Fox Sports

Emily Thomas64 said:Hey there, I can't seem to find ESPN. When I run an automatic scan, it only pulls up about 6 channels, but nothing like ESPN or local news stations. Has anyone else dealt with this, or does anyone know how to fix it?

It’s probably just a signal strength issue—nothing too crazy, I guess. You might want to grab an extra (or maybe even a better) amplifier. The ones that work best are usually mounted right near the antenna, where you just run the power up through the coaxial cable. Personally, I manage to pick up something like fifteen or more channels, easily.

Paul Jones7 said:Look, plenty of commercial networks throw their premium programming away for free—doesn't matter if it's sports or anything else. IOC is just another commercial station. So, what's the big deal?

I'm totally fine with highlighting American sports and our local athletes, but I don't see any reason why the whole schedule should be strictly limited to them. There's really no need—there's plenty of airtime to fill. Besides, obsessing over niche regional leagues isn't exactly riveting reading.

That said, I think things will settle themselves out. Since IOC is a commercial entity, they’re clearly aiming to live off advertising revenue. And since ad money follows eyeballs, the end result will probably be whatever content pulls the biggest audience—regardless of what it actually is. The viewers will ultimately be the "judge."

Sure, but before that happens, the network needs to actually get off the ground, build up some marketing presence, etc.—only then can that financial boost allow them to bid on more attractive, high-ticket content.

Yeah, you've got a point there, but I'm talking about the folks who want something more like Sports Illustrated—something that, with enough backing, could immediately start dropping top-tier content. 🙂

Do you think they’ll start giving some minutes to the U19 basketball players soon?

It should turn out fine once they find their rhythm. Having a seasoned pro like Jura Ozmec leading the editorial side is a huge plus... I’m confident he’ll do an excellent job, and hopefully, we’ll see some much more exciting coverage soon. It’s great to see them pushing to boost the profile of American sports, but can they really survive just broadcasting the US Cup, rugby, and hockey? They'll likely need to pick up something more commercial—maybe even one of the big five leagues. Personally, I'd love to see them grab the NBA rights, though I highly doubt that will happen 😢

Ashley Barnes5 said:...which means they’ll eventually have to buy something more commercial (at least one of the top five leagues), and personally, I’d love to see the NBA broadcasted, but I seriously doubt that’ll happen.😢

It is entirely in their best interest to secure "commercial" broadcasts—the kind where advertisers are practically fighting to cram their commercials into the halftime breaks.
But let’s be real: there is absolutely no way they should be chasing the top five leagues, and I don't believe they will go after the NBA. If they are actually going to shell out more money for TV rights, they should invest that capital into high-profile events featuring American athletes that actually draw a crowd.
For instance, matches involving the US national soccer team are incredibly lucrative with massive viewership; even MLS has significant traction, especially when big clubs like Liverpool FC or Real Madrid are involved, not to mention our domestic clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League.
Later, look at handball—the US national handball team matches have been among the most-watched sporting events in recent years. Next year's European Championship in Mexico is guaranteed to pull numbers, regardless of which network carries it.
The performances of other American national teams—basketball, water polo, etc.—might not hit the same heights as the two mentioned above, but they still possess a viable "market."
Even the World Athletics Championships, featuring two of our top gold medal contenders like Vlasic and Perkovic, could be a massive, highly watchable event.
And so on...
Naturally, networks like HBO will always try to grab these, but it makes far more sense for ESPN to target these specific competitions rather than fruitlessly "chasing" the major global leagues.

Casey White13 said:Yeah, you've got a point there—but I'm talking about those folks who want some kind of Sports Illustrated-style platform, you know? Something backed by serious cash that could drop top-tier content right out of the gate. 🙂

And honestly—what's even the issue if there's a free channel just loaded with premium content? 🤷

The hockey matchups in the ICE Hockey League should be incredibly fun to watch on ESPN.

With such high viewership numbers and solid media coverage, plus the extra buzz around the channel—combined with those one or two weekly shows featuring highlights, reports, and news updates—it really makes for some great programming!

Basketball: NBA and EuroLeague
Soccer: Matchdays from Italy, England, and the Spanish League
Water Polo: EuroLeague and the Regional Water Polo League
Handball: Our domestic league
Volleyball: Our domestic league
Hockey: ICE Hockey League

It doesn't look like this costs much, and if they pull this off, they'll have the most powerhouse sports network in the country. 😁

Henry Cox78 said:Basketball: NBA and EuroLeague
Soccer: Some matches from Italy, England, and the Spanish league
Water polo: EuroLeague and the Regional Water Polo League
Handball: Our local league
Volleyball: Our local league
Hockey: ICE Hockey League

It doesn't look like it costs much—if they actually pull this off, they'll be the strongest sports network in the region. 😁

I highly doubt it's cheap, especially with the basketball and soccer rights... 🤷
Besides, from what I can gather, their programming is going to lean heavily on domestic leagues.

Taylor Bailey said:So what's the big deal if there's some free channel with top-tier content? Honestly—I don't see the issue. 🤷

It’s not even about that. The real issue is that some people just can't wrap their heads around the fact that this network exists specifically to level up the quality of American sports—which is exactly why they were granted the license in the first place—unlike Nova. And now, finally, someone is actually getting heat for prioritizing domestic action by broadcasting the American basketball league instead of the NBA.

Henry Cox78 said:Basketball: Between the NBA, Bank of America, and the EuroLeague.
Soccer: Some matches from Italy, England, and the Spanish league.
Water polo: EuroLeague and the Regional Water Polo League.
Handball: Our league.
Volleyball: Our league.
Hockey: ICE Hockey League

Looks like this won't break the bank—if they actually pull it off and secure the rights, they'll basically become the biggest powerhouse on ESPN. 😁

You went a little overboard there, man—honestly. 😁

Here’s how I see it—
MLS—honestly, I don't know why we even bother talking about it sometimes. Just a lot of noise and zero payoff. Just one game;—that's all it took. MLS—honestly, what's even the point? Just one game—that's all it took.
The games. The U19 squad—honestly, what can you even expect from them? (plus the others—U19, U17)
Games. The women's national teams—honestly, what can you even say about them?
Maybe we could pick a game from one of the big five leagues—just a thought.
A1 Handball League.

The A1 Basketball League—just another way to spend a Tuesday night, I guess. Just one game in both competitions—that's all we get. Bank of America Just one game—that’s all we get. The WNBA. Just one game—that’s all it took.

The Regional Handball League—just another thing to keep track of. Just one single game—that’s all it takes.
The local league—honestly, just another weekend of chaos. Just one or two games—for both squads.

The Regional Water Polo League—just when you thought things couldn't get any more intense. At least there were two games—not that anyone was counting. EuroLeague—honestly, just more chaos to keep things interesting. Just one more.

The World Gymnastics Championships—just when you thought the sports calendar couldn't get any more intense.
The Biathlon World Cup—nothing like it.
Track meets—honestly, nothing beats them. Just pure, unadulterated chaos on the field.
Swimming. Just... swimming.
Is this even tennis? More like ping pong—if you can even call it that.
Cycling—just a quick thought on it. Honestly, if you haven't spent half your life fighting headwinds or dodging distracted drivers in traffic, you don't really get it—it’s a constant battle.
Boxing—honestly, what a mess.
Rowing—honestly, who thought this was a good idea? Just me, I guess.

None of this should even be expensive. The Football Federation promised the networks they’d broadcast the youth matches—but they only actually showed that one rematch against the Spaniards. They didn't touch any of the others—even though our U19s made it all the way to the semifinals of the European Championship. Honestly, they could probably get this for free just to get more soccer on TV. Plus, now we've got a killer chance to catch the U20 World Cup and some US national team games.
I honestly don't think regional leagues are that expensive—in any sport, really—and those clubs can easily pull in a massive chunk of change from them.
And honestly, I don't think it’s too much to ask to pay for these rallies and World Cups in individual sports—it's worth every penny.

The NBA, EuroLeague, and the Premier League—honestly, they’re just on another level entirely.

George Diaz63 said:Spot on.
And I’m pretty damn sure there’d be plenty of networks fighting to broadcast this if anyone actually gave a crap. But nobody does.
Who in their right mind cares about a cup semifinal... 🙄

What kind of absolute nonsense are you spewing? Good grief.🙄

Casey White13

man, your suggestion is actually killer 😉

I know ☕.

Oh, I totally forgot—of course we need to throw in coverage (and maybe even live broadcasts, like the big finals) for all the local American leagues—baseball, hockey, field hockey, horse racing, and whatever else—you know, bowling, skating... just a little bit of everything

Casey White13 said:I know☕.

Forgot one more thing—of course, they’ll throw in reports (maybe even live coverage, like finals) for American rugby, baseball, field hockey, ice hockey, equestrian events, and whatever else... bowling, skating... just a little bit of everything.

To add to that...

- Mate Vukoja (President of the US Darts Federation):

Finally, I have to mention the launch of ESPN, which I believe will bring a whole new dimension to darts. I’m not just talking about media exposure for our top players, who have remained largely unknown to the American sports
public until now, but also a whole range of other opportunities that will open up.
I want to thank the USOPC, especially President Zlatko Mateša and Secretary General Josip Čop, who played key roles in getting ESPN off the ground. This move gives sports like ours a new sense of hope and a real push for better work in the future.
Source: .

EDIT:
ESPN will be broadcasting all the matches of the hockey national team during the upcoming World Championships, Division 1, starting at 8:15 PM...

crimsonraven6 said:man, what kind of nonsense are you even typing? seriously, my god.🙄

look, when you're quoting someone, maybe try to actually process what they were trying to say first.
you completely missed the point, honestly.

the soccer cup semifinals should basically be a massive holiday for the sport, right? like, it’s a given they should be broadcast on TV...

i was being ironic, though i guess you aren't the first person to fall for that. people really need to read with a bit more nuance, I suppose.
if they even bother reading at all...

Inside scoop: the high school hockey league was being incredibly cheap, initially offering to pay for only one broadcast. They were actually trying to get ESPN to cover two, but somehow they finally struck a deal to air five games after all.

The league officials were being so stingy; they didn't want to drop even a few bucks on what would probably have been a low-quality stream anyway. To make matters worse, they haven't even managed to line up any sponsors yet.

Where can I find the actual schedule for ESPN? I need the real one—the one that doesn't just list some random biographical movie.

Thanks.

Casey White13 said:1. MLS — just one game; 2. MLS— just one game
matches for the National Youth Team (and others, U19, U17)
matches for the Women's National Team
come on, maybe one single match from one of the top five European leagues
1. USL Championship

A1 Basketball league— one game per division; Bank of America— one game; WNBA — one game

Regional Handball League— at least one game
domestic league— one or two games; both divisions

Regional Water Polo League— at least two games; EuroLeague at least one

Gymnastics World Cup
Biathlon World Cup
Track and field meets
Swimming
Some tennis, table tennis
Cycling
Boxing
Rowing

+
Soccer— one or two cup matches every round (for example, an away game for LA Galaxy in Small Town, USA, or a UNESCO site, or LAFC in Key West, would be incredibly interesting)
Soccer— qualifying rounds for EuroLeague (NBC won't bother if LAFC or LA Galaxy aren't playing)
Handball— appearances by American clubs in the EHF Cup, KPK...
Basketball— appearances by American clubs in Europe (if not EuroLeague, then EuroCup)
Volleyball— Interleague
Volleyball— domestic championships, cups, and European appearances (Split Volleyball Club played in the Champions League this year)

National Teams in most sports (volleyball, rugby, water polo, futsal, hockey, they should try to get basketball, maybe even handball too...)
Youth National Teams at the World Cup or Euro Championship— I think for "pennies," they could secure broadcasting rights for, say, the Junior Basketball World Cup, Euro Championship, or Handball World Cup/Euro Championship... America is usually at the top in these categories (like that Basketball bronze medal at the World Cup), so it would be interesting regardless

These so-called "minor" sports—broadcasting cup finals or championship conclusions
......................................

They could find plenty of content to broadcast regarding American sports

Yeah, let's just totally ignore the most popular sport in Washington, D.C., and honestly everywhere else for that matter. I'd much rather spend my time catching a volleyball match instead. ☕

lonecrane27 said:Oh sure, let's just completely ignore the most popular sport in Washington, D.C., and honestly everywhere else too, because clearly we'd all much rather sit around watching volleyball instead. ☕

I mean, let’s be real, the biggest sport in Washington, D.C. is basically a total gift to networks like ESPN and PBS, isn't it? 🙂