NEW YORK - In less than 20 days, 21st Century Fox (once known as the original News Corporation) will unveil the nation's all-new 24/7 sports network Fox Sports 1, premiering on August 17th at 8am ET in an historic 90 million households. But will the country's No. 2 largest cable provider carry the new channel? Time Warner Cable along with two satellite companies had not yet signed distribution deals with Fox to carry Fox Sports 1 before the launch day.
Two weeks ago during the MLB All-Star Week, Sports Business Daily reported that SPEED (which will be re-branded to Fox Sports 1) would continue to be offer by Fox Sports Media Group on Time Warner until the deal for FS1 is reached, but that doesn't mean NASCAR would be airing on the soon-to-be-defunct motorsports channel on the day FS1 launches (the Camping World Truck Series from Michigan will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 on premiere day).
Speaking of Time Warner Cable, they currently not carry Fox's regional sports network in the San Diego market (home of the baseball Parades) and not too early if TWC pulls YES Network off the signal by the end of this year as SBD also reported (YES is also owned by Fox and home of the Yankees). Remember when Fox News Channel launched in 1996, but not carry by Time Warner Cable until the deal was reached in the summer in 1997 (by then TWC was owned by the parent company which now owns the Warner Bros. film studios and the Turner networks).
Hopely if Time Warner Cable does get Fox Sports 1 before August 17th, look out Disney, it seems that FS1 will be one step forward on going head-to-head with ESPN.
Josh Albarran reporting for TVSportsNews. Stay tuned for updates on Fox Sports 1 and Time Warner Cable as the August 17th launch nears.
UPDATE Aug. 5: Fox announced that FUEL TV will re-branded as Fox Sports 2 on the same day FS1 launches, honestly unlike FS1, 21st Century Fox does not need distribution deals with providers in a quick transition, also means that FS2 will be available to those providers including Time Warner, DirecTV and Dish by their launch day.
UPDATE Aug. 14: Fox Sports announced that Time Warner Cable, DirecTV and Dish Network had signed to carry Fox Sports 1 (along with sister channel Fox Sports 2) by Saturday, making it the largest sports network to make it debut across all cable and satellite providers.
