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FOX Doubles NFL Pregame Block in 2015

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nfl_on_foxFOX NFL KICKOFF Moves from FOX Sports 1 to FOX Broadcast Network at 11:00 AM ET;

Precedes FOX NFL SUNDAY, America’s No. 1 Pregame Show                                                                             

 

Los Angeles – In 1994, FOX Sports premiered FOX NFL SUNDAY, which quickly established itself as America’s No. 1 NFL pregame show, a perch it has enjoyed for 21 consecutive years.  In 2013, in conjunction with the launch of FOX Sports 1, FOX NFL KICKOFF debuted as FOX NFL SUNDAY’s cable-complement, delivering an additional hour of entertaining and informative National Football League news, opinion and analysis to better help fans prepare for the game action to come.  Now, after two seasons on FOX Sports 1, FOX NFL KICKOFF jumps to FOX broadcast network beginning Sunday, Sept. 13 (11:00 AM ET), immediately preceding FOX NFL SUNDAY.

“With interest and demand for NFL programming at an all-time high among both consumers and advertisers, the time is right to move FOX NFL KICKOFF to the network, making it more widely available than before,” said Bill Wanger, FOX Sports’ Executive Vice President Programming, Research and Content Strategy. “Partnering FOX NFL KICKOFF with the incomparable FOX NFL SUNDAY certainly enhances our coverage and provides football fans with an additional offering that makes FOX their pregame destination at an even earlier time.”

Utilizing a format that includes analysis and insights from an expert panel of former NFL personnel, FOX NFL KICKOFF features interviews with NFL newsmakers, live reports from NFL on FOX game venues, breaking news and updates from a team of in-the- know on-air.  The show’s host and panel are to be announced in coming weeks, and FOX NFL SUNDAY analysts are also scheduled to appear on FOX NFL KICKOFF throughout the season.

For additional information regarding NFL on FOX, including biographies, photos and more, visit the NFL on FOX page on FOX Sports Press Pass.

Joel Klatt Elevated to Lead Game Analyst as FOX Sports Unveils Starting Lineup for 2015 College Football Season

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260px-Fox_College_Football_logoFormer Colorado QB Joins Gus Johnson; Brady Quinn Teams with Joe Davis

Heisman Trophy Winner Matt Leinart Assumes Enhanced Studio Role

New York – The 2015 college football season is unofficially underway as conferences across the country assemble for their annual media days. Geared up for another exciting season of action, FOX Sports readies itself for kickoff, today announcing its roster of game and studio broadcasters for the 2015 season. Highlighting today’s announcement Joel Klatt joins play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson to become FOX Sports’ lead college football broadcast team. Klatt takes over for Charles Davis, who moves to the NFL on FOX. The announcement was made by John Entz, President of Production, FOX Sports.

“We are absolutely thrilled to name Joel as our new lead game analyst,” Entz said. “Over the last several years, Joel has become one of the best and most respected voices in the game, and he is truly deserving of this position. In addition, Brady and Matt have proved to be tremendous assets to FOX Sports since joining the network last season, and we are very excited to have them with us in expanded roles.”

A standout quarterback who set 44 school records at Colorado from 2002 to 2005, Klatt teams with Johnson, who has served as FOX Sports’ lead college football play-by-play voice since joining the network in 2001, and sideline reporter Molly McGrath. The trio’s first assignment comes on Thursday, Sept. 3, as Utah hosts Michigan on FOX Sports 1 (7:30 PM ET) – the inaugural game of Jim Harbaugh’s head coaching career at Michigan.

Klatt has been a member of the FOX Sports family since 2007 when he worked as a studio host for FOX Sports Southwest’s college football coverage. In 2009, he was assigned a package of games for FOX Sports Net, and in 2013, coinciding with the launch of FOX Sports 1, he moved to the national stage as a studio and game analyst for the network. Klatt has called Thursday and Friday college football games on FOX Sports 1 and worked in studio for college football pregame, halftime and postgame shows on FOX Sports 1 and FOX broadcast network. He has also covered the NFL, serving as the host of FOX Sports 1’s FOX NFL KICKOFF. Additionally, Klatt has enhanced his presence as a respected NFL Draft analyst and has been a regular contributor to FOX Sports 1’s flagship studio news programs AMERICA’S PREGAME and FOX SPORTS LIVE.

Having made his debut as a broadcaster in the booth for college football and NFL on FOX in 2014, former two-time Notre Dame All-American and Heisman Trophy finalist Brady Quinn, who set 36 school records while under center for the Fighting Irish, receives a full slate of college assignments this season and moves to the NFL booth once the collegiate season is complete. During the 2015 college season, Quinn teams with announcer Joe Davis, one the top emerging play-by-play voices in the industry, and sideline reporter Kris Budden.

Also returning to call games for FOX Sports this season is veteran college football and college basketball play-by-play broadcaster Tim Brando, who joined the network prior to the 2014 campaign.

Taking over for Klatt at the studio desk is Matt Leinart, one of the most decorated college football players in history. A two-time All-American, national champion and Heisman Trophy winner (2004) at USC, Leinart becomes a permanent fixture on the FOX COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREGAME, halftime and postgame shows, joining former NCAA and NFL head coach Dave Wannstedt and host Rob Stone in the studio. Leinart made his debut with FOX Sports in 2014, serving as an analyst on the Friday night college football preview show, FOX SPORTS LIVE: COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF.

FOX Sports continues to boast some of the top college football insiders as part of its coverage, as Bruce Feldman, Stewart Mandel and Clay Travis once again contribute to the studio shows and maintain a familiar presence on FOXSports.com.

In addition, analyst Petros Papadakis and rules expert Mike Pereira contribute to FOX Sports’ wide-ranging college football coverage, as they and the rest of the network’s analysts appear regularly in studio on game days and on FOX Sports 1 signature programs AMERICA’S PREGAME and FOX SPORTS LIVE, offering their expertise.

FOX Sports kicks off the 2015 college football season with seven games over four days on Labor Day weekend, including the highly anticipated debut of Harbaugh as head coach at his alma mater when the Wolverines travel to Salt Lake City to open the season against Utah on Thursday, Sept. 3 (7:30 PM ET) on FOX Sports 1. That exciting matchup is one of nearly 100 games telecast on FOX Sports’ national and regional platforms, comprising a schedule that features top contests from the Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA on FOX broadcast network, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports Networks (FSN), FOX College Sports (FCS), FOX Deportes and FOX Sports GO.

For more information on FOX Sports’ college football coverage, including schedules, photography, biographical information and more, visit FOX Sports Press Pass.

-FOX SPORTS-

FOX Sports Programming Highlights: MLB All-Star Game, U.S. Women’s Open, CONCACAF Gold Cup & More

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fox-sports-logoMLB: MLB ALL-STAR GAME Live on FOX on July 14

GOLF: U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN Debuts on FOX Sports

SOCCER:  Summer of Soccer Continues with CONCACAF GOLD CUP

#ICYMI: Watch the United States Women’s National Team Receive New Jerseys with the Third Star

GOLF

FOX SPORTS PRESENTS UNPRECEDENTED COVERAGE OF THE 70th U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP AT LANCASTER COUNTRY CLUB

  • Network/When:

o   FOX Sports 1: Thursday and Friday, July 9-10 (2:00-7:00 PM ET)

o   FOX: Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12 (2:30-6:30 PM ET)

o   FOX Sports GO: Thursday and Friday, July 9-10 (1:30-7:00 PM ET); Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12 (2:30-6:30 PM ET)

  • Talent: Joe Buck, Greg Norman, Juli Inkster, Jay Delsing, Brad Faxon, David Fay, Steve Flesch, Scott McCarron, Holly Sonders, Shane O’Donoghue, Robert Damron, Charles Davis and Buddy Marucci
  • This Week: Delivering 18 hours of live coverage, FOX Sports presents the 70th U.S. Women’s Open Championship live from Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pa. Lead USGA on FOX announcer Joe Buck and analyst Greg Norman call the action alongside two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Juli Inkster beginning Thursday, July 9 on FOX Sports 1 at 2:00 PM ET.

 

MLB ALL-STAR GAME

86TH MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ALL-STAR GAME AIRING ON FOX TUESDAY, JULY 14, FROM GREAT AMERICAN BALLPARK IN CINCINNATI, OHIO

  • Network/When: FOX & FOX Sports GO, Tuesday, July 14 (7:30 PM ET)

o   American League vs. National League: Joe Buck, Harold Reynolds, Tom Verducci, Ken Rosenthal and Erin Andrews

 

MLB WHIPAROUND/PRESS CONFERENCE SPECIAL FROM LA STUDIOS

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Monday, July 13 (1:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Chris Myers, Eric Karros, CJ Nitkowski, Mark Sweeney and Jon Paul Morosi

o  FOX Sports 1’s flagship MLB analysis, highlights and news show is live from FOX Sports’ Los Angeles studio for a special four-hour edition. Coverage is led by look-ins at media availabilities taking place in Cincinnati, including sound from players and managers at the various podiums and on-site interviews conducted by FOX MLB insider Jon Paul Morosi.

MLB WHIPAROUND/LIVE AT THE BALLPARK

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Monday, July 13 (5:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Kevin Burkhardt, Pete Rose, Frank Thomas and Ken Rosenthal

o  Taking the baton from the Los Angeles studio crew, a second edition of MLB WHIPAROUND begins live from the center field set at Great American Ballpark with host Kevin Burkhardt and analysts Pete Rose and Frank Thomas. The one-hour “Live At the Ballpark” special previews Monday night’s Home Run Derby and discusses of key storylines from the first half of the season, while Ken Rosenthal interviews players and coaches from the field.

MLB WHIPAROUND/ALL-STAR GAME AT THE BALLPARK

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Tuesday, July 14 (5:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Kevin Burkhardt, Pete Rose, Frank Thomas and Ken Rosenthal

o   Live from the center field set, Kevin Burkhardt hosts and is joined by Frank Thomas and Pete Rose. The show previews the biggest matchups in the All-Star Game, while Ken Rosenthal provides interviews from batting practice.

2015 MLB ALL-STAR GAME PREGAME SHOW

  • Network/When: FOX & FOX Sports GO, Tuesday, July 14 (7:00 PM ET)

o  Coverage shifts to local FOX stations for the lead-up to the first pitch. Kevin Burkhardt, Pete Rose and Frank Thomas welcome viewers to this special All-Star edition pregame show with previews and predictions in anticipation of the Mid-Summer Classic.

MLB

REGIONALIZED MLB COVERAGE ACROSS FOX BROADCAST NETWORK THIS SATURDAY; FOX SPORTS 1 HIGHLIGHTS LAST WEEKEND BEFORE THE ALL-STAR BREAK WITH TIGERS VS. TWINS

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Saturday, July 11 (4:00 PM ET)
    • Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins: Joe Davis and CJ Nitkowski
  • Network/When: FOX Sports & FOX Sports GO, Saturday, July 11 (7:00 PM ET)
    • New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox: Kenny Albert, Tom Verducci, Harold Reynolds and Ken Rosenthal
    • Washington Nationals at Baltimore Orioles: Gary Thorne and F.P. Santangelo
    • St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates: Matt Vasgersian, John Smoltz and Jon Paul Morosi
  • This Week: FOX Sports 1 welcomes viewers prior to Saturday’s broadcasts beginning at 4:00 PM ET prior to Tigers vs. Twins and stays with viewers throughout regionalized coverage beginning at 7:00 PM ET on FOX.  FOX MLB analyst Eric Karros joins host Kevin Burkhardt to preview all the day’s action.

MLB WHIPAROUND

  • Network/When/On-Air Talent: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, weekdays
    • Thursday, July 9 (12:30 AM ET); Talent: Kevin Burkhardt, CJ Nitkowski and Dontrelle Willis
    • Friday, July 10 OFF
    • Monday, July 13 (1:00 PM ET); Talent: Chris Myers, CJ Nitkowski, Mark Sweeney and Eric Karros; *more info on this special edition above
    • Tuesday, July 14 (5:00 PM ET); Talent: Kevin Burkhardt, Frank Thomas and Pete Rose; *more info on this special edition above
    • Wednesday, July 15 OFF
  • Show Description: MLB WHIPAROUND is FOX Sports 1’s nightly in-progress highlights and analysis studio show.  The 60-minute program features live look-ins at games from across the country, courtesy of FOX Sports’ Regional Sports Networks, in addition to recaps and analysis from some of the games most respected journalists and former players.

SOCCER

CONCACAF GOLD CUP COMES TO FOX SPORTS 1 & FOX SPORTS 2:

Network/When:

Thur., July 9 Match / Show Network
7:00 PM Trinidad & Tobago vs. Guatemala FOX Sports 2
9:30 PM Mexico vs. Cuba FOX Sports 1
Fri., July 10 Match / Show Network
6:00 PM Honduras vs. Panama FOX Sports 2
8:00 PM Gold Cup Match Day FOX Sports 1
8:30 PM USA vs. Haiti FOX Sports 1
Sat., July 11 Match / Show Network
6:30 PM Jamaica vs. Canada FOX Sports 2
9:00 PM Costa Rica vs. El Salvador FOX Sports 2
Sun., July 12 Match / Show Network
6:30 PM Trinidad & Tobago vs. Cuba FOX Sports 2
9:00 PM Guatemala vs. Mexico FOX Sports 2
Mon., July 13 Match / Show Network
7:00 PM Haiti vs. Honduras FOX Sports 1
9:00 PM Gold Cup Match Day FOX Sports 1
9:30 PM Panama vs. USA FOX Sports 1
Tues., July 14 Match / Show Network
6:00 PM Jamaica vs. El Salvador FOX Sports 1
8:00 PM Gold Cup Match Day FOX Sports 1
8:30 PM Canada vs. Costa Rica FOX Sports 1
Wednesday, July 15 Match / Show Network
6:00 PM Cuba vs. Guatemala FOX Sports 2
8:30 PM Mexico vs. Trinidad & Tobago FOX Sports 2
  • Talent: A play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports’ FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ coverage, John Strong calls all U.S. Gold Cup matches as well as the championship game. Former U.S. and Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Brad Friedel joins Strong as the match analyst for USA-Haiti on Friday, July 10(8:30 PM ET). National Soccer Hall of Famer Alexi Lalas works alongside Strong for Panama-USA on Monday, July 13 (9:30 PM ET). Julie Stewart-Binks reports from the sidelines for all three matches, televised on FOX Sports 1. In addition to Strong, Steve Cangialosi, Keith Costigan, Glenn Davis, JP Dellacamera and Mark Rogondino also call game action for FOX Sports’ coverage of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Joining Friedel and Lalas as analysts are Warren Barton, Brian Dunseth, Stu Holden, Cobi Jones and Janusz Michallik. FOX Sports’ Rob Stone, fresh off a stint hosting over 40 FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY programs, leads a trio of on-air personalities to anchor studio coverage for the tournament.  Also hosting during the group stage are Mark Rogondino and Ross Dyer.  Stone is in the chair for all USA matches in the group stage, as well as all knock out round dates. Analysts working studio coverage include: Alexi Lalas, Eric Wynalda, Stu Holden, Brad Friedel, Warren Barton, Cobi Jones, Mariano Trujillo and Dr. Joe Machnik.
  • This Week: The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup features the exciting talent and rivalries of the 12 participating nations from North America (Canada, Mexico & USA), Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras & Panama) and the Caribbean (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica & Trinidad and Tobago). The United States looks to defend its 2013 Gold Cup championship in which it defeated Panama, 1-0, in the final.

 

NASCAR

FOX NASCAR OFFERS RARE THURSDAY NIGHT NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES RACE

After two weeks off, the NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES is back in action this week, live under the lights at Kentucky Speedway in a rare Thursday night appearance.  FOX Sports 1 offers live coverage of the series’ 10th stop of the season on Thursday, July 9 (7:30 PM ET). The day’s coverage begins at 10:00 AM ET on FOX Sports 1 with live presentation of final practice, followed by qualifying on FOX Sports 2 (5:00 PM ET), during which NASCAR debuts the new two-round qualifying format for the series, as opposed to the previous three rounds.

Heading into Kentucky, two-time and defending champion Matt Crafton leads Tyler Reddick (-12), followed by Erik Jones (-26), Johnny Sauter (-43) and John Wes Townley (-76) after nine races.  Jones broke through in the season’s last race, held at Iowa Speedway, for his first win in 2015 after dominating several races but failing to seal the deal.

In addition, FOX Sports offers live pre-race coverage of the NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES race from Kentucky with NASCAR RACEDAY on Saturday, July 11 (5:00 PM ET).

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES RACING AT KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY

  • Network/When:  FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Thursday, July 9 (7:30 PM ET)
  • Talent:  Play-by-play announcer Ralph Sheheen; analysts Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip; reporters Hermie Sadler and Vince Welch

NCWTS SETUP

  • Network/When:  FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Thursday, July 9 (7:00 PM ET)
  • Talent:  Host John Roberts; analyst Todd Bodine; reporters Hermie Sadler and Kaitlyn Vincie
  • This Week:  A look back at Erik Jones’ win three weeks ago at Iowa Speedway; a flashback to Kyle Busch’s 2014 victory at Kentucky; a preview of the dirt race at Eldora Speedway on Wednesday, July 22; a look at the recent trend of young drivers continuing to score their career-best finishes; and a lighthearted word association game.

NASCAR RACEDAY FROM KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 2 & FOX Sports GO, Saturday, July 11 (5:00 PM ET)
  • Talent:  Host John Roberts; analysts Larry McReynolds and Kenny Wallace; Kaitlyn Vincie and Vince Welch
  • This Week: A feature on four-time champion Jeff Gordon, making his final start at Kentucky Speedway, and the fact the track is the only current NASCAR speedway at which he has not yet won; analysis of the new rules package implemented at Kentucky; and an interview with Brad Keselowski

NASCAR VICTORY LANE

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Sunday, July 12 (4:00 AM ET)
  • Talent:  Host John Roberts; analyst Kenny Wallace; reporter Kaitlyn Vincie
  • This Week:  The crew breaks down storylines and highlights from Saturday’s NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES race at Kentucky, including interviews with the winning driver and key players.

NASCAR RACE HUB

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Thursday, July 2 (6:00 PM ET), Monday, July 13 & Wednesday, July 15-Thursday, July 16 (6:00 PM ET); Tuesday, July 14 (6:00 PM ET on FOX Sports 2); pre-empted Thursday, July 9 due to NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES coverage
  • Talent: Co-hosts Adam Alexander, John Roberts and Danielle Trotta; analysts Larry McReynolds, Jeff Hammond and Wally Dallenbach; reporters Alan Cavanna, Andrew Doud and Kaitlyn Vincie
  • This Week: On Wednesday, July 8, a feature on the shuttered North Wilkesboro Speedway and its place in NASCAR history; and a RadioActive feature on Sunday night’s race at Daytona
  • Next Week: Guest/driver analyst AJ Allmendinger on Monday, July 13; guest/crew chief analyst Luke Lambert on Tuesday, July 14; guest/crew chief analyst Drew Blickensderfer on Wednesday, July 8

 

UFC

JULY HEATS UP ON FOX SPORTS 1 WITH 12 HOURS OF LIVE COVERAGE OF BACK-TO-BACK UFC FIGHTS THIS WEEKEND, INCLUDING TWO TITLE FIGHTS AND THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE

FOX Sports 1 packs a one-two punch this weekend with must-watch UFC programming, including two huge back-to-back fight cards – UFC 189: MENDES VS. MCGREGOR on Saturday, July 11 and THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE: AMERICAN TOP TEAM VS. BLACKZILIANS on Sunday, July 12. The action continues next week with a rare midweek event – UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MIR VS. DUFFEE on Wednesday, July 15. On Saturday, the highly anticipated UFC 189 showcases two championship bouts featuring Chad Mendes facing Conor McGregor for the interim UFC featherweight title. In the co-main event, Robbie Lawler defends his UFC welterweight belt against Rory MacDonald in a rematch of a 2013 bout won by Lawler.

UFC TONIGHT: LIVE FROM VEGAS PREVIEWING UFC 189 AND TUF FINALE, PLUS MCGREGOR, MENDES, LAWLER, MACDONALD AND WHITE INTERVIEWS

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Wednesday, July 8 (8:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Kenny Florian, Daniel Cormier, Karyn Bryant, Ariel Helwani
  • This Week: Kenny Florian, Daniel Cormier, Karyn Bryant and Insider Ariel Helwani are live at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas previewing the upcoming two title fights at UFC 189.  Plus, they interview welterweight champ Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald before their title bout, as well as Chad Mendes and Conor McGregor before their featherweight interim title fight. UFC president Dana White joins the show to talk about the exciting doubleheader weekend of fights. Bryant and Helwani add reports.

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: THE SHOWDOWN

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Wednesday, July 8 (10:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Dana White, Dan Lambert, Glenn Robinson
  • This Week: This week on THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER, it all comes down to the final fight of the season. The competition is neck-and-neck as Dan and the American Top Team turn up the heat and choose their most solid fighter. Meanwhile, Glenn and the Blackzilians bring their dark horse into the Octagon. Both teams are determined to win bragging rights and the $200,000 prize in what promises to be their greatest battle yet.

FOX SPORTS LIVE PRESENTS TUF TALK, RECAPS LAST EPISODE

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Wednesday, July 8 (11:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Karyn Bryant, Dominick Cruz, Michael Bisping
  • This Week: Host Karyn Bryant and analysts Dominick Cruz and Michael Bisping discuss the latest episode of THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER and get ready for the upcoming FINALE in Las Vegas.

FOX SPORTS 1 UFC 189 WEIGH-IN SHOW FEATURES LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP CORMIER AS ANALYST

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Friday, July 10 (7:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Jay Glazer, Daniel Cormier, Kenny Florian, Ariel Helwani
  • This Week: The FOX SPORTS 1 UFC 189 WEIGH-INS features host Jay Glazer with analysts Kenny Florian and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier breaking down the fighters on the card as they attempt to make weight. Ariel Helwani interviews fighters during the show.

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER WEIGH-IN SHOW

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 2 & FOX Sports GO, Saturday, July 11 (4:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Ariel Helwani, Daniel Cormier, Kenny Florian, Megan Olivi
  • This Week: THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER WEIGH-IN SHOW features host Ariel Helwani with analysts Cormier and Florian breaking down the fights and fighters on the card. Megan Olivi reports and interviews fighters.

FOX SPORTS 1 UFC 189 PREFIGHT SHOW PREVIEWS TITLE FIGHTS

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Saturday, July 11 (7:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Jay Glazer, Daniel Cormier, Kenny Florian, Ariel Helwani
  • This Week: Host Glazer and analysts Cormier and Florian break down the two exciting title fights at UFC 189 and preview the rest of the stacked card. Helwani adds reports and interviews.

FOX SPORTS 1 UFC 189 PRELIMS FEATURE FOUR EXCITING BOUTS

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Saturday, July 11 (8:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Joe Rogan, Mike Goldberg
  • This Week: The two-hour FOX SPORTS 1 UFC 189 PRELIMS feature four exciting bouts, including a key welterweight bout between No. 5 ranked Matt Brown (21-13) vs. Tim Means (24-6-1). Mike Swick (15-5) faces Alex Garcia (12-2) in another welterweight fight. Cathal Pendred (17-3-1) takes on John Howard (22-11) in another welterweight bout, while undefeated Cody Garbrandt (6-0) and Henry Briones (19-4-1) get the prelims started with a bantamweight bout.

FOX SPORTS 1 UFC 189 POSTFIGHT SHOW RECAPS TWO TITLE FIGHTS

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Saturday, July 11 (1:30 AM ET)
  • Talent: Jay Glazer, Daniel Cormier, Kenny Florian, Ariel Helwani
  • This Week: Host Glazer and analysts Cormier and Florian recap the two exciting title fights at UFC 189 and interview the winners after the fights.

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE PREFIGHT SHOW PREVIEWS EXCITING NIGHT

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Sunday, July 12 (6:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Jay Glazer, Daniel Cormier, Kenny Florian, Ariel Helwani
  • This Week: Host Glazer and analysts Cormier and Florian break down the finale of THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER and discuss the fighters from American Top Team and The Blackzilians who are matching up against each other. Helwani adds reports and interviews.

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE PRELIMS FEATURE FOUR THRILLING FIGHTS

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Sunday, July 12 (7:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Jon Anik, Brian Stann
  • This Week: The two-hour THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE PRELIMS feature four exciting bouts. Bout order to be determined with the conclusion of the final episode of THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER Wednesday night.

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE FEATURES EXCITING WELTERWEIGHT BOUT, ATT VS. BLACKZILIANS CONCLUSION

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Sunday, July 12 (9:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Jon Anik, Brian Stann
  • This Week: The three-hour THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE features a headlining bout between welterweight striking specialists Jake “The Juggernaught” Ellenberger and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Also featured are cast members of THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: AMERICAN TOP TEAM VS. BLACKZILIANS engaging in several hard-hitting bouts.

FOX SPORTS 1 UFC LIVE POSTFIGHT COVERAGE RECAPS TUF FINALE

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Sunday, July 12 (12:00 AM ET)
  • Talent: Jay Glazer, Daniel Cormier, Kenny Florian, Ariel Helwani
  • This Week: Host Glazer and analysts Cormier and Florian recap the evening’s hard-hitting action and interview the winners after the fights.

                                                     

FOX SPORTS 1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT WEIGH-IN SHOW FEATURES FORMER LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP EVANS AS ANALYST

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 2 & FOX Sports GO, Tuesday, July 14 (7:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Karyn Bryant, Rashad Evans, Yves Edwards, Heidi Androl
  • This Week: The FOX SPORTS 1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT WEIGH-INS feature host Karyn Bryant with analysts Yves Edwards and former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans breaking down the fighters on the card as they attempt to make weight. Heidi Androl interviews fighters during the show.

STUDIO SHOWS

FOX SPORTS LIVE – NIGHTLY MLB HIGHLIGHTS AND FIRST-HALF RECAPS, UFC 189 PREVIEW AND POSTFIGHT INTEGRATION, U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN COVERAGE

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1, nightly (11:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Jay Onrait, Dan O’Toole, Charissa Thompson, Don Bell, Ryan Field.
  • This Week: FOX Sports 1’s flagship nightly highlight, news and opinion show rolls on featuring extended highlights and analysis, covering the action from across the spectrum of sports. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is less than one week away, and FOX SPORTS LIVE gets fans ready for Tuesday’s Mid-Summer Classic with nightly game highlights and recaps, in addition to first-half breakdowns. Next Tuesday night’s edition of FOX SPORTS LIVE airs at 12:30 AM ET, but will contain a number of postgame elements from Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, including insights from analysts Pete Rose and Frank Thomas, in addition to sound from players and managers following the game. The highly-anticipated UFC 189 takes place in Las Vegas this week and beginning Wednesday night, FOX SPORTS LIVE has it covered in anticipation for the featherweight showdown between Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes that headlines the card. Coverage includes integration with the UFC TONIGHT crew from Las Vegas on Wednesday night and post-fight highlights and commentary following the event on Saturday night. Also included this week will be coverage of the U.S. Women’s Open, taking place at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pa., broadcast live throughout the week by FOX Sports. Coverage includes nightly wraps from the FOX USGA crew of Holly Sonders, Juli Inkster and Brad Faxon.

AMERICA’S PREGAME – LIVE WEDNESDAY, PREEMPTED THURSDAY AND FRIDAY

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1, weekdays (5:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Mike Hill, Molly McGrath.
  • This Week: AMERICA’S PREGAME is dark both Thursday and Friday as live opening-round coverage of the United States Women’s Open from Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pa., begins on FOX Sports 1. In addition to previewing Wednesday’s action among all sports, the show includes Wimbledon coverage and is highlighted by a live talkback from FOX Sports 1’s Andy Roddick from the All England Club, recapping the early action and giving his predictions for who could go the distance to win the Grand Slam event.

ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING

GARBAGE TIME WITH KATIE NOLAN AIRS AT 1:30 AM ET THIS SUNDAY NIGHT

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Sunday, July 12 (1:30 AM ET)
  • Talent: Katie Nolan
  • This Week: Katie Nolan continues to tackle the hottest topics in sports, interjecting her wit, sarcasm and comedy in the weekly show GARBAGE TIME WITH KATIE NOLAN on FOX Sports 1. GARBAGE TIME airs later than normal this week, at 1:30 AM ET, following THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER live finale and the U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN WRAP UP. In case you missed it, last week, Katie relived some of her favorite moments from the season so far, and took a trip to Montreal to hang out with the American Outlaws.

FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

JORGE LORENZO LOOKS TO HOLD POINTS LEAD IN QUEST FOR 10TH MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP THIS WEEKEND IN GERMANY

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Sunday, July 12 (7:30 AM ET)
  • Talent: Host Ralph Sheheen; analysts Nick Harris and Matthew Birt; pit reporter Dylan Gray
  • This Week:  FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP heads to Germany this weekend for round nine of 18, the last before a four-week summer break. Valentino Rossi looks to maintain his 10-point lead over Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo while chasing a 10th World Championship, his eighth in the premier class. At the season’s last race in the Netherlands, Rossi won a fierce battle with two-time defending MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez to take his third win of the season and extend his points lead.   Marquez has qualified on the pole and won the grand prix in Germany each of the last two seasons. Later in the day, FOX Sports 2 airs coverage of Moto2 (5:00 PM ET) and Moto3 (4:00 PM ET) from Germany.

 

TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP

TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP HEADS NORTH TO CANADA THIS WEEKEND 

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Sunday, July 12 (12:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Bob Varsha, Calvin Fish and Justin Bell in the booth; Brian Till and Jamie Howe reporting from pit road.
  • This Week: Bowmanville, Ontario’s Canadian Tire Motorsport Park hosts round seven of the TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP this weekend, featuring the Prototype, Prototype Challenge and GT Le Mans classes racing around the 2.459-mile circuit.

STREET LEAGUE SKATEBOARDING

FIRST STREET LEAGUE ARENA STOP KICKS OFF IN LOS ANGELES

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Saturday, July 11 (10:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Andrew Cannon, Geoff Rowley, Paul Zitzer, Jordan Whitley
  • This Week: The Street League Skateboarding (SLS) Nike SB World Tour is returning to Los Angeles to kick off the season with this year’s first arena event at the Galen Center at USC on Saturday, July 11. As with last year, Nyjah Huston again won the 2015 SLS Nike SB Pro Open, coming in just ahead of Nike SB pro Paul Rodriguez. Can Huston again continue through the season winning every stop, or could this be the year that Rodriguez shows why he’s considered one of skateboarding’s most powerful athletes and earn his position atop the podium? Back in the game after sitting out last year’s Tour with injuries are League veterans David Gonzalez and Ryan Sheckler, both having what it takes to become World Champion. Another contender to watch is one of last year’s three Rookies Matt Berger; after qualifying through the Pro Open, Burger secured his position in the 2014 SLS Nike SB World Tour and progressed all the way to the Super Crown to finish eighth overall in the League. With such an unprecedented lineup of professional street skateboarders, the 2015 SLS season promises to produce some of the most exciting action in the history of the sport.

Filed Under: FOX

Staggering 25.4 Million Witness USA Defeat Japan to Win Coveted FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015 Title

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fox-sports-logoAudience Peaks at 31 Million Viewers

USA-Japan is Most-Watched Soccer Match in U.S. History

Vancouver, B.C. – The USA’s emphatic 5-2 victory over Japan in the FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ final, America’s first Women’s World Cup championship since 1999, is the most- watched soccer match in U.S. history, according to Nielsen.  The match posted a prodigious 12.9 household rating/share with 25.4 million viewers, and peaked at 30.9 million between 8:30-8:45 PM ET.

USA-Japan final highlights:

–       The 2015 USA-Japan final is the most-watched soccer match in U.S. history, obliterating the previous mark of 18,220,000 set by USA-Portugal during last year’s World Cup group stage match (6/22/15) by +39%.

–       USA-Japan also shatters prior mark for a women’s soccer match, the 1999 Women’s World Cup Final (17,975,000) by +41%.

–       The match beat the audience for the 2011 Women’s World Cup Final, which also featured USA vs. Japan, by +89% (13.5 million).

–       Last night’s match average audience exceeded every game of the NBA Finals, the 2014-15 broadcast season average of every show in primetime, including Sunday Night Football, and the primetime average of the Sochi Olympic Winter Games.

–       Last night’s match delivered the most-watched telecast since the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament championship game on CBS (28.3 million, 4/6/15).

–       43.2 million viewers watched all or part of last night’s final.

–       The audience began at 18.2 million viewers at 7:00PM ET and peaked at a tournament-high 30.1 million from 8:30–8:45 PM ET.

–       FOX Sports GO set a new record with 232,000 unique streamers.  This was the largest authenticated streaming audience in FOX Sports GO history, besting the previous mark set by the USA-Germany semifinal (166,000 unique streamers).  Women’s World Cup matches now comprise FOX Sports GO’s top 5 most-viewed events ever.

–          Top markets for USA vs. Japan: Kansas City (20.6), followed by St. Louis (20.5), San Diego (19.5), Denver (19.4), Austin (19.1), Seattle (18.3), Washington D.C. and West Palm Beach (18.2), San Francisco and Las Vegas (17.7).  The rating in Kansas City is the highest for any individual market in this tournament.  The previous high was set by Kansas City and St. Louis (9.3) for USA-Germany in the Semifinal.

Note: All comparisons based on single net English language viewership.

FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ summary:

–          The 2015 tournament averaged 1.824 million viewers per each of the tournament’s 52 matches across all networks (FOX, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2), +21% over 1,511,000 averaged on ESPN and ESPN2 for the 32 matches played in 2011.

–           Top markets for all seven USA matches: St. Louis (8.0), followed by Kansas City (7.5), Washington D.C. (7.3), Austin (6.6), San Diego (6.4), Richmond (6.2), Denver and Baltimore (6.1), Norfolk and West Palm Beach (6.0).

–          Top markets for all 52 matches: St. Louis (1.94), Washington D.C. (1.85), Richmond (1.72), Kansas City (1.65), Sacramento (1.64), Baltimore (1.60), Orlando (1.56), Los Angeles (1.54), San Diego (1.51) and Las Vegas (1.50).

— FOX SPORTS —

FOX Sports FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 Evening Highlights – Sunday, July 5

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fox-sports-logoTHIS JUST IN: USWNT Joins FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY – THIRD STAR SPECIAL Tomorrow at 1:00 PM ET on FOX Sports 1 and available to all on FOX Sports GO

FOX Sports’ extensive coverage of the FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ concludes tomorrow with a special edition of FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY – “THIRD STAR SPECIAL” at 1:00 PM ET on FOX Sports 1. See below for highlights from today’s final match.

TODAY’S RESULTS

USA def. Japan, 5-2, to take the World Cup Championship

MONDAY’S SCHEDULE

1:00 PM ET – FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY – “THIRD STAR SPECIAL.” FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO

FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT Highlights:

Leslie Osborne says Carli Lloyd is the definition of a big game player:

“She’s worked incredibly hard to get to this point. Her fitness, her leadership – she’s the captain of this team for a reason. She just loves this chip on her shoulder and she wants to prove people wrong and she wants to come up big in every moment she can. She’s just worked incredibly hard and has embraced this leadership role, and the team can always count on her.  Even when she wasn’t having a solid start to this tournament, she actually wasn’t playing well, you never can discount her because she’s always going to come up big.”

Ariane Hingst admits the U.S. defense surprised her:

“In the beginning of the tournament, we were talking about who are the favorites of the tournament, and we would always go, “Oh the defensive lines are the favorites.” Especially in that American line, there were doubts for all of us. They proved us totally wrong.”

Eric Wynalda on what coach Jill Ellis has accomplished after today’s win:

“When this team started to perform the way we were hoping they would and they came out of the gates, they didn’t buy into all of the cynicism that was being talked about, which I was a very big part of because I was frustrated with them. She [Ellis] was still the captain of this ship; she was still having those conversations with players, making sure that everyone was on board. That’s a tough thing to do, to have everybody on board. Now that it’s all over, we are getting to see that. There’s nothing disingenuous about what’s been said about this group. Jill Ellis built this group. She gets all the credit in the world for that. They’ve broken records today. We’ve never seen anything like that, that kind of final.”

Kelly Smith and Hingst on whether Carli Lloyd achieved her stated goal of establishing a legacy with tonight’s win:

Smith: “(Lloyd’s third goal is) the best goal of the tournament and may be the best goal in the history of women’s football. To have the audacity, to have the vision to turn just at the half goal line to see the keeper at the far line, and to have the strength and power in her leg to score that goal it’s such a fulfilling performance. You can see how much it means to her.”

Hingst:  “At the beginning of the tournament we criticized her, we had to, because she wasn’t playing well. This is when a strong personality comes out, you step up when it really matters.  She knew she wasn’t playing well but she progressed, got better and better and had her best performance in the final.  This is how you do it.”

Eric Wynalda on what this win does for Abby Wambach’s status in the game:

“The fact that she had to take a secondary role, which she accepted completely, she made it all about her teammates…As a former athlete, there are a hundred different ways to handle that, and she handled it the right way.”

USA’s WOMEN’S WORLD CUP Championship Match Sets Metered Market Household Ratings Record

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fox-sports-logoMM Rating Peaks at 18.3

Fast National Audience Figure Due this Afternoon

Vancouver, B.C. – The USA’s emphatic 5-2 victory over Japan in the FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ final, America’s first Women’s World Cup championship since 1999, posted a prodigious 15.2/27 metered market household rating/share (7:00-9:00 PM ET), according to Nielsen.  It is the highest metered market rating ever for a soccer game in the U.S. on a single network, surpassing the previous mark set for the Women’s World Cup final between the USA and China in 1999 on ABC (13.3 mm rating).  Fast national figures are expected later today.

Additional metered market highlights for Japan-USA:

–           Match rating +77% over the 8.6 recorded by ESPN for the USA vs. Japan Women’s World Cup final in 2011

–           The match’s metered market audience peaked at 18.3/31 from 8:45-9:00 PM ET which included the USA’s winning celebration

–           The top 5 local markets for the match:  Kansas City (20.6/35), St. Louis (20.5/33), San Diego (19.5/41), Denver (19.4/36) and Austin (19.1/37)

For more information on FOX Sports’ comprehensive coverage of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015™, visit FOX Sports Press Pass.

– FOX SPORTS –

FOX-Record 8.4 Million Watch USA Defeat Germany and Advance to FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015 Final

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fox-sports-logoAudience Peaks at Over 12 Million Viewers

USA-Germany is Most-Watched World Cup Semifinal Match Ever

Vancouver, B.C. – The U.S. Women’s National Team, driven by a tenacious defense that has posted five straight shutouts and not allowed a goal in 513 minutes, out-flanked top-ranked Germany, 2-0, last night in Montreal, Quebec, to return to the final of the FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP™ for what is sure to be a star-spangled showdown against the winner of tonight’s England-Japan semifinal, on Sunday, July 5.  The upward audience trend witnessed at each advancing stage throughout the quadrennial tournament continued as FOX set yet another record for soccer on the network, with an average audience of 8.4 million viewers, according to fast nationals issued today by Nielsen.

USA-Germany semifinal highlights:

–       The match’s 8.4 million viewers breaks the recent mark set June 26 for the USA-China quarterfinal match (5.7 million) by 47%.

–       The 2015 USA-Germany semifinal is now the third most-watched women’s soccer match of all time, trailing only the USA-China 1999 Women’s World Cup Final (17,975,000) and the Japan-USA 2011 Women’s World Cup Final (13,458,000), dropping USA-China 2015 quarterfinal to fourth, followed by USA-Nigeria 2015 Group Stage (5.0 million, fifth place), Brazil-USA 1999 Women’s World Cup Semifinal (4.9 million, sixth), USA-Sweden 2015 Women’s World Cup Group Stage (4.5 million, seventh).

–       The audience for USA-China on FOX (8.4 million) is +147% better than the audience for the USA’s semifinal match in 2011 vs. France on ESPN (3.4 million).

–       USA-Germany is the most-watched World Cup semifinal match – men’s or women’s -ever in the U.S., breaking the mark set for the Germany-Italy 2006 World Cup semifinal (5.9 million).

–       The audience began at 1.6 million viewers at 6:41 PM ET and peaked at a tournament-high 12.1 million from 8:30-8:45 PM ET. The previous peak audience for the tournament was 8.1 million, reached during the USA-China quarterfinal. The peak for USA-Germany beat the prior peak by +49% (12.1 million vs. 8.1 million).

–       FOX Sports GO recorded a record 166,000 unique streamers.  This was the largest authenticated streaming audience in FOX Sports GO history, besting the previous mark set by the USA vs. Colombia round of 16 match (121,000 unique streamers).

–          USA-Germany is the most-watched broadcast on FOX since the April 1 edition of AMERICAN IDOL.

–          The match provided FOX broadcast network its highest-rated program among Adults 18-49 (3.0) since the season finale of EMPIRE on 3/18/15.

–          Top markets for USA vs. Germany: Kansas City and St. Louis (9.3), followed by Washington D.C. (9.0), Austin (7.8), Cincinnati and Columbus (7.4), Boston (7.1), Detroit (7.0), San Diego (6.9), and New York (6.8).  The ratings in Kansas City and St. Louis for USA-Germany tie for the highest of any individual market in this tournament.  The previous high was 7.8 set by Kansas City for USA-China in the Quarterfinal.

FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ summary:

–       The six USA matches on FOX and FOX Sports 1 have averaged 5.3 million viewers, +121% better than the 2011 tournament average through the semifinals (2.4 million) on ESPN.

–       The four USA matches on FOX have averaged a 3.3 HH rating, with 6.0 million viewers.  In the Adult 18-49 demo, the four matches averaged a 2.1 rating, which would place it in a tie for second for prime time programs in the summer season.

–       The 2015 tournament is averaging 1.306 million viewers per match across all networks (FOX, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2), +45% over 899,000 averaged on ESPN and ESPN2 through the first semifinal in 2011.

–       Top markets for all six USA matches: St. Louis (6.0), Washington D.C. (5.6), Kansas City (5.4), Austin (4.7), Richmond (4.6), Baltimore (4.5), New York (4.4), Hartford, Milwaukee and Norfolk (4.3).

— FOX SPORTS —

FOX Sports FIFA Women’s World Cup Semifinal Highlights – USA vs. Germany

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fox-sports-logoFOX SPORTS FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ 

SEMIFINAL HIGHLIGHTS – USA v. GERMANY

FOX Sports presents full coverage of the FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™, including the USA’s dramatic 2-0 win over Germany in the semifinals tonight. Coverage continues tomorrow with the tournament’s second semifinal, as Japan faces England on FOX Sports 1. Coverage begins with FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY at 6:00 PM ET.

See below for highlights from today’s coverage:

TODAY’S RESULTS

USA def. Germany, 2-0

USA advances to final on Sunday, July 5, at 6:00 PM ET on FOX

Germany plays in third-place match on Saturday, July 4, at 3:00 PM ET on FOX

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

6:00 PM ET – FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY, FOX Sports 1

7:00 PM ET – Japan vs. England, FOX Sports 1

(Edmonton – Jenn Hildreth, Kyndra de St. Aubin and Julie Stewart-Binks)

12:00 AM ET – FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT, FOX Sports 1

USA v. GERMANY Semifinal Highlights:

Game analyst Tony DiCicco said this was the USWNT’s best performance:

“This was their best performance. I know there were some controversial calls, but the bottom line is the U.S. was the better team in this match.”

Game analyst Cat Whitehill credits the team’s defense:

“The United States back line and Hope Solo are winning this tournament for this team. The United States is peaking at the right time.

“They made Germany’s Célia Šašić, the tournament’s leading goal scorer, look like an average forward tonight.”

Former USWNT player Heather Mitts credits coach Jill Ellis for her personnel decisions:

“I want to give major credit to Jill Ellis for changing the formation and for the substitutions that she made tonight. Everybody has wanted to see this team play in a 4-3-3, and tonight the players were put in the best position possible to go out there and win.”

Alexi Lalas says the USWNT is poised to win its third World Cup:

“Jill Ellis got it right and deserves a tremendous amount of credit. She passed with flying colors, as did her team, and the colors are red, white and blue. Congratulations to her and her team. We saw Carli Lloyd at the end of the game give an interview and say she’s thinking about bigger things – go out there and win that World Cup. It’s been 16 years, and now, after having taken care of Germany, it is right there in the palm of your hand.

“If they go on to lose in the final, it would be an incredible disappointment considering who they just beat.”

Former German international Ariane Hingst says the USA was the better team:

“The USA definitely had the best tactics today. They showed the best performance, so they deserved to win.”

USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo spoke with FOX Sports USWNT Insider Jenny Taft immediately following the game about her mindset defending the PK and her team:

“You do what you can. I did the stall tactic. It worked.

“Our back line is incredible. I can’t say enough good things about them. But it’s not just our back line. We have our two holding midfielders playing so much defense. You saw Morgan Brian go up on that set piece, take a hit to the head, almost concussed, and she saved that goal.”

Canadian goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc joined FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT and said Solo’s stalling was the reason Célia Šašić missed the PK:

“Hope did a great job stalling. The time between when she put the ball down and when she took it – she had too much to think about. For me, that was the difference. It’s part of the game. It’s gamesmanship, and as a keeper, you have to do it.”

Hingst says the German team ran out of ideas against the USA:

“Germany faced a U.S. team that was really good defensively, and I’m not just talking about four defensive players on the back line, I’m talking about 11 players on the field. Morgan Brian was essential. She closed the gap in the central midfield. The Germans were out of ideas. They created so many chances in the games before, but in this game they didn’t really have a big chance besides the one penalty kick.”

Lalas says Julie Johnston benefitted from the referee’s lenient yellow card call:

“This is a younger and less-experienced type of player that is having a phenomenal tournament. That looked to be that one moment that was going to live in infamy, and yet things just changed and the soccer gods act in strange ways. She is lucky to have stayed in that game because that was as clear of a red card as I’ve seen.”

For notes, coverage, bios, photography and more, visit the FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015 page on FOX Sports Press Pass.

– FOX SPORTS –

FOX Sports Programming Highlights: Soccer, Golf & UFC

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fox-sports-logoFOX SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS – 3 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

SOCCER: USA Faces China at FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ on FOX Friday Evening in Rematch of 1999 Final

GOLF: Unprecedented 23+ Hours of Live Coverage at U.S. Senior Open

UFC: Top-Ranked Middleweights Machida and Romero Battle at FOX SPORTS 1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT on Saturday

#ICYMI: Abby Wambach Exclusively Speaks to FOX Sports USWNT Insider Jenny Taft About the Controversial Comments She Made Following Monday’s Match

*******************************************************************************************************

SOCCER

FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ CONTINUES WITH QUARTERFINAL ACTION ON FRIDAY

USA and China Face Off In Rematch of 1999 Final

(ALL TIMES EASTERN)

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports GO, Thursday, June 25 (12:00 AM)

o   FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT

  • Network/When/Talent: FOX, FOX Sports GO, Friday, June 26

o   FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY (3:00 PM)

o   Germany vs. France (4:00 PM)

  • Justin Kutcher, Aly Wagner & Julie Stewart-Binks

o   FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY (7:00 PM)

o   China vs. United States of America (7:30 PM)

  • JP Dellacamera, Tony DiCicco, Cat Whitehill & Jenny Taft
  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports GO, Friday, June 26
      • FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT (12:00 AM)
  • Network/When/Talent: FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports GO, Saturday, June 27

o   FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY (3:30 PM)

o   Australia vs. Japan (4:00 PM)

  • Jenn Hildreth & Kyndra de St. Aubin

o   FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY (6:00 PM)

o   England vs. Canada (7:00 PM)

  • John Strong, Danielle Slaton & Julie-Stewart Binks

o   FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT (2:00 AM)

  • Network/When/Talent: FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports GO, Monday, June 29

o   FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT (12:00 AM)

  • Network/When: FOX, FOX Sports GO, Tuesday, June 30

o   FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY (6:00 PM)

o   Semifinal  (7:00 PM)

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports GO, Tuesday, June 30

o   FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY (10:00 PM)

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports GO, Wednesday, July 1

o   FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY (6:00 PM)

o   Semifinal (7:00 PM)

o   FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT (12:00 AM) 

This Week: FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ moves into the quarterfinal rounds on Friday, June 26, with all games on local FOX stations and FOX Sports 1. The U.S. Women’s National Team defeated Colombia 2-0 in the Round of 16 and plays Friday in Ottawa with coverage beginning at 7:00 PM ET on FOX. Team USA faces China in a rematch of the 1999 Women’s World Cup Final, which USA won in penalty kicks at the Rose Bowl, in which FOX Sports broadcasters Tony DiCicco and JP Dellacamera each played a part – DiCicco as coach of the USWNT and Dellacamera calling the action. Each day during the FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™, FOX Sports previews games with FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY and recaps the day’s action with FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT on FOX Sports 1.

MLS

MLS SOCCER SUNDAY CONTINUES WITH PORTLAND TIMBERS VS. SEATTLE SOUNDERS

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1, FOX Deportes & FOX Sports GO, Sunday, June 28 (10:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Game announcer Mark Rogondino, analyst Brad Friedel and sideline reporter Keith Costigan
  • This Week: The Portland Timbers have never won in Seattle in regular season play, but the two teams met just last week in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup, with the Sounders having three players sent off in a 3-1 Timbers win.

GOLF

FOX SPORTS ROLLS INTO DEL PASO FOR UNPRECEDENTED COVERAGE FOR U.S. SENIOR OPEN

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Thursday and Friday, June 25 and June 26 (3:00 PM – 9:30 PM ET); FOX and FOX Sports GO, Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28 (2:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET). Bonus coverage on FOX Sports GO, Thursday and Friday, June 25 and 26, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET.
  • Talent: Joe Buck, Greg Norman, Holly Sonders, Brad Faxon, Steve Flesch, Juli Inkster, Scott McCarron, Shane O’Donoghue, Natalie Gulbis, Buddy Marucci and Shane Bacon.
  • This Week: Presenting the next of the United States Golf Association’s world-class events, the FOX Sports crew arrives in the California state capital this week for the 36th U.S. Senior Open at Del Paso Country Club in Sacramento. Offering more than 23 hours of live coverage, the FOX USGA crew covers the field of 156 players over the course of four days. The lead announce team of Joe Buck and Greg Norman is accompanied by a host of other analysts and course reporters for what will be the largest volume of live golf televised in the U.S. Senior Open’s history.

UFC

PIVOTAL FIGHT FOR TOP MIDDLEWEIGHTS MACHIDA AND ROMERO AT UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON SATURDAY, SAYS FOX UFC ANALYST STANN

This weekend’s FOX SPORTS 1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MACHIDA VS. ROMERO features No. 4-ranked Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida (22-6) facing South Florida transplant and No. 6 Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero (9-1) in the headliner at FOX SPORTS 1 UFC® FIGHT NIGHT: MACHIDA VS. ROMERO. The main card begins at 10:00 PM ET. Olympic silver medalist Romero is closing in on a world title shot, but has to get past a former light heavyweight world champion to get there. FOX UFC analyst Brian Stann believes the headliner could be a turning point for both fighters. “Machida vs. Romero is a fantastic match-up to find out if Romero is a real contender at 185 pounds or if Machida can still challenge for UFC gold one day,” he says. “Lyoto’s loss to Luke Rockhold was the most one-sided of his career, but a win over a guy as scary as Romero would confirm he is still a big threat at middleweight.” FOX Sports 2 airs the UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREFIGHT SHOW (7:00 PM ET) and UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS (8:00 PM ET), while the main card begins on FOX Sports 1 at 10:00 PM ET. FOX SPORTS LIVE has extensive postfight coverage at 1:00 AM ET Saturday evening.

UFC TONIGHT: HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP WERDUM IN STUDIO, MACHIDA INTERVIEW, BISPING AND CRUZ GUEST HOST

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Wednesday, June 24 (8:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Brendan Schaub, Dominick Cruz, Karyn Bryant, Ariel Helwani
  • This Week: Guest hosts Brendan Schaub and Dominick Cruz break down the upcoming UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MACHIDA VS. ROMERO and interview middleweight Lyoto Machida about his headlining bout. Plus, newly crowned heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum is in studio to talk about his victory over Cain Velasquez. Bryant and Helwani add reports.

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: DO OR DIE FOR AMERICAN TOP TEAM

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Wednesday, June 24 (10:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Dana White, Dan Lambert, Glenn Robinson
  • This Week: This week on THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER, it’s do or die for Dan and American Top Team as they prepare for the last three fights of the season. Glenn and the Blackzilians take a moment to celebrate, while reflecting on how far they’ve come, but an injury to an integral fighter could sabotage their dreams of another victory.

FOX SPORTS LIVE PRESENTS TUF TALK, RECAPS LATEST EPISODE

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Wednesday, June 24 (11:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Karyn Bryant, Michael Bisping
  • This Week: Host Karyn Bryant and analyst Michael Bisping discuss the latest episode of THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER with American Top Team’s Nathan Coy and UFC lightweight Michael Johnson from the Blackzilians. Bisping then analyzes this week’s fight.

UFC MAIN EVENT UFC 167: MACDONALD VS. LAWLER

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Thursday, June 25 (9:30 PM ET)
  • Talent: Rory MacDonald, Robbie Lawler
  • This Week: Two years before they were scheduled to clash for the welterweight championship, Rory MacDonald and Robbie Lawler met in a Las Vegas showdown. Witness their preparations and see how their first fight unfolded.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT WEIGH-INS FEATURE ANALYSIS FROM FORMER CHAMP EVANS

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 2 & FOX Sports GO, Friday, June 26 (5:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Karyn Bryant, Brian Stann, Rashad Evans and Heidi Androl
  • This Week: The FOX SPORTS 1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT WEIGH-INS features host Karyn Bryant with analysts Brian Stann and Rashad Evans breaking down the fighters on the card as they attempt to make weight. Heidi Androl interviews fighters during the show.

                            

FOX SPORTS 1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREFIGHT SHOW: MACHIDA VS. ROMERO PREVIEW

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 2 & FOX Sports GO, Saturday, June 27 (7:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Karyn Bryant, Brian Stann, Rashad Evans and Heidi Androl
  • This Week: Host Karyn Bryant and analysts Rashad Evans and Brian Stann preview the exciting night of fights, including the middleweight headliner between former champ Lyoto Machida and Yoel Romero. Bryant, Stann and Evans also analyze the other matchups on the main card and prelims. Heidi Androl adds reports from South Florida.

FOX SPORTS 1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS FEATURE EXCITING BOUTS 

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 2 & FOX Sports GO, Saturday, June 27 (8:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Jon Anik, Kenny Florian, Karyn Bryant, Brian Stann, Rashad Evans and Heidi Androl
  • This Week: The two-hour FOX SPORTS 1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS feature four exciting bouts, including hard-hitting welterweight Alex Oliveira (11-2-1, 1 NC) versus UFC newcomer Joe Merritt (6-0). Welterweight Leandro “Buscape” Silva (17-2-1, 1 NC) takes on Lewis Gonzalez (10-1), who is also making his UFC debut. Plus, watch a battle between hungry UFC newcomers and welterweights Steve Montgomery (8-2) vs. Tony Sims (9-2).

FOX SPORTS 1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT FEATURES BATTLE OF TOP-RANKED MIDDLEWEIGHTS MACHIDA AND ROMERO

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1, FOX Deportes & FOX Sports GO, Saturday, June 27 (10:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Jon Anik, Kenny Florian
  • This Week: The three-hour FOX SPORTS 1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT main card is headlined by No. 4-ranked Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida (22-6) and South Florida transplant and No. 6 Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero (9-1). In the co-main event, Santiago Ponzinibbio (21-2) faces Lorenz Larkin (15-4, 1 NC) in a welterweight contest. Also confirmed to fight that night are The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 champion Antonio Carlos Junior (5-1) facing fellow TUF winner Eddie Gordon (8-3) in a middleweight matchup. Thiago Santos (10-3) takes on Steve Bosse (10-1) in a middleweight battle. No. 14-ranked featherweight Hacran Dias (22-3-1) fights Levan Makashvili (10-1).

UFC FIGHT NIGHT POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FOX SPORTS LIVE RECAPS FIGHTS

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Saturday, June 27 (1:00 AM ET)
  • Talent: Karyn Bryant, Rashad Evans, Brian Stann and Heidi Androl
  • This Week: Host Bryant and analysts Evans and Stann break down the evening’s biggest bouts including the headliner between Lyoto Machida and Yoel Romero and other exciting fights. Androl interviews winners onsite.

UFC ULTIMATE INSIDER: LAWLER ON THE BRINK, MCGREGOR’S WARRIOR CODE

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 2 & FOX Sports GO, Sunday, June 28 (7:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Megan Olivi
  • This Week: Watch welterweight Robbie Lawler’s firsthand account of the biggest week of his life as he achieves his UFC dream against Johny Hendricks at UFC 181. Then, the UFC’s finest detail the physical and psychological toll which must be endured in order to succeed inside the Octagon. Finally, Ireland’s featherweight sensation Conor McGregor illuminates the philosophy behind his bravado in Warrior Code.

MLB

PRIMETIME BASEBALL RETURNS TO FOX THIS SATURDAY

  • Network/When/Talent: FOX & FOX Sports GO, Saturday, June 27 (7:00 PM ET)
    • Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
      • Matt Vasgersian, Eric Karros & Jon Paul Morosi
    • Cleveland Indians at Baltimore Orioles
      • Gary Thorne & Cliff Floyd
    • Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
      • Kenny Albert, Tom Verducci, Harold Reynolds & Ken Rosenthal
  • This Week: FOX Sports welcomes viewers prior to Saturday night’s broadcasts with a pregame show hosted by Kevin Burkhardt with analyst CJ Nitkowski.

MLB WHIPAROUND

  • Network/When/Talent: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, weekdays
    • Monday, June 29 (7:00 PM ET)
    • Tuesday, June 30 (7:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Kevin Burkhardt, CJ Nitkowski & Ken Rosenthal
  • This Week: MLB WHIPAROUND is FOX Sports 1’s nightly in-progress highlights and analysis studio show. The 60-minute program features live look-ins at games from across the country, courtesy of FOX Sports’ Regional Sports Networks, in addition to recaps and analysis from some of the games most respected journalists and former players.

FOX SPORTS 1 PREMIERES ROAD TO THE SHOW SERIES CHRONICLING BASEBALL’S BIGGEST STARS ON THEIR JOURNEY TO THE BIG LEAGUES

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports Go, Saturday, June 27 (12:30 PM ET)
  • This Week: ROAD TO THE SHOW is a new documentary series from FOX Sports that gives viewers a chance to hear from some of today’s biggest Major League Baseball stars about what it took for them to make that arduous journey to baseball’s grandest stage. The series premieres Saturday on FOX Sports 1 with back-to-back 30-minute episodes featuring two-time All-Star and World Series champion AJ Pierzynski (12:30 PM ET) and five-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger award-winner Prince Fielder (1:00 PM ET).

 

NASCAR

FOX SPORTS RAMPS UP FOR FINAL 2015 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES TELECAST IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA’S WINE COUNTRY

FOX Sports puts a bow on its 2015 race coverage of the NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES this weekend at Sonoma Raceway, a 1.99-mile facility nestled in Northern California’s wine country and site of the season’s first of two Cup Series road-course races. Live coverage from the track known for producing surprise winners, and thus possibly a new NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup contender, gets underway on Friday, June 26 on FOX Sports 2 (3:00 PM ET) with practice.  FOX Sports’ weekend programming culminates with live race coverage on Sunday, June 28 (3:00 PM ET) on FOX Sports 1 with pre-race coverage on NASCAR RACEDAY (2:00 PM ET on FOX Sports 1).

Kurt Busch took the checkered flag for his second win of the season two weeks ago at Michigan in a race cut short by persistent periods of rain. Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, defending champion Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano have locked up spots in the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup via wins in the season’s first 15 races.

Note: FOX Sports continues through the remainder of the year with live, exclusive coverage of the entire NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES season. In addition, NASCAR RACE HUB airs daily on FOX Sports 1 and NASCAR RACEDAY is live many weekends through the end of the NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES season. FOX Sports is back in February with live coverage of the 2016 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES and NASCAR XFINITY SERIES seasons from Daytona.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES RACING AT SONOMA RACEWAY

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Sunday, June 28 (3:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Play-by-play announcer Mike Joy; analysts Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds; reporters Jamie Little, Chris Neville, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum

NASCAR RACEDAY

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Sunday, June 28 (2:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Hosts Chris Myers and Danielle Trotta; analysts Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip, Michael Waltrip and Kenny Wallace; reporter Kaitlyn Vincie
  • This Week: Feature on four-time champion Jeff Gordon that explores his Northern California roots as he prepares for his final race at Sonoma Raceway; interviews with California drivers Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick; and FOX NASCAR hands out the first-ever “Byrnesie Award” in honor of Steve Byrnes to the man/woman who best exemplifies the overall “good guy” Byrnes was and the respect he extended and earned around the garage.

LARRY MCREYNOLDS ON WHETHER SONOMA IS AS MUCH OF A WILD CARD AS A RESTRICTOR-PLATE RACE:

“Sonoma and Watkins Glen absolutely are wild cards because they are prone to produce winners who perhaps aren’t running well enough to win any other week. We have to put AJ Allmendinger in the conversation given how well he runs at road courses and the fact he won last year at Watkins Glen. Throw Clint Bowyer in there also. I’m not convinced Bowyer is running well enough right now to win at an intermediate track, but he performs well at road courses. Road-course races have changed so much over the years – in the first few years, you could count possible winners on one hand, and that was being generous. But to pick the favorite in Sonoma is no different than giving you a favorite at Daytona. There have been 10 different winners in the last 10 races at Sonoma. A few years ago, who would have thought that could happen at a road course?”

WALTRIP ON WHETHER DRIVER SKILL OR PIT STRATEGY IS MORE IMPORTANT AT SONOMA:

“I’ll take pit strategy at a road course over the driver nowadays. All the drivers are capable on a road course and everyone’s equipment is pretty good nowadays. Crew chiefs must have good pit strategy to win. A proficient driver is not enough. I’ll take the winning pit strategy over anything at a road course. The pressure on a crew chief to devise the perfect strategy is intense because he must commit to a certain plan and have the discipline and guts to stick with it no matter what happens, even if the caution comes out. As dumb as it may look, they’re better off to leave their driver on the track alone and not pit until their magic number comes around. Otherwise, you can’t win.”

NASCAR RACE HUB & NASCAR RACE HUB WEEKEND EDITION

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1, Wednesday, June 24 (6:00 PM ET), Monday, June 29-Tuesday, June 30 (6:00 PM ET), Thursday, July 2 (6:00 PM ET), Wednesday, July 1 (4:00 PM ET); pre-empted Thursday, June 25
  • Talent: Co-hosts Adam Alexander, John Roberts and Danielle Trotta; analysts Larry McReynolds, Jeff Hammond and Wally Dallenbach; reporters Alan Cavanna, Andrew Doud and Kaitlyn Vincie
  • This Week: On Wednesday, June 24, a feature on driver Landon Cassill’s goal of training for triathlons, a decision he made after witnessing Jimmie Johnson win his sixth Cup Series title amidst peak physical condition
  • Next Week: Guest/driver analyst AJ Allmendinger on Tuesday, June 30; guest/crew chief analyst Drew Blickensderfer on Wednesday, July 1

 

FIA FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP

FULLY ELECTRIC SERIES WRAPS UP INAUGURAL SEASON WITH A PAIR OF RACES IN LONDON THIS WEEKEND

  • Network/When: Race 1 – FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Saturday, June 27 (10:30 AM ET); Race 2 – FOX Sports 2 & FOX Sports GO, Sunday, June 28 (10:30 AM ET)
  • Talent: Ralph Sheheen, Dario Franchitti, Jack Nicholls, Nicki Shields, Robert Llewellyn
  • This Week: The inaugural season of the fully electric FIA FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP season wraps up in London this weekend with a pair of races — Rounds 10 and 11 — on the 2.922-km, 17-turn Battersea Park course. Nelson Piquet (128) leads the field in to the Formula E Visa London ePrix, 17 points ahead of Lucas di Grassi (111). Team standings are led by e.dams-Renault (187), Audi Sport ABT (143) and NEXTEV TCR (132). The American entries of Dragon Racing (4th; 116) and Andretti Formula E (5th; 104) also are in the mix. For more information on Formula E and the London doubleheader finale, please visit http://bit.ly/1OiGvck.

 

TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP

FOX USES MULTIPLE PLATFORMS FOR 33RD ‘SIX HOURS OF THE GLEN’

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Sunday, June 28 (10:00 AM ET); FOX Sports 2 & FOX Sports GO (2:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Bob Varsha, Calvin Fish, Tommy Kendall, Brian Till, Jamie Howe, Andrew Marriott
  • This Week: Serving as Round 6 for the Prototype division, Round 5 for Prototype Challenge, GT Le Mans and GT Daytona, and Round 3 of the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup, the 33rd running of the SIX HOURS OF THE GLEN begins Sunday on the 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course at famed Watkins Glen International. With 36 total entries, there are several tight points races in play, as Joao Barbosa/Christian Fittipaldi and Michael Valiante/Richard Westbrook are tied atop the Prototype standings without a repeat winner in the division all season. Only five points separate first and second in Prototype Challenge, and two points is the differential in GT Le Mans. For more information on this weekend’s race and the TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP, please visit http://www.imsa.com/.

FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

ROSSI LEADS LORENZO BY A SINGLE POINT HEADING INTO ASSEN

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Saturday, June 27 (7:30 AM ET)
  • Talent: Jonathan Green, Nick Harris, Matt Birt, Dylan Gray
  • This Week: Riders take on the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands, the only venue to have held a round of the Motorcycle World Championship every year since its creation in 1949. Points leader Valentino Rossi (138, Yamaha) leads the group onto the 2.82-mile, 18-turn (six left, 12 right) course, trying to hold off former champion Jorge Lorenzo (137, Yamaha), who trails the MotoGP legend by a single point. The Ducatis of Andrea Iannone (94) and Andrea Dovzioso (83) hold the next two spots with 11 races remaining in the season. Moto3 (4:00 PM ET) and Moto2 (5:00 PM ET) air on FOX Sports 2 and FOX Sports GO on same-day delay. For more information on this weekend’s race and the FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, please visit http://www.motogp.com/.

STUDIO SHOWS

FOX SPORTS LIVE – WOMEN’S WORLD CUP INTEGRATIONS AS ACTION MOVES INTO QUARTERFINALS, UFC FIGHT NIGHT POSTFIGHT SHOW SATURDAY, NBA DRAFT COVERAGE THURSDAY, MLB HIGHLIGHTS NIGHTLY

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports Go, nightly (11:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Jay Onrait, Dan O’Toole, Don Bell, Ryan Field.
  • This Week: FOX Sports 1’s flagship nightly highlight, news and opinion show rolls on this week featuring extended highlights and analysis, covering the action from across the spectrum of sports. The FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ heads into the quarterfinals and nightly wraps come in from the FOX Sports set at Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver. Thursday night’s show features coverage of the 2015 NBA Draft from New York City, as Yahoo Sports/FOX Sports 1 NBA insider and annual draft maven Adrian Wojnarowski joins the show, breaking down all of the wheeling and dealings from inside draft rooms across the league. Coverage of the NBA Draft also includes reporter Peter Schrager, who is on-site getting live reactions from the Association’s newest members. Saturday’s night show serves as an integrated postfight edition following UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MACHIDA VS. ROMERO from Hollywood, Fla. The UFC studio crew of Karyn Bryant, light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans and Brian Stann provide a full wrap of all the action before handing off to the FOX SPORTS LIVE gang for Saturday night’s show. As the Major League Baseball season reaches its midpoint and closes in on the July 14th All-Star Game in Cincinnati, nightly highlights and recaps of the action come in from across the country.

AMERICA’S PREGAME – AIRING AT 2:00 PM ET THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, U.S. SENIOR OPEN PRE-SHOWS, NBA DRAFT PREVIEW THURSDAY

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, weekdays (5:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Mike Hill, Molly McGrath
  • This Week: With a bevy of live-event programming on the FOX Sports 1 docket throughout the month of June, APG’s daily schedule remains in flux. Wednesday’s show airs at its regular 5:00 PM ET time, but Thursday and Friday editions move to 2:00 PM ET as lead-ins to FOX Sports 1’s inaugural presentation of the U.S. Senior Open Championship from Del Paso Country Club in Sacramento, Calif. FOX Sports 1 golf reporter Robert Lusetich also joins the show each day to preview the action. Thursday’s show includes special NBA Draft preview segments as Yahoo Sports/FOX Sports 1 NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski is live in New York City with updates on all of the latest news and rumors in the lead-up to the big night.

ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING

GARBAGE TIME WITH KATIE NOLAN TACKLES HOTTEST TOPICS IN SPORTS

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1 & FOX Sports GO, Sunday, June 28 (9:30 PM ET)
  • Talent: Katie Nolan
  • This Week: Katie Nolan continues to tackle the hottest topics in sports, interjecting her wit, sarcasm and comedy in the weekly show GARBAGE TIME WITH KATIE NOLAN on FOX Sports 1. In case you missed it, last week Katie offered advice to teams on how not to get hacked, invited her dad to join the show on Father’s Day and more.

BOXING

IBA AMERICAS WELTERWEIGHT TITLE ON LINE AT GOLDEN BOY LIVE FOX FIGHT NIGHT WHEN SANCHEZ FACES CLAGGETT

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1, FOX Deportes & FOX Sports GO, Friday, June 26 (10:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Beto Duran, Douglass Fischer and Jessica Rosales
  • This Week: Fairfield, Calif. standout Alan Sanchez (15-3-1, 8 KOs) battles Canadian welterweight titlist Steve Claggett (21-3-1, 14 KOs) for the vacant IBA Americas Welterweight title in a 10-round bout live from the Salinas Storm House in Salinas, Calif. In the co-main event, hometown hero Paul “El Gallo Negro” Mendez (18-2, 9 KOs) takes on David “The Destroyer” Lopez (41-15-1, 25 KOs) of Nogales, Mexico in a 10-round super middleweight bout. In a televised six-round lightweight bout, Andy “The Shark” Vences (11-0, 7 KOs) of San Jose, Calif. battles Santiago “El Lobito” Guevara (8-1, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif.

SHABRANSKYY FACES PARKER IN EXCITING BATTLE OF UNBEATENS AT GOLDEN BOY LIVE FOX FIGHT NIGHT

  • Network/When: FOX Sports 1, FOX Deportes & FOX Sports GO, Tuesday, June 30 (8:00 PM ET)
  • Talent: Beto Duran, Douglass Fischer and Jessica Rosales
  • This Week: Undefeated star Vyacheslav “Lion Heart – Chingonsky” Shabranskyy (13-0, 11 KOs) of Los Angeles returns to the ring after a stellar performance on March 12, facing the undefeated Paul Parker (7-0, 4 KOs) of Toledo, Ohio in the 10-round cruiserweight main event for Golden Boy Live! on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes on June 30. Live from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Shabranskyy looks to continue his winning streak alongside of some of the East Coast’s undefeated fighters. In the co-main event, undefeated rising star D’Mitrius Ballard (8-0, 7 KOs) of Washington D.C. faces Josue Obando (11-5, 9 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in a six-round light heavyweight fight and fellow undefeated Washington D.C. boxer Lamont Roach Jr. (7-0, 3 KOs) fights San Antonio’s Christian Santibanez (3-4, 2 KOs) in a six-round lightweight televised bout. Fighting to make airtime, South Korea native and Philadelphia transplant Gangyong Kim (4-1) fights new opponent Tyrone Luckey (5-4-2, 5 KOs) of Middletown, New Jersey in a four-round lightweight swing bout.

Filed Under: FOX

11.2 Million Viewers Witness Dramatic Conclusion of 115th U.S. Open Championship

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fox-sports-logoSunday’s Final Round posts +46% Increase Over 2014;

 Four-Round Viewership on FOX & FOX Sports 1 Sees +40% Boost

University Place, Wash. – Capping off what was a memorable week in the Pacific Northwest, Sunday’s final round of the 115th U.S. Open Championship reached its crescendo at the 18th and final hole. Televised for the first time in its entirety by FOX Sports, the event’s thrilling finish saw 21-year old Jordan Spieth claim his second-consecutive major championship victory in dramatic fashion, witnessed by 11.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

The final round featured a crowded leaderboard with a number of players narrowly off the pace and Sunday’s action posted a 4.2 household rating, averaging 6.7 million viewers on FOX broadcast network, a +46% increase over the U.S. Open’s final round in 2014 (4.6 million). The 4.2 rating versus 2014’s 3.0 marked the largest year-over-year gain for the final round since 1991-1992 (4.7/15 to 7.0/19).

Four-day coverage of the 115th U.S. Open Championship averaged a combined 3.5 million viewers each day across FOX and FOX Sports 1, a +40% increase over last year’s combined average on ESPN and NBC (2.5 million viewers). According to a custom analysis provided by Nielsen, the almost 40 hours of coverage of the 2015 U.S. Open reached a total of 34.9 million viewers.

Final Round Highlights:

–       Sunday’s final-round broadcast peaked with 11.2 million viewers from 10:00–10:30 PM ET as audiences watched Spieth birdie the 18th hole and runner-up Dustin Johnson finish in the final group with a disappointing three-putt to finish one shot back. 

–       The primetime portion of Sunday’s telecast averaged a 5.3 rating and 8.7 million viewers from 7:00-10:46 PM ET, winning the night among the broadcast networks and giving FOX its most-watched Sunday night in primetime since Jan. 4 (NFC Wild Card Playoffs).

–       In comparison to 2014’s final round, the final round broadcast showed significant ratings jumps across multiple key demographics, including: men 18-34, +63% (1.3 vs. 0.8) and men 18-49, +46%, (1.9 vs. 1.3).

–       Top five markets for Sunday’s final-round coverage: Seattle (11.4), Jacksonville (6.8), Columbus (6.7), Louisville (6.6) and Las Vegas (6.5).

Four Round Highlights:

–       FOX broadcast network coverage averaged 4.8 million viewers over the U.S. Open’s four days, a +41% increase over NBC’s average audience in 2014 (3.5 million viewers).

–       In total, FOX and FOX Sports 1 combined to air just under 40 hours of live coverage of the U.S. Open, the most in the championship’s extensive history. The total of nearly 40 hours was more than five hours more than had ever previously been broadcast for the event and eight hours more than the average of the last 10 U.S. Opens.

–       The expanded coverage had a positive impact on total minutes of viewing.  Compared to last year, for example, this year’s U.S. Open was up an impressive +40% on average audience (3.5 million watching any given minute vs. 2.5 million last year), but up by +63% in total minutes viewed (8.4 billion minutes to 5.2 billion last year).

Digital Highlights:

–       Sunday’s final round was the second most-watched event ever on FOX Sports Go.

Through FOX Sports GO, USOpen.com and the U.S. Open official app, total live streams started were up +354% (5.9 million vs. 1.3 million) over 2014.  Additionally, total streamed minutes reached 158 million, eclipsing the U.S. Open’s previous high of 130 million minutes in 2012.

115th U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP – FOX SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

SUNDAY, JUNE 21

ICYMI: Jordan Spieth birdies 18th hole, wins 115th U.S. Open

In what was a dramatic and thrilling finish, 21-year old Jordan Spieth won his second consecutive major championship Sunday at the 115th U.S. Open at Chambers Bay. The first-ever U.S. Open to be broadcast by FOX Sports, Sunday’s final round saw a host of competitors jockey for position, but it wasn’t until the 72nd hole of the championship that a pair of missed putts by Dustin Johnson yielded Spieth (68-67-71-69-275, -5) the U.S. Open trophy and his second major title in as many chances in 2015.

Following the final round, FOX Sports analysts offered opinions on the competitors and the memorable finish at the 18th hole:

Two-time major champion and lead U.S. Open on FOX analyst Greg Norman discussed the totality of Spieth’s overall game and his mature disposition:

“He is light years ahead of everybody else on tour because he has a complete game. He has composure and he is mature beyond his years. Some of the decisions he has made out here, he has really made collective positive decisions. Maybe it’s his dad, maybe it’s his caddie, maybe it’s his coach, I don’t know, but he has made some phenomenally mature decisions out there on the golf course and never really lets things get away from him. On the front nine today, he was a little bit edgy, a little bit agitated, a little bit out of sync, the putting stroke was a little bit quick. But as he got into it and he got into a position of winning, everything settled in.”

Major champion and U.S. Open on FOX studio analyst Tom Weiskopf discussed Johnson’s missed birdie putt on the 18th hole and said it will be important to get over today’s disappointment quickly:

“You can’t ever assume anything in this game, you have to continually keep your concentration and your focus on what you have to do. I think he forced that putt a little bit and it was downhill. But he had put himself in this position by missing three very short putts on this back nine. It’s a game of mistakes and that’s what it’s all about. Dustin Johnson has got to get over this as fast as he can because he’s such a talent. He has changed his lifestyle and those of us who have been in this position, you won’t forget that memory ever, but you have to get over it and go forward.”

Norman also experienced close defeats during his Hall of Fame playing career and talked about what it will take for Johnson to bounce back:

“That’s where my mind goes obviously. You saw where Dustin had collected himself during the round. It looked like he was completely out of it, but he got himself back into it. It’s sport and unfortunately in sport there is going to be a winner and there is going to be a loser. Dustin has to really get himself up and, forgive the pun, dust himself off as fast as he can, because he has so much talent and he is such a great player. He’s missed out four times now, but there is a great saying that Tom Watson told me, ‘Once you bite that snake’s head off, that snake is dead forever.’ All he has to do is go bite that snake’s head off at St. Andrews and he’ll be off and running.”

For notes, coverage, bios, photography and more, visit the 115th U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP page on FOX Sports Press Pass.

– FOX SPORTS –