Clash of the Titans

* Clash of the TITANS FS1, with its billions of dollars in funding takes on the 800 pound elephant, ESPN, in the latest cable sports war. KEY DATES Bill Rasmussen forms Entertainment Sports Programming Network, Inc. (ESPN) to broadcast sporting events to cable television operators via satellite. 1978 1979 ESPN begins broadcasting on a limited-time basis. 1980 ESPN begins broadcasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 1984 abc ABC, Inc. acquires ESPN. 1987 NFL ESPN begins broadcasting National Football League games. 1989 ESPN begins broadcasting Major League Baseball games. 1993 ESPN2 begins transmission. Walt Disney Company acquires Capital Cities/ABC, Inc. and becomes ESPN's parent company. 1995 ESPT 2003 ESPN HD, a high-definition television sports network, is introduced. First on-air words spoken at ESPN, September 7, 1979: Anchored by Lee Leonard and George Grande. "If you love sports... if you really love sports, you'll think you've died and gone to sports heaven." At $1.58 billion (for four years) FOX outbids all other networks, wins the TV CHA rights for NFC games. The move helps solidify a new U.S. network, FOx TV. 1993 AUGUST SPEED SPEED channel is renamed FS1, which launches at midnight. 2013 EPORTS First day of programming, FS1, 2013: Nascar, Ultimate Fighting Championship live. THE OWNERSHIP BATTLE FOX ESPT vS SPORTS Debut: Sept. 7, 1979 Number of homes: 98.5 million Debut: Aug. 17, 2013 Number of homes: 90 million Cost per household: $5.54 Topline App: WatchESPN Estimated value: $40 billion Cost per household: 23-$1 Topline App: FOX SportsGO Estimated value: TBD FS1 is the brainchild of Rupert Murdoch, multi-billionaire media mogul. ESPN, Inc. was the brainchild of Bill Rasmussen, an unemployed sports announcer. FS1 founder Murdoch already owns satellites. ESPN founder Rasmussen used his credit card to gain access to rent satellite time. FS1 launched with 24/7 programming already bought and paid for. ESPN began broadcasting in September 1979 with limited airtime during the week and 24-hour coverage on the weekends. FS1's headquarters are in Los Angeles. Funding emanated from Rupert Mudoch's media empire. ESPN's home office was on a former garbage dump in Bristol, CT. Land was bought for $18,000. ESPN's early financing came from Getty Oil, which invested $10 million in the company in 1979 for a controlling interest. Getty THE BATTLE BEGINS NHL Fox customized its "FOX Sports Fox takes on ESPN for the first time: It was during the first half of the In 1998 FOX Sports' regional programming approach was giving ESPN significant competition for advertising dollars. News Primetime" broadcasts for 1990s that ESPN had its first run in with FOX Sports. In football, ice hockey, and baseball. each local market. Its regional approach to baseball resulted in larger audiences nationwide than ESPN, even though ESPN reached 12 million more households that Fox/Liberty's 22 networks combined. PRINCIPAL OPERATING UNITS ESPN FS1 FOX also owns 49 percent of the YES network, which broad- casts N.Y. Yankees baseball and Brooklyn Nets NBA basketball. ESPN.com ESPN2 FS2 ESPN Classic Fox Deportes ESPN HD ESPNews Scout Fox Soccer ESPN Original Entertainment ESPN International FOX SPORTS Yardbarker.com ESPN Radio ESPN Outdoors NESN (home of the Boston Red Sox) ESPN Original Entertainment 18 regional sports networks, including ESPN ESPN ABC Sports Customer Marketing and Sales. The Magazine Fox West Prime Ticket (home of the L.A. Dodgers, L.A. Angels, and L.Á. Clippers) ESPN Interactive PROGRAMMING WARS NBA ollege baottn worldwide sports via tournaments baseball ESPN International and ESPN affiliates ESPN in countries around the world. Rupert Murdoch's SKY satellite FOX SPORTS networks. 시스 시스 FOX IN STUDIO LIVE NIGHTLY SPORTS WRAP-UP -ESPN Sports Center- SPORTSH Fox Sports Live- LIVE MEANWHILE ON THEIR FLANKS ARE OTHER NATIONAL PLAYERS: OCBSSPORTS LNBCSN NETWORK Launched: 2002 Launched: July 1995 Number of Households: 98 million Number of Households: 80 million Cost per Household: .24 Cost per Household: .33 Sports offered: NHL hockey, English Premiere League soccer, Formula 1 racing, cycling Sports offered: golf, tennis, college basketball, college football SOURCES BROUGHT TO YOU BY: WWW.SPORTS-MANAGEMENT-DEGREES.COM http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/espn-inc-history/ http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/03/06/3895085/speed-channel-to-become-allsports.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/sports/fox-sports-1-an-espn-challenger-will-try-topunch-above-its-weight.html?_r=0 http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2013/08/11/fox-sports-1-versus-espn/2641247/ Access to World Cup Soccer Nascar UFC Major golf Major tennis tournaments NBA games College football Major League NFL