Fox Sports 1 debuts tomorrow!

[badger]

YAY! (http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Fox_Sports_1_carrier_deals_sealed/20130816_15_E2_CUTLIN503042)

Dish, DirecTV, Time Warner, Cox, Comcast Corp., Verizon Communications Inc.'s FiOS, AT&T Inc.'s U-verse, Cablevision Systems Corp., Charter Communications Inc. and Suddenlink are all on board!

A schedule, per their site (http://msn.foxsports.com/other/page/foxsports-schedule):


Saturday 8/17/2013
FOX College Football Kickoff 6am ET
Fantastic Finishes 7am ET
NASCAR Live, Michigan Live - 8am ET
NCWTS Qualifying, Michigan Live - 9:30am ET
NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice, Michigan Live - 11am ET
NCWTS Racing, Michigan Live - 12:30pm ET
FOX Sports 1 on 1: Tom Brady 2:30pm ET
UFC Fight Night Prefight: Shogun vs Sonnen Live - 5pm ET
UFC Fight Night Prelims: Shogun vs Sonnen Live - 6pm ET
UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs Sonnen Live - 8pm ET
FOX Sports Live [Premiere] Live - 11pm ET

[okiewaker]

Cool. I browsed through my Cox channels. It's gonna be channel 728.

[reflector]

I am really excited for this channel. It will be channels 67 and 728 here, I think. The UFC event tomorrow night on the channel looks like it will be really good. The next season of The Ultimate Fighter will be on the channel as well. I think I will probably watch the channel more than ESPN from day one.

[rock on sooner]

DirecTV ch 679 at 7:00 P.M. is listing Sooner practice report. Don't think
it is a subscription channel but not sure....

[Ruf/Nek7]

I am freakin pumped about this. Maybe we will start getting I'm depth college football analysis outside of the $ec....and and and ERIN ANDREWS!

[Blue]

Please no jock sniffing wannabe witty nerdiness from anchors. No feelgood tiger wang smooching from Rick Reilly. No "hey look how much fun we are having fake laughing" NFL primetime. No Berman, No Jackson, No Cowherd, No Riscilla, No Everett.

[sooneron]

To me, that schedule looks downright meh, but to each his own.

The key is NO BERMAN, STU SCOTT, BAYLESS!!!

[S.PadreIsl.Sooner]

Is it on Direct TV? If so, what channel?

[JLEW1818]

219 on Direct

[achiro]

I think I read on most cable/dish channels, it will be Speed and Fuel converting over to Fox Sports 1 & 2. It is like that on Suddenlink.

[jkjsooner]

I'm surprised nobody yet has chimed in on their impression of the channel.

Here's my impression. The production quality seemed good. It's definitely a step up from what we're used to with the regional channels and especially the college football games that aired on the regional channels. I hope that means that all of our "Fox" games are on this new channel with upgraded production.

I watched both the college football preview and their sports news program. There were definitely some odd moments - people stumbling through what they're saying, announcers trying too hard to be entertaining, and messed up camera angles - but all in all I thought it was good for the first day.

Hopefully FS1 won't fill their days with people like Wilbon and Kornheiser screaming at each other over overblown pointless crap.


Anyway, I just hope this means better production quality for OU games. I also hope this is the end of the "pan to the freak with the face paint" camera shots we've come to expect from Fox. (ESPN/ABC and CBS did a much better job of giving the viewer the true game day experience... Believe it or not, not everyone at OU games wears hard hats and superman uniforms...)

[panhandlesooner]

I am having trouble finding this channel on Dish. Is it just me?

[reflector]

I am having trouble finding this channel on Dish. Is it just me?

I believe it is channel 150 on Dish.

[bluedogok]

Fox has been killing off Speed for a year to do this, I wasn't too happy about it but then I quit watching Speed a bunch when it became Nascar centric.

[badger]

I'm surprised nobody yet has chimed in on their impression of the channel.

i enjoyed the ufc event on late yesterday. would be cool if they make it a recurring saturday night thing -- till college football starts of course

[swardboy]

I am having trouble finding this channel on Dish. Is it just me?

Dish was slow to convert Speed to FoxS1 Saturday in my area. But now it's up and running on channel 150.

[reflector]

i enjoyed the ufc event on late yesterday. would be cool if they make it a recurring saturday night thing -- till college football starts of course

I believe they are going to have a lot of live UFC events on Wednesdays actually. I believe that through 2014. The Ultimate Fighter will air on Wednesday nights once the new season begins as well on FS1.

[S.PadreIsl.Sooner]

219 on Direct

Kewl! I get it! Hope it shows a bunch of Sooner stuff down where I'm at. I'm usually shut out.

[Collier11]

I believe they are going to have a lot of live UFC events on Wednesdays actually. I believe that through 2014. The Ultimate Fighter will air on Wednesday nights once the new season begins as well on FS1.


This is correct, they are calling it UFC fight night I believe. Saturday was a fun card, a lot of entertaining fights

[bluedogok]

To me the UFC stuff on there means I won't be watching the channel during that time, if they have a big focus on it I will forget the channel exists. I understand it is an up and coming sport in popularity but I would rather watch soccer than MMA stuff....and I don't watch soccer. I just have absolutely no interest in MMA.

[Collier11]

It isn't an up and coming sport anymore, it is a legit Big sport that is just getting bigger. Outside of a few boxers who still draw big, boxing is pretty much dead in the next 10 years unless they change the format. As a whole though, I think Fox Sports1 will be a focus of MMA, Baseball, NFL, and College football

[Scott D]

To me the UFC stuff on there means I won't be watching the channel during that time, if they have a big focus on it I will forget the channel exists. I understand it is an up and coming sport in popularity but I would rather watch soccer than MMA stuff....and I don't watch soccer. I just have absolutely no interest in MMA.

I doubt they'll have a whole lot of soccer coverage since NBC went all Notre Dame on the EPL this year.

[bluedogok]

It isn't an up and coming sport anymore, it is a legit Big sport that is just getting bigger. Outside of a few boxers who still draw big, boxing is pretty much dead in the next 10 years unless they change the format. As a whole though, I think Fox Sports1 will be a focus of MMA, Baseball, NFL, and College football
Boxing killed itself going for the quick PPV money and eroding the fan base by putting any fight of interest on PPV, 90 second Mike Tyson $50 PPV fights didn't help either. My father-in-law was a big boxing fan, he had HBO/Showtime just for boxing but even he became disillusioned when mediocre fights were going to PPV and he wasn't going to pay for those.

MMA seems to be following the WWE programming model, still lots of fights on regular TV or cable with a few prime events on PPV, that is a stable strategy for growth even with the alphabet soup of MMA organizations like boxing. I just don't like the sport (I was never much of a boxing fan either) but I understand the popularity.


I doubt they'll have a whole lot of soccer coverage since NBC went all Notre Dame on the EPL this year.
I know, I have seen the ads during the F1 races. Still doesn't mean that I am going to watch them. Fox already has a Fox Soccer channel so they don't need it on a general sports network.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

I know, I have seen the ads during the F1 races. Still doesn't mean that I am going to watch them. Fox already has a Fox Soccer channel so they don't need it on a general sports network.

This, but does Fox Soccer still have the rights to broadcast EPL matches with NBC Sports getting them as well?

Bundesliga on an english speaking channel, anyone? I'd subscribe/watch.

[bluedogok]

This, but does Fox Soccer still have the rights to broadcast EPL matches with NBC Sports getting them as well?

Bundesliga on an english speaking channel, anyone? I'd subscribe/watch.
No, EPL is an NBC exclusive but FSC has almost everything else.

[Collier11]

Boxing killed itself going for the quick PPV money and eroding the fan base by putting any fight of interest on PPV, 90 second Mike Tyson $50 PPV fights didn't help either. My father-in-law was a big boxing fan, he had HBO/Showtime just for boxing but even he became disillusioned when mediocre fights were going to PPV and he wasn't going to pay for those.

MMA seems to be following the WWE programming model, still lots of fights on regular TV or cable with a few prime events on PPV, that is a stable strategy for growth even with the alphabet soup of MMA organizations like boxing. I just don't like the sport (I was never much of a boxing fan either) but I understand the popularity.


I know, I have seen the ads during the F1 races. Still doesn't mean that I am going to watch them. Fox already has a Fox Soccer channel so they don't need it on a general sports network.


I will tell you just from my personal perspective why I enjoy UFC...the stars are told who they fight, they don't pick and choose. They have plenty of big events on cable, not just no names fighting, and the talent level is unreal. The other big deal is that they aren't making $20 mil a fight so even the big names fight 2-4 times a year

[8timechamps]

To me the UFC stuff on there means I won't be watching the channel during that time, if they have a big focus on it I will forget the channel exists. I understand it is an up and coming sport in popularity but I would rather watch soccer than MMA stuff....and I don't watch soccer. I just have absolutely no interest in MMA.

I'm right there with you. Hopefully, it'll just be a small part of the network's programming. With football on the way, I'm hoping they really step it up and go all out for the season. Seems like launching the network two weeks before the start of the season could be a good indication that will be the case.

[Collier11]

It is an all sports channel, they cant focus it on just UFC. I doubt it would even be 15%, but UFC is here to stay

[8timechamps]

Whoa, whoa, whoa...

Boxing is FAR from dead. In fact, it still brings in more money than MMA, and pays it's participants much larger payouts. Boxing has lost some popularity in the US, but is still a huge draw worldwide. I think MMA may be more popular in the US, but they still have a ways to go if they are going to be at the same level.

[8timechamps]

It is an all sports channel, they cant focus it on just UFC. I doubt it would even be 15%, but UFC is here to stay

I have absolutely no problem with UFC being here to stay. There are a ton of sports I have no interest in that are here to stay. I know it is a popular sport, and the folks that love it will watch when it's on, so I get why FOX went that route. Hell, if it keeps the network up and running as a viable alternative to ESPN I'll start watching!

[Collier11]

Whoa, whoa, whoa...

Boxing is FAR from dead. In fact, it still brings in more money than MMA, and pays it's participants much larger payouts. Boxing has lost some popularity in the US, but is still a huge draw worldwide. I think MMA may be more popular in the US, but they still have a ways to go if they are going to be at the same level.

Once Pac man and Mayweather retire, Boxing is in big trouble unless a stud Heavyweight comes around. Boxing does have bigger payouts but that has nothing to do with the popularity. I would bet that most ppl cant name 10 boxers anymore. And I love the sport of boxing, but it is ran very poorly. I think UFC salaries are going to have to go up, but they get paid a lot that isn't reported, and they get healthcare which boxing doesn't provide.

As for saying that boxing brings in more money than UFC, where do you get those #s? Not saying you aren't right, just wondering where they come from

[Collier11]

There was a major poll done in May that shows that UFC has passed boxing in popularity in the US

[badger]

I don't expect it to become a UFC-focused channel, because unlike, say, football, a match could be over in a few seconds, or take the full three rounds. That unpredictability wouldn't lend itself well to live television all of the time.

[jkjsooner]

i enjoyed the ufc event on late yesterday. would be cool if they make it a recurring saturday night thing -- till college football starts of course

I'm glad you mentioned that as I was going to mention more about it.

The UFC part is going to make it hard for me to watch FS1 when OU games are not on. The UFC commercials which are somewhat graphic are going to drive my wife crazy and if I'm just channel surfing she's going to demand I change the channel. That's especially true if my 3 year old is in the room. She doesn't want to expose him to that stuff.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

They launched it right before football season for a reason. It's not going to be MMA dominated.

[Scott D]

One also needs to remember that when ESPN came out there was a lot of programming on there that weren't considered to be all that popular by the tv viewing masses. But it was enough to give them a foothold and build into what they've become since.

[Boomer.....]

The UFC fight was great and Collier is right, the UFC has far surpassed boxing at least here in the US. It may be a difference in generations with the younger crowd watching UFC and the older crowd staying true to boxing.

[Scott D]

Has more to do with one person controlling everything in the UFC and multiple corrupt bodies controlling everything in boxing.

[Collier11]

Has more to do with one person controlling everything in the UFC and multiple corrupt bodies controlling everything in boxing.

Exactly. If someone in boxing would make one major organization so we know who the true Champion is and who could be fighting who. I couldn't name 5 boxers outside of Mayweather and Pac Man. Plus, they could put a few big fights on free tv

[Sooners78]

One also needs to remember that when ESPN came out there was a lot of programming on there that weren't considered to be all that popular by the tv viewing masses. But it was enough to give them a foothold and build into what they've become since.

You must be talking about Australian football. I actually laughed everytime those officials made the field goal calls. I still think that Aussie football and rugby are both much more interesting games than boring soccer.

[8timechamps]

Once Pac man and Mayweather retire, Boxing is in big trouble unless a stud Heavyweight comes around. Boxing does have bigger payouts but that has nothing to do with the popularity. I would bet that most ppl cant name 10 boxers anymore. And I love the sport of boxing, but it is ran very poorly. I think UFC salaries are going to have to go up, but they get paid a lot that isn't reported, and they get healthcare which boxing doesn't provide.

As for saying that boxing brings in more money than UFC, where do you get those #s? Not saying you aren't right, just wondering where they come from

Let me clarify, I'm saying that boxing as a whole brings in more money than UFC. Whether through PPV or just broadcasting rights (to HBO, ESPN, etc). I don't have any statistics to back that up, so I'm basing my opinion on the sheer magnitude of the sport worldwide. Then there's the (ridiculous) payouts boxing offers. That's another factor that leads me to my conclusion.

I'm a boxing fan, but not a die hard fan. And as a fan, I will concede that if boxing doesn't get it's act together (and I doubt they will), it will eventually be surpassed by MMA. Boxing is political. That's it's downfall. You're also correct in your assessment of the current "star power" (or lack of). Heavyweights are what grew boxing, and there hasn't been a big draw in that division since Lennox Lewis retired. It's come down to Pacquiao and Mayweather, and with every passing day it looks less and less likely that they will ever meet. There isn't much to be excited about on boxing's horizon.

I should give MMA a shot. I've always liked boxing, and I know MMA is the best fighting sport out there now...

I'll check it out this Wednesday on Fox 1.

[Collier11]

MMA is good because of the total skill required to be good at it. You have to get used to all of the wrestling and ground action which some find boring. Depends on if you appreciate the technical side

[bluedogok]

You must be talking about Australian football. I actually laughed everytime those officials made the field goal calls. I still think that Aussie football and rugby are both much more interesting games than boring soccer.
I still watch AFL games, one of the sports networks has the matches on live.

Boxing's politics and super big paydays to just a few have killed it, I still think the base was eroded by any fight of moderate interest being pushed to PPV. I remember when it moving to HBO/Showtime was a big deal and driving away some fans. Boxing had it's heyday, the move to PPV precipitated the decline and the politics and cast of characters killed it. The last fighter that I watched with any interest was Julio Caesar Chavez, that was because a friend in my apartments in Dallas got every fight and would always have a watch party. All I ever watched was the big fights growing up and usually that was with others, the only ones we watched at home were Sean O'Grady fights.

MMA has the ability to control their product, as long as they are able to avoid the complete politicization of the sport like boxing had they can be successful and will pass boxing. It just isn't my thing.

[Scott D]

You must be talking about Australian football. I actually laughed everytime those officials made the field goal calls. I still think that Aussie football and rugby are both much more interesting games than boring soccer.

they also showed a lot of billiards, bowling...and even equstrian.