FOX Sports begins its first season as the American home to the Bundesliga, Germany’s top flight on Friday, Aug. 14. The timing is right as there is a serious lack of compelling sporting events on the calendar from mid June to late August. FOX has most of the few that are worth watching. In what they billed “the Summer of Soccer,” the network has all the footy worth watching until Premier League season begins. Since the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final ended, there hasn’t been much going on other than FOX’s self-proclaimed “Summer of Soccer.”
It started with the FA Cup, Champions League Final, Europa League Final, Women’s World Cup, International Champions Cup, the Gold Cup, MLS All-Star Game, Community Shield etc.
Yes, interest in the Gold Cup and some of those preseason exhibition events is minimal, as it should be, but there just isn’t much else going on to compete against these events. July is the slowest month by far for sports media, and by this time of year, football, hockey, college sports and basketball fans are all extremely weary of this annual drought.
It’s interesting to see all the unique, outside-the-box events ESPN is doing to try and fill gaps during the sports media Sahara Desert. They even broadcasted “The Basketball Tournament” this past weekend, an event that in no way, shape or form, should be airing on live television.
More than 300 Bundesliga regular-season matches are scheduled for live television or streaming in the U.S. for the first time ever, more than double past years, including 58 slated for FOX Sports 1.
The fact that FOX is investing in the Bundesliga could end up as further validation that soccer has finally arrived in America and is indeed the true growth sport of the future. World football has massive appeal to millenials because it moves fast and ends in two hours. The younger generation value activities that don’t consume a lot of time.
Thus, soccer will become a more valuable broadcast property as millenials grow up and gain earning (i.e. spending) power. FOX Sports has truly distinguished themselves within the beautiful game. They have the rights to Champions League, some MLS and now we’ll see if Americans will care about the Bundesliga.
Next year is also when NBC’s contract to broadcast the English Premier League expires. FOX Sports really needs to outspend NBC and snap that up. It would complete their footy profile. The EPL is now getting better ratings than the NHL in America, but it has a huge and obvious advantage over the Bundesliga in the U.S. market- common language.
“The Bundesliga is on the cusp of exponential growth here in the United States and throughout the world,” said Bill Wanger, FOX Sports EVP in a statement. “We are thrilled to make every game from this world-class European league available on FOX Sports outlets, bolstering our position as the unrivaled leader in televised soccer in America.”
We’ll see if Wanger’s bold prediction is correct or not. The Bundesliga clearly doesn’t have the brand identity and familiarity in America that the EPL does. He is completely correct though about FOX being ahead of ESPN, NBC and CBS when it comes to soccer though.
The first round of the Bundesliga season features six matches, officially kicking off on Friday, Aug. 14 with defending champion Bayern Munich taking on Hamburg.
Ian Joy joins FOX Sports as its lead Bundesliga studio host. FOX will also work with Sky Deutschland, its sister network in Germany and the Bundesliga’s domestic rights holder. The Bundesliga boasts the highest average stadium attendance in the world and features many of its top teams, including 2013 UEFA Champions League finalists Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country.
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