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FOX Soccer signs deal with CONCACAF to air Gold Cup and Champions League

FOXSoccerLogo CONCACAFLogo

FOX Soccer will be the home for the biggest CONCACAF competitions for the next four years after signing a four-year deal with the Confederation to air the next two Gold Cups and the CONCACAF Champions League through the 2015/2016 competition.

FOX Soccer announced the deal on Tuesday, and revealed that not only will the network broadcast the two tournaments on FOX Soccer Channel, but will also be able to carry all of the tournament's matches on FOX Soccer's digital platforms:

Additionally, FOX Soccer has the option of showcasing all CONCACAF Champions League and Gold Cup matches through its wide array of digital platforms, including FOXSoccer.com and FOXSoccer 2Go. This component of the agreement also allows for on-demand access to all matches and highlights, providing FOX Soccer’s fanbase exclusive access to the region’s top domestic soccer.

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What do you think of this development? Looking forward to the Gold Cup next summer? Plan on watching Champions League matches online as well as on FOX Soccer Channel?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. to be honest, i’ll probably still watch the spanish channel assuming they are carrying the game. i just don’t like the announcers on FSC at all. nor do i like the people who do the fox soccer report. they are so boring and so awkward…even if they know what they are talking about. not a single one has a personality. bobby mcmahon, while smart, could be THE most boring person in the world.

    i do enjoy FSC for what it is, but they reallllly need to step it up. also, until the web service replicates Watch ESPN, it’s crap.

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  2. Wow, what a post.

    One, the Sounders beat the two team champ in Mexico playing quite a few subs.
    So you correct MLS teams haven’t done great but that has changed, try to keep up.
    Maybe you don’t live here ?

    Two, so what ? You do realize that people root for losing teams right ?

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  3. Hopefully Fox is going to look at the Gold Cup as a great place to start their prep for the 2018 World Cup telecast. If they put some money into this and give it a full package treatment (pre-game, post game, every game and a quality website) then this is big. If they do what they have done in the past, it is blah.

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  4. I’m going to have to agree with others. Why should I pay $170 a year for online access and then not even be allowed to watch the matches live? Insanity.

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  5. I’m pretty certain they’ll put the Gold Cup final on FX, at least. Fox has been airing more and more major games on their prime channels. I guess the question is, does Fox consider the confederation tournament final a major game? If the answer is no, then they really don’t deserve the CONCACAF rights in the first place.

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  6. Unless Fox is going to put some muscle behind this, it’s lame. Either way, since CCL won’t be online, I won’t be watching… it costs $100/month to get the package with FSC.

    I love this tournament too. Bummer.

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  7. Lost & SilverRey, I couldn’t agree more. I’ll take a free 4:3 aspect ratio, standard def video stream over a pay-to-watch FoxSoccer2Go stream any day.

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  8. I think they will…yes. Remember they have the rights now for the 2018 and 2022 world cups, so they’re going to have to incorporate their other stations at some point.

    Wonder if this would give them the rights to the proposed 2016 Conmebol/Concacaf Copa America?

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  9. Online part is a plus, but until they simulcast live FoxSoccer games online through FoxSoccer2Go.com (as ESPN & WatchESPN do) they will still be behind. I can’t wait until 11:59pm to watch an game that took place at 8:30 in the morning. Also it makes my work day much longer not having good games on live.

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  10. I would consider myself a big soccer fan…but I haven’t got into the CCL, games appearing more regularly on FSC and FoxSoccer2Go.com will most definately help that. Much like NBC Sports picking up more MLS games has helped me consume more of our domestic league outside of my local market.

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  11. Does this coverage all language rights (English and Spanish)? Because, if so, I have to figure that part of this was to get Spanish language coverage of Mexican teams in both the CCL and the Gold Cup on the new Fox Mundo broadcast channel.

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  12. The only reason I have reservations, besides FSC not be in in HD, is that FoxSoccer2Go.com does not show the live games online. This I don’t understand. ESPN simulcasts their network coverage on WatchESPN. If FSC and FoxSoccer2Go could do that, I’d be all in (Addidas).

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  13. While that’s better than not having it at all, Fox needs to step its game up. The production quality on NBC Sports and ESPN completely blows away what Fox brings to the table. I understand that Fox Soccer Channel does not have the money to put on the type of presentation that ESPN and NBC offer, but they can do better than making it look like something off of a cable access channel.

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  14. The ones that don’t care are the casual fans.
    These are the ones who jump on the bandwagon and follow sports like hockey when they never played the sport but the team is winning and jersey looks cool. As soon as the team stops winning, they take down the flag/sticker from their house/car.

    If they are real fans who have been playing soccer for a long time and follow the sport, you can be sure they follow Gold Cup and CCL.

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  15. As well I should mention there are plenty of WC and Olympic vets sprinkled over all the teams in CCL. That’s why in the past it has been so difficult to break them down. Not to mention general quality of play, biased officials, and lake bed pitches.

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  16. Sho u right RayRay. Mexicans play football in Mexico. Great Chileans and Hondurans as well as others play there too. However, in sports every year is a new year. Each team has a chance to win big. Some more than others of course. MLS has a a couple of teams well positioned to compete very well in CCL

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  17. FSC is a lifestyle channel. Something we can come home and just leave on all the time; while we are surfin the internet, making dinner, trying to find something good to watch. It may not be the best soccer fix, but at least it’s always there (except sometimes between 5am-9am)

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  18. They’ve definitely got some issues over at Fox Soccer. I never thought I would find myself missing Max Bretos, but I do.

    Also, Christopher Sullivan loves saying “Guillermo Barros Schelotto” whether or not he’s even playing in the game.

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  19. Even with as raw as it is, there’s something beautiful about watching the game unfold while listening to the crowd’s ebb and flow without a commentator. Makes you feel more like you’re there.

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  20. Fox tends to be hit or miss when not broadcasting EPL games but I still watch a lot of them. The news and analysis shows are total crap though. The one with Wynalda and Barton is eh…ok but the one with the ugly green screen background– Boring and unwatchable. I prefer my blogs and podcasts. However I believe FSC is committed to quality programming and will eventually provide funds to make these shows entertaining.

    I can see acouple MLS teams making a nice run into CCL this year and next. It’s going to make the next couple tourneys very exciting indeed

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  21. Most American soccer fans should care about both regardless. However you can be an MLS fan and not watch the CCL you can’t call yourself a USMNT fan and not watch the gold cup

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  22. BeIn Sports just announced on twitter that they’ll be launching on DirecTV tomorrow. I believe it’s the only deal they’ve made thus far. I’m sure more are to come, how many is anyone’s guess.

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  23. I have mixed feelings about Fox Soccer. On the one hand, it’s awesome that there is a channel in the US totally dedicated to showing soccer (as a kid growing up in the 80s, I would have never believed this was possible). This makes me keep rooting for them to get good content (and yes, Gold Cup and CCL count as good content in my book).

    On the other hand, the production values aren’t great and it doesn’t reach a very wide audience. This makes me wish things like Gold Cup and CCL, which could be helped by more visibility and higher quality productions, ended up on ESPN or NBC Sports.

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  24. Gold Cup has been with Fox Soccer for awhile now. Until that tournament goes to a more mainstream netwok like ESPN; it will continue to be a tournament most American soccer fans don’t care about. teh same with the CCl as well.

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  25. I’d rather a more professional (other than its EPL games) station picked up all of this, but whatever. At least I now get FSC in HD and the feed is sometimes good.

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  26. I’m just glad these are gonna be on a channel I actually get, unlike the stuff that is now owned by BeIn Sports and Univision Deportes.

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  27. Are you sure you want to televise the CONCACAF tournament. I mean the MLS teams haven’t done all that great. I wonder what the combined score of Santos vs MLS was? 15-4 or something in that area, I’m just guessing.

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  28. Ives,

    Would it be possible to do an update on BeIn Sports and how they are handling their Serie A and La Liga rights? There is still a lot of confusion over what carriers are going to air the new channel.

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  29. Having the rights is the first step; but it’s really all about implementation. How Foxsoccer makes this stuff available and for what cost (online) will be interesting to see.

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