 2010 World Cup highlights exclusivity by American rightsholder ESPN, in addition to Sky Sports News converting their operations to high definition. The 2am simulcast of Sky Sports News was restored in August 2010 with the start of the European season.

[edit] Fox Soccer Report

Fox Soccer's flagship studio program is the Fox Soccer Report, anchored by Michelle Lissel, Eoin O'Callaghan and Asa Rehman. Former Scottish amateur footballer Bobby McMahon is featured on Mondays and Fridays, providing analysis of the weekend's matches. The show is produced by Fox Sports World Canada, a Canadian international sports network owned by Shaw Media. The show was formerly called Global Sportslink and Fox Sports World Report, which also featured occasional news and highlights of Formula One, Rugby, and other sports prior to the format change. It airs nightly at 10 p.m. Eastern (or after a live prime-time match- though highlights of that game are not included because the show is taped), with a few re-airs overnight and during the morning.

Additional information[link]

Fox Soccer offers its own game programming for United States soccer leagues through arrangements with outside production companies.

Most of Fox Soccer's coverage which originates outside the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America, Caribbean) consists of picking up international broadcast feeds to which Fox Soccer has the U.S. broadcast rights. The A-League broadcasts are produced by Fox Sports (Australia). The English coverage generally comes to Fox Soccer direct from IMG and Input Media, which produce the Premier League and FA Cup/England national team world feed broadcasts, respectively.

The network's soccer coverage is not limited to game play; Fox Soccer airs reruns of Dream Team, a British soap opera that aired in the UK on Fox Soccer's corporate cousin Sky One until 2007 and focused on a fictional Premiership team. The channel also televises a live soccer talk-show, Fox Football Fone-in, featuring viewer calls and predictions for that weekend's Premier League matches. During the Premier League term, Fox Soccer also produces and airs a couple of studio-based shows surrounding its game coverage.^[9]

In 2006, Fox Soccer announced that they had dropped coverage of other sports other than soccer. Amongst the leagues dropped were Super Rugby (rugby union), the Australian Football League (the principal Australian rules football league), and the Australian National Rugby League. The Super 14 games resided on Setanta Sports USA until it went off the air in early 2010, while ESPN offers the AFL. In return, Setanta gave Fox Soccer the rights to some national team matches that would not otherwise air live. After Setanta's demise in the US, News Corporation acquired most of Setanta USA's former rights and created the new Fox Soccer Plus as a second broadcast outlet.

Fox Sports World originally filled out its schedule with an eclectic mix of programming; among the sports featured (either in anthology form or actual events) were motorsports (prior to News Corporation's acquisition of SPEED), cricket, pool, darts, and extreme sports. It also aired the Final Four of the Euroleague in basketball; that league is now more extensively covered by NBA TV.

However, Fox Soccer has not yet filled out its day with sports programming; the morning hours are usually filled with infomercials as well as the random half-hour in between games on some days.

Since its relaunch in 2007, the channel has had various well-known people in and out of the soccer world do promos. The first of these aired on the Fox network pregame show for Super Bowl XXXIX. It featured Freddy Adu, Clint Mathis and Mia Hamm giving the channel's slogan: "Your world, your life, your game." Since then, other celebrities have popped up doing Fox Soccer promos including David Beckham, Victoria Beckham, Jon Stewart, Kobe Bryant, Simon LeBon and Andy Taylor of Duran Duran, Andrew Fletcher and Martin Gore of Depeche Mode, Paul Rodgers of Bad Company, Ziggy Marley and even Paris Hilton. Two additional spots featured Eddie Pope and Chris Albright of the U.S. national team, but they were no longer aired after the conclusion of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Ethan Zohn, winner of Survivor: Africa in 2001, hosted FC Fox, a show mostly focused on youth soccer which debuted in 2006 and aired for less than a year. The show has now been retitled and is generally done with voice-over narration.

References[link]