Fuel TV, the cable channel experiment that hoped to prove that action sports television programing was a viable mainstream entertainment business, received the final nail in its coffin today (March 5, 2013) as Fox Sports Media Group not-so-humbly announced the August 17, 2013 launch of what they’re calling “the biggest sports cable network launch in history” called Fox Sports 1 (FS1).
A robust schedule of live events forms the backbone of FOX Sports 1’s programming from Day 1, with college basketball, college football, NASCAR, soccer and UFC all on tap between launch and year’s end. In fact, the schedule on Aug. 17 features live events morning, noon and night including a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from Michigan and “UFC on FS1 1” in prime time. In 2014, FSMG’s new rights agreement with MLB takes effect, bringing regular and postseason games to FS1.
Fuel TV will lose its name and become Fox Sports 2 (at least in the current plan). Let that be a lesson to all you action sports media biz devs: when it comes to the mass, mainstream’s appetite for sports programming no one cares about action sports.
[Link: Fox Sports]
