It was stunning when Fox beat ESPN for television and radio rights to broadcast the World Cup in 2018 (Russia) and 2022 (Qatar) last month. ESPN/ABC has had the rights to every World Cup broadcast since 1994, and it has the rights for the 2014 event in Brazil. But Fox wanted to build on the success of its English Premier League and UEFA Champions League broadcasts on Fox Soccer, so picking up the World Cup rights seemed to be a smart business move. The network also acquired the 2015 (Canada) and 2019 (TBA) Women’s World Cup rights to add to its soccer portfolio.
Fox Soccer general manager David Nathanson has taken some bold steps to advance the coverage. He started by using the parent network Fox to air the UEFA Champion’s League finals live for the past two years. Then this season, he paired NFL on Fox broadcasts with English Premier League matches as Sunday doubleheaders. The games appear live first on Fox Soccer, then on tape delay on Fox.
How important was it to add the World Cup to the Fox Soccer portfolio?
Nathanson » “It is a game-changer for us. When you have the honor and the privilege to be part of one of the biggest sporting events of the world, you don’t take it lightly. We look forward to having it as part of the Fox Sports Group, starting with the Women’s World Cup in Canada in 2015.”
With the success of the NFL-English Premier League doubleheaders, will we see more next season?
Nathanson » “We have committed to four, including a live broadcast Super Bowl Sunday. … The first doubleheader game — the Manchester United-Chelsea telecast — set a rating record for the EPL in the U.S. Then our second broadcast, Tottenham-Liverpool, scored an even bigger rating. When you have the power of the NFL combined with the worldwide brand of the EPL that is a winning combination. As for next year, it is too soon to tell.”
What do you feel has made the UEFA series so popular in this country?
Nathanson » “American sports fans love to watch the best sports played by the best athletes period. The UEFA Champions League showcases soccer’s elite players and franchises in weekly head-to-head battles. So what’s not to like? The UEFA and EPL is driving viewership on Fox Soccer, Fox Soccer Plus along with our broadband subscription service FoxSoccer.TV and our mobile app Foxsoccer2go are all seeing unprecedented growth.”
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!, on washingtonexaminer.com.
