News: FOX Wins Broadcast Rights to WC 2018, 2022

I wonder if the Spanish rights cost more than 500 Million?

 

I think Fox can do a really nice job with this. I'm also happy that there was obviously some serious competition for this. I would love to know the figures.

 

Boo.

 

This worries me a bit.....FOX and Telemundo boht better step up.

 

Fox promotes soccer more than ESPN when they have a game on one of their channels. Plus this means better quality picture. Overall I am happy with this.

 

I really don't know how I feel about this; what does this mean for MLS after 2014?

 

yup

Enjoy the 2014 World Cup folks cause in 2018 we are gonna be seeing a bunch of junk like this.

http://www.footytube.com/video/strahan-football-vs-futbol-82836

 

As long as I don't have to listen to Joe Buck for 2 g-damn hours or watch an orb around the ball, I'm fine with FOX.

 

uhh, this is terrible. especially after the job ESPN did with last years world cup. Fox has always been a horrible promoter of soccer and FSC is a joke of a channel that hardly anyone gets. Fox's production of last years UEFA champions league games were comical at best and down right awful at worst. someone said it best, Fox treats the sport like a novelty, they have that "oh thats cute, here's a pat on your head" approach to the game and how they show it off to their viewers.

this is beside the point that ESPN is the sports giant and pretty much getting their backing is key to an exponential growth of the sport beyond the next few years. in relative terms FIFA is signing with the 20 gram mouse while the 500 pound gorilla sits in the corner. its mind boggling how FIFA is settling with a bid from Fox considering just how much money and promotion ESPN could bring to the sport worldwide. this is like going with Qatar over the US for the 2022 bid. total facepalm. but really? should i be surprised? nope.

you know what was awesome last year? watching a ton of different games in incredible quality on ESPN3.com. say goodbye to that, even my favorite pirate internet streams are no where even close to that quality.

 

I completely agree. ESPN3 helps so much especially when people work during the day when games can be on. Fox sucks with its online programming. ESPN was the better choice.

I wished NBC had done something better because they proved with the olympics that they could actually do something on the international scale.

Fox has not exactly been great with the EPL games they show or the UEFA champions league. It has been amateur compared to ESPN. I guess I may have to learn spanish very well in the next 6.5 years.

How is fox going to have the resources for all the fifa tournaments such as womens world cups and mens youth world cups and womens youth world cups and confederations cup. FSC just doesnt look like a good option yet.

The only positive is no John Harkes yet. But we may lose Ian Darke if he is still around.

Just shows that money rules soccer.

 

I would have felt more comfortable with ESPN having the cup. They have done a good job with it over the years and as the #1 sports network in this country, i feel they are the best platform to grow the sport. That said Fox has been committed to Soccer for sometime and I hope they will do as good a job as ESPN did.

 

While I'm bummed that ESPN didn't get it, I'm not worried about Fox. ESPN3? Fox has 7 years to get an internet feed up an running. We'll be watching HD internet feeds in our showers by then.

The more worrying aspect of this is it's effect on MLS.

 

Sucks. Guess i'm gonna be watching all the telemundo broadcasts.

 

This is one of the biggest things to me being able to come home from work and watch the days games or being able to rewatch all the games I wanted whenever i wanted FOR FREE

 

From a casual observer, that's slightly shocking given the ramp up ESPN has been developing over the years.

So the big matches on Fox, and do the second tier matches go to FX or Fox Soccer Channel? Too weird.

 

Could someone elaborate on this? Why would this affect MLS's broadcast agreements with ESPN?

 

For all of those who are booing this, Fox Soccer Channel has been bringing the game into homes long long before ESPN latched onto the bandwagon. While I think they do a very good job televising the sport currently, the were somewhat Johnny Come Lately's to the movement. Fox Soccer has done a lot for the popularity of the sport in the US and Fox does have the pedigree to pull this off. Now, though, I completely agree with their recent broadcasting of the Champ League final as a terrible attempt to dumb down the sport to make it appealing to American viewers. I was suprised they didn't put a little blue color over the ball and put a flame behind it when it someone took a shot on goal like they did with NHL a few years ago.

I also hope ESPN takes a long view of this loss and doesn't minimize it's long term relationship with soccer in America. I think the connection with ESPN has made a huge impact on the popularity of the game. I'm quite frankly suprised that they didn't go all in on obtaining the rights. They made it clear on ESPN.com that they made a bid that was focused on ensuring a profit, rather than get-the -rights-at-any-expense type of bid.

"We were aggressive while remaining prudent from a business perspective." Quote from ESPN.

That makes an interesting statement in and of itself right there though doesn't it?

 

One way or another you're paying for it, you just don't know it.

 

1. No John Harkes = BIG WIN.

2. ESPN needs healthy competition for this. Although their coverage of the Cup has been godo over the past few years they are still woefully ignorant of the sport. Having someone swoop in and steal those viewers ($$$) away from them might force a step up in their commitment in the long run.

3. We are going to be so much more technologically advanced in 7 years that finding "feeds" to games will NOT be a problem. If you want to see a game in HD/3D that's not being covered by FOX you WILL be able to find it.

 

No John Harkes = No Ian Darke = No more " OH CAN YOU BELIVE THIS!?!?!?!! GO GO USA!!!! CERTAINANTLY THROUGH!!! OH IT'S INCREDIBLE" or "CAN YOU BELIEVE THE FAIRY TALE" or "YOU CANNOT WRITE A SCRIPT/STORY LIKE THIS".

 

No John Harkes. CASE CLOSED.

 

Here are the rumored prices

Telemundo paid $600 million , up from the $325 million paid by Univision for this cycle.

Fox paid $450-500 Miillion, up from the $100 million paid by ESPN for this cycle.

No wonder ESPN and Univision passed/failed to match. With the time zone differences for both 2018 and 2022 there is no way that is a worthwhile investment.

 

wow, how does a channel that no longer televises MLS win the world cup rights?

I think my two main concerns from this are what happens to MLS? And the whole watching the world cup from work issue (aka ESPN3).


So who is going to promote MLS now? Unless FOX decides to make a move for MLS in the future, MLS is as good as toast now since no one has motivation to air games.