FOX Sports 1 Launching In August

On August 17 FOX Sports 1 will launch nationwide and be available in over 90 million homes. The move by FOX coincides with the 20th anniversary of the FOX Sports brand.

The massive launch will be the largest in sports network history, along with one of largest in cable history. Because of FOX Sports 1’s parent company, the network will be ready with over 5,000 hours of live events and original programming annually from day one.

According to FOX Sports, live events covered will include college football, college basketball, NASCAR, UFC, and soccer. In 2014 FOX Sports 1 will begin airing Major League Baseball as part of an overall media deal with the sport.

The August 17 launch will include live events all day, including a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and a UFC fight.

FOX Sports Media Group Co-President and COO Eric Shanks believes FOX Sports 1 is the “alternative to the establishment” fans have been waiting for. His partner, Randy Freer, believes the network’s success will be based on proper planning:

“We’ve devoted significant resources over the last few years to acquire and/or extend multi-platform rights with a wide variety of leagues and governing bodies well into the next decade, enough to give us a rich schedule right out of the box.”

Part of FOX Sports 1’s rights are for playoff games and championship coverage for a number of sports. It will show college football’s Pac-12 Championship and Big-12 Championship game. When the network’s contract begins with MLB it will show a number of Division Series and Championship Series games.

FOX Sports 1 will also feature a number of sports regularly. UFC will be shown every Wednesday night as part of Fight Night, NASCAR will have a number of races aired, and European soccer will have a major presence.

Will you be watching when FOX Sports 1 launches in August?