Fox fishes in the soccer bowl with two nets.When it comes to soccer, Fox Cable Networks have English and Spanish-speaking fans covered, with cable and satellite channels Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Espanol. The channels are affiliated with Fox Sports International, a world-wide sports programming and production entity housed within the L.A.-based Fox Cable Networks, a subsidiary of News Corp. Originally launched as Fox Sports World in November 1997, Fox Soccer Channel was re-launched in February 2005, and is now a one-stop-shop for soccer enthusiasts (with game coverage, news reports, and even a U.K. drama import that follows a group of fictional soccer players). Today, the channel boasts close to 20 million cable and satellite subscribers throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean, and is the most widely distributed English-language soccer channel in the U.S. The channel is available 24/7 on 44 cable providers, as well as DIRECTV and DISH Network satellite providers; it reaches 25 of the U.S.'s largest media markets. Fox Soccer Channel owns TV rights to Argentina's League games, England's English Premier League games, France's French Ligue 1 games, Germany's Deutsche Bundesliga games, and the U.S.'s Major League Soccer games, as well as rights to select matches of the national United Soccer League. The channel includes tournament coverage of the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Cup and Super Cup, and the FIFa Youth Championship, among others. The network alternates its soccer games with coverage of rugby. In August 2005, Fox Soccer Channel and its sister channel, Fox Sports en Espanol, secured the rights to the home games of Italian soccer league Serie A's Lazio, Lecce, Treviso and Cagliari club matches, on a live and exclusive basis. As a complement to their Serie A match coverage, the networks are broadcasting a weekly selection of programming from the AC Milan Channel, a network dedicated to soccer powerhouse, AC Milan. Fox Sports en Espanol is the only 24hour Spanish-language sports network available in the U.S. (its is also distributed in the Caribbean). Contrary to popular belief, it does not always air the same programming as Fox Soccer Channel; only 20 percent of programming overlaps between the two. The network is also available via cable and satellite (DIRECTV, DIRECTV Latin America and the DISH Network). It reaches over 35 million viewers and boasts seven million subscribers. The net airs world class soccer games and tournaments, and is the only Spanish-language network to offer exclusive coverage of the four major international club tournaments from Latin America--Torneo InterLiga, Copa Toyota Libertadores, CONCACAF Copa del Campeones and Copa Nissan Sudamericana. |
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