{"id":17751,"date":"2010-09-20T07:27:26","date_gmt":"2010-09-20T14:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/?p=17751"},"modified":"2010-09-20T11:16:34","modified_gmt":"2010-09-20T18:16:34","slug":"fuel-tv-fights-for-an-audience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/?p=17751","title":{"rendered":"Fuel TV Fights For An Audience"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fuel-Logo\"<\/a>We knew when Fuel TV’s Australian mates started including mixed martial arts<\/a><\/strong> in their “action sports” content mix in December of 2008, that it was only a matter of time before the American Fuel TV began rationalizing why it was the perfect fit for their audience. And when Ken Block’s Gymkanna 3, Part 2<\/a><\/strong> became the most watched video on Youtube.com last week (with 6.5 million views), it’s almost a no-brainer if young male eyeballs is all Fuel is after.<\/p>\n

That’s why we were not surprised to learn that beginning today (September 20, 2010) Fuel.TV<\/a><\/strong> will be adding MMA and rally racing to their growing mix of board and motor sports, according to a CJ Olivares<\/strong> interview on Transworld Business<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. Olivares explains:<\/p>\n

We took all of the six core sports and asked \u2018what are the things that they share? Who are the participants? What attracts the aspirants to them?\u2019 And we came up of a list of like 10-12 concepts, if you will, that we believe define the audience. . . Things like freedom and defiance, individuality, independence, courage, confidence, innovation, aggression, exploration, and humor. And one that we really keyed in on was risk. Risk became a really central concept in conjunction with the others, because we started to look at the total landscape of sports that are out there. . . . The two that really jump out immediately are MMA and rally car. . . . There\u2019s an opportunity there for us to look at those two sports\u2014and other things\u2014it\u2019s a constant exploration for us to identify: what are those other things? We\u2019re about this new generation of sports where risk is the only rule.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In other words, the business realities of cable television require Fuel.TV to air shows that people want to watch and as we’ve said repeatedly, the mainstream doesn’t really care about action sports. But two sweaty, muscled, nearly-nude men locked in a cage grunting, punching, and hugging each other into kama sutra like poses or dudes driving ridiculously over-powered small cars recklessly; who doesn’t want to watch that?<\/p>\n

[Link: <\/strong>Transworld Business<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p>\n

<\/strong>Follow the jump for the official press release. . .
\nFUEL TV: WHERE RISK IS THE ONLY RULE
\nNetwork for Young Males Expands Appeal<\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES – FUEL TV, FOX Sports Media Group\u2019s dynamic network for young males, today announces a strategic evolution that aims to broaden its appeal and redefine it as a network. The re-definition is captured by the new tag line: \u201cRisk is the only rule.\u201d<\/p>\n

Already loaded with shows and events designed to reach the male 12-24 demographic, the network is broadening its programming philosophy to now embrace a male 12-34 audience. The network plans to continue showcasing the most compelling events, people, places and stories from the world of action sports, but now also incorporates a new, wider range of sports and lifestyle programs sure to be appreciated by the broader young adult male audience.<\/p>\n

FUEL TV\u2019s fall schedule, its most aggressive series rollout to date, features new seasons of six existing shows, the launch of three new shows, a fresh take on news, and the re-design of its prime time flagship \u201cThe Daily Habit.\u201d FUEL TV is set to unleash an unprecedented national marketing campaign, including national television, online and print advertising to support the philosophical evolution, fall premieres and new tagline.<\/p>\n

\u201cFUEL TV\u2019s initial objectives focused on building a powerful and authentic network brand around action sports and the associated lifestyle,\u201d says CJ Olivares, FUEL TV GM. \u201cIn our eighth year and in more than 30 million homes, we\u2019ve achieved that goal with great awareness among action sports participants and fans. Now, in order to grow FUEL TV with the ultimate aim of becoming a rated network, we are evolving to widen our appeal to include more young men.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the core of FUEL TV\u2019s repositioning is the new tag line: \u201cRisk is the only rule.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe element of risk clearly sets the sports we cover apart from traditional ball and stick sports,\u201d says Shon Tomlin, the network\u2019s SVP of Programming and Marketing. \u201cThe price of failure in our world is injury or worse, so with \u2018risk\u2019 as our new lens, and with fresh and retooled programs, you\u2019ll see this play out more than ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n

FUEL TV premieres numerous standout programs this fall, and it all kicks off with the return of the popular, fast-paced build-and-ride show \u201cBuilt To Shred\u201d presented by Skullcandy on September 26 (10:30pm ET\/PT). Other returning series premiering before year\u2019s end include new seasons of \u201cThe Adventures of Danny & The Dingo\u201d and \u201cThe Standard Snowboard Show\u201d on November 16; \u201cProps\u201d on November 20; \u201cThrillbillies\u201d on December 1, and \u201cBubba\u2019s World\u201d presented by Geico on December 2. In addition, FUEL TV launches new series \u201cSLAM!\u201d on December 15. The series \u201cCrusty\u2019s Dirt Demons\u201d makes its FUEL TV debut on October 7.<\/p>\n

FUEL TV is also transforming its news and daily variety shows. \u201cFUEL TV Download,\u201d the daily network newsbreaks that report and comment on the biggest contests, events, and breaking sponsorship deals, premieres on October 4.<\/p>\n

Additionally, on October 11, FUEL TV premieres \u201cCubed,\u201d an original sketch comedy series, which debuted on FoxSports.com\u2019s groundbreaking \u201cLunch with Benefits.\u201d Corporate cube culture meets sports humor in this weekly, featuring sports-crazed coworkers as they creatively weave in pranks, sketches, and ridiculous scenarios that take the form of imagined music videos and mock TV talk shows \u2013 all encompassing the world of pro sports and entertainment. <\/p>\n

The network\u2019s signature prime time show \u201cThe Daily Habit\u201d re-launches on October 18 featuring a dynamic opinion-driven, panel-talk format. Capitalizing on the frenetic pace of pop culture, the revamped show includes a mix of stars from the worlds of sports and entertainment who comment and discuss anything and everything, from the day\u2019s craziest viral video to the latest celebrity train wreck. \u201cThe Daily Habit\u201d continues to showcase contemporary musical performances that you can\u2019t find anywhere else on TV. <\/p>\n

FUEL TV is supporting these changes with its most aggressive commitment to national advertising ever, driven by targeted advertising buys across cable and satellite, print and online media. <\/p>\n

FUEL TV
\nFUEL TV is the only cable and satellite television network that features the exciting world of adrenaline and thrill-seeking sports and the stories that surround them. This new generation of sports provides a rich landscape of some of the most vibrant and action-packed television entertainment in the world. See why young adrenaline sports fans call FUEL TV the channel they never turn off. FUEL TV, part of FOX Sports Media Group, was launched July 1, 2003 and is seen in more than 30 million U.S. homes. FUEL TV programming is available in more than 50 countries around the world with 24\/7 channels operating in Australia and Europe. To subscribe to FUEL TV, call 877-4-FUEL-TV. For program times and other information, visit www.fuel.tv.<\/p>\n

FOX Sports Media Group
\nFOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation\u2019s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets under Chairman & CEO David Hill. Built with brands that are capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FSMG now includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; Fox\u2019s 19 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; SPEED and SPEED2; Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus; FUEL TV; and Fox College Sports. In addition, FSMG also includes FOX Sports Interactive Media, which comprises FOXSports.com on MSN, whatifsports.com and scout.com, reaching over 20 million unique visitors monthly. Also included are Fox\u2019s interests in joint-venture businesses FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network, FOX Sports Skybox restaurants and FOX Sports Grills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We knew when Fuel TV’s Australian mates started including mixed martial arts in their “action sports” content mix in December of 2008, that it was only a matter of time before the American Fuel TV began rationalizing why it was the perfect fit for their audience. And when Ken Block’s Gymkanna 3, Part 2 became […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17751"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17751"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17776,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17751\/revisions\/17776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}