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Thread: Morale at FS1/Fox Sports has never been lower. Execs actively dislike each other...

  1. #1

    Morale at FS1/Fox Sports has never been lower. Execs actively dislike each other...

    ...News basically eliminated. Personalities enabled.

    This from SI's media columnist's Twitter post yesterday - no story that accompanied it though. Lot's of other Tweets by him on the subject yesterday as well.

    This from yesterday's WSJ: http://www.wsj.com/articles/fox-spor...ows-1460576052

    This is an unlikely scenario, but what if Fox throws in the towel on FS1? They theoretically still $ obligated to the BE for the balance of the contract? Depends on the contract I guess.

  2. #2
    They won't throw in the towel. But it retrospect they were way too ambitious when they launched, and now I think they are heading in exactly the wrong direction by throwing resources at "hot take" kind of guys like Colin Cowherd.

    NBC Sports Network was a better model. They built by acquiring rights to live events, even minor events, which draw more eyeballs. They get more viewers for EPL soccer on Saturdays and Sundays than the BE gets for basketball on FS1. By a long shot. (Granted not much competition.) But NBC correctly viewed this as a marathon, not a sprint. That's not sexy. That doesn't make a splash, but in the long run it may have been a better course.

  3. #3
    FS1 is doing fine with LIVE events, they just need more of them. That's what really matters!
    March Madness starts in November

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by TheSultan View Post
    They won't throw in the towel. But it retrospect they were way too ambitious when they launched, and now I think they are heading in exactly the wrong direction by throwing resources at "hot take" kind of guys like Colin Cowherd.

    NBC Sports Network was a better model. They built by acquiring rights to live events, even minor events, which draw more eyeballs. They get more viewers for EPL soccer on Saturdays and Sundays than the BE gets for basketball on FS1. By a long shot. (Granted not much competition.) But NBC correctly viewed this as a marathon, not a sprint. That's not sexy. That doesn't make a splash, but in the long run it may have been a better course.
    Ratings matter very little. Networks receive very little income from advertising. ESPN gets more than2/3rds of its total income in payments from the cable/sat providers. FS1 is in almost 100 million homes at between $.85 and $1.15 per pop. It is in significantly more homes than CBSSN and NBSSN. As long as FS1 gets into the homes, it will be fine. It doesn't need significant numbers on a Tuesday afternoon. While ratings would be nice, a bigger key is having events that generate demand for the network among cable and sat providers. I have to believe that is the sole reason for the BE contract. Having the BE bball games helped FS1 get on cable systems in major markets which, in turn, has made the network profitable. In other words, charging a bit more in advertising revenue is nice. Being on all the cable providers in the Milwaukee area, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers paying $.85 a month, every month, is worth so much more. If MU wasn't on FS1, there would be little incentive for the providers to have added FS1. Its the same strategy the NFL Network uses. It has what, 8 events that people want to see? Those 8 events generate a huge amount of subscriber fees, even if daytime ratings are nil.

  5. #5
    I still say the #1 problem with FS1 is that it is damn near impossible to find on the channel lineup so they will never get the channel surfers.

    There have been times I was at MU game, my kids at home. They text me asking what channel it is on. I say FS1, 1600 something. I get home asked about the game and they says they couldn't find it and gave up. This is someone that was actually looking for the game!
    "When March Madness spills into April.... that's the gravy!" - Homer Simpson

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by MU88 View Post
    Ratings matter very little. Networks receive very little income from advertising. ESPN gets more than2/3rds of its total income in payments from the cable/sat providers. FS1 is in almost 100 million homes at between $.85 and $1.15 per pop. It is in significantly more homes than CBSSN and NBSSN. As long as FS1 gets into the homes, it will be fine. It doesn't need significant numbers on a Tuesday afternoon. While ratings would be nice, a bigger key is having events that generate demand for the network among cable and sat providers. I have to believe that is the sole reason for the BE contract. Having the BE bball games helped FS1 get on cable systems in major markets which, in turn, has made the network profitable. In other words, charging a bit more in advertising revenue is nice. Being on all the cable providers in the Milwaukee area, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers paying $.85 a month, every month, is worth so much more. If MU wasn't on FS1, there would be little incentive for the providers to have added FS1. Its the same strategy the NFL Network uses. It has what, 8 events that people want to see? Those 8 events generate a huge amount of subscriber fees, even if daytime ratings are nil.

    Yeah this is good stuff and I agree.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by MU88 View Post
    Ratings matter very little. Networks receive very little income from advertising. ESPN gets more than2/3rds of its total income in payments from the cable/sat providers. FS1 is in almost 100 million homes at between $.85 and $1.15 per pop. It is in significantly more homes than CBSSN and NBSSN. As long as FS1 gets into the homes, it will be fine. It doesn't need significant numbers on a Tuesday afternoon. While ratings would be nice, a bigger key is having events that generate demand for the network among cable and sat providers. I have to believe that is the sole reason for the BE contract. Having the BE bball games helped FS1 get on cable systems in major markets which, in turn, has made the network profitable. In other words, charging a bit more in advertising revenue is nice. Being on all the cable providers in the Milwaukee area, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers paying $.85 a month, every month, is worth so much more. If MU wasn't on FS1, there would be little incentive for the providers to have added FS1. Its the same strategy the NFL Network uses. It has what, 8 events that people want to see? Those 8 events generate a huge amount of subscriber fees, even if daytime ratings are nil.
    Exactly why the Big East added Rutgers and Maryland.

    On Time Warner both FS1 and The Big 10 Network are not near the other sports networks. Big 10 is in the 60's and FS1 is in the 70's, while the ESPN channels are in the 30's

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Ganzer, "IWB" View Post
    I still say the #1 problem with FS1 is that it is damn near impossible to find on the channel lineup so they will never get the channel surfers.

    There have been times I was at MU game, my kids at home. They text me asking what channel it is on. I say FS1, 1600 something. I get home asked about the game and they says they couldn't find it and gave up. This is someone that was actually looking for the game!
    That depends on your location. Here in the DC area w/ Verizon, all the HD national sports stations start at 570 (ESPN of course) and end at 595 (YES Network I think). FS1 and FS2 are at 583 and 584 right next to the BIG Nextwork at 585. It's not difficult to find. Maybe the cable providers in Wisconsin have things assbackward, but I doubt it's that way all over the country.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Goose85 View Post
    Exactly why the Big East added Rutgers and Maryland.

    On Time Warner both FS1 and The Big 10 Network are not near the other sports networks. Big 10 is in the 60's and FS1 is in the 70's, while the ESPN channels are in the 30's
    HD numbers are different and much much better.
    March Madness starts in November

  10. #10
    On ATT Uverse here sports channels start at 1602 which is ESPN.

    1602 - ESPN
    1604 - ESPN Radio\
    1605 - ESPNU
    1606 - ESPN2
    1607 - SEC
    1608 - SEC A
    1609 - SEC B
    1611 - Longhorn Network
    1613 - ESPN Goal Line
    1624 - Movie Rental
    1627 - Touchfit - online shopping
    1629 - NFL Redzone
    1630 - NFL
    1631 - NBA League Pass
    1632 - NBAHD
    1633 - Fitfusion - inline shopping
    1634 - MLB Baseball
    1635 - MLB Strikezone
    1636 - PPV
    1640 - Mercum Auto Auctions
    1641 - Golf HD
    1642 - SPMN - Conceal & carry school
    1643 - CBSS
    1650 - Big 10
    1651 - FS2
    1652 - FS1

    You see, when scrolling through the channels (if you get to the 1600s) once you get to a couple of shopping networks, pay per view, golf and a conceal & carry class, do you keep scrolling? No.
    "When March Madness spills into April.... that's the gravy!" - Homer Simpson

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