Hi there! With this guide, you‘ll get the inside scoop on Fox Sports 1, from its channel location on Spectrum to the story behind its launch to the types of programs you can expect to see. I‘ll provide specifics like FS1‘s channel numbers in all major TV markets, breakdowns of its live sports and talk show lineups, and how FS2 fits into the picture as well.
Whether you‘re just hearing about FS1 and want to learn more or are looking to pin down channel details in your area, you‘ll find all that helpful background here. Let‘s dive in!
For starters, FS1 stands for Fox Sports 1. It‘s Fox‘s dedicated 24-hour sports channel featuring live games, news programs, and commentary shows.
FS1 launched in 2013 as competition to heavyweight ESPN in the cable sports network arena. It took over the prior Speed motorsports channel and rapidly started acquiring rights to air MLB, college football, soccer, auto racing and more.
With Fox‘s deep pockets backing it, FS1 has become a go-to spot for many major US sports. Understanding what FS1 is all about can help you better follow your favorite teams and leagues.
Now let‘s get into the specifics of finding and watching FS1 based on your Spectrum cable package and location…
FS1 Channel Number on Spectrum
I‘ve compiled this FS1 channel guide for Spectrum markets across the US:
| City | State | FS1 Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Albany | NY | 73 |
| Anaheim | CA | 54 |
| Austin | TX | 97 |
| Bakersfield | CA | 76 |
| Birmingham | AL | 94 |
| Buffalo | NY | 82 |
| Charlotte | NC | 67 |
| Cincinnati | OH | 55 |
| Cleveland | OH | 75 |
| Columbus | OH | 73 |
| Corpus Christi | TX | 49 |
| Dallas | TX | 65 |
| El Paso | TX | 97 |
| Indianapolis | IN | 62 |
| Kansas City | MO | 75 |
| Lexington | KY | 67 |
| Long Beach | CA | 40 |
| Los Angeles | CA | 95 |
| Louisville | KY | 71 |
| Milwaukee | WI | 75 |
| Montgomery | AL | 77 |
| New York City | NY | 84 |
| Philadelphia | PA | 93 |
| Phoenix | AZ | 51 |
| Pittsburgh | PA | 37 |
| Reno | NV | 30 |
| Sacramento | CA | 81 |
| San Antonio | TX | 97 |
| San Diego | CA | 93 |
| San Francisco | CA | 43 |
| San Jose | CA | 40 |
| Seattle | WA | 81 |
| Washington, D.C. | DC | 36 |
As you can see, in a majority of metro areas, you‘ll find FS1 somewhere between channels 36 and 97 on your Spectrum lineup.
Now that you know precisely where to go in your market, let‘s rewind a bit and talk about the history of FS1 and how it came to be…
The Backstory Behind Fox Sports 1
While the FS1 channel itself didn‘t debut until August 2013, Fox has been involved in TV sports coverage since 1994.
That year, Fox spent a record-setting $1.58 billion to acquire national broadcast rights for NFL games. Soon after came deals to air NHL games (1994), MLB games (1996), NASCAR races (2001) and more.
For nearly 20 years, these live sports were split between the main Fox network channel and regional Fox Sports Net stations. But as sport after sport got added to the mix, it became impossible to manage so much programming on these outlets alone.
Not to mention the runaway success of national sports cable channels like ESPN and ESPN2 throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
Fox realized it needed to keep pace in the changing media landscape. The solution? Launch a dedicated 24/7 national sports channel under the Fox Sports umbrella.
And so out of the ashes of the motorsports-focused Speed network, FS1 was born on August 17, 2013. Its mission? Take on ESPN while leveraging Fox‘s existing contractual rights to huge sports properties like MLB, Nascar, college football playoffs and overseas soccer leagues.
Early ratings for FS1 were modest compared to the ESPN juggernaut. But in recent years, FS1 has seen steady viewership growth, especially among the valuable 18-49 age demographic.
Let‘s take a closer look at who owns FS1 today and FS1‘s sister stations…
Fox Sports 1‘s Corporate Structure and Sister Stations
You might assume that since Walt Disney Company acquired most of 21st Century Fox in 2017, it now runs Fox Sports as well. But that‘s not entirely accurate.
As part of the merger agreement, broadcast network Fox Sports assets remained with Fox Corporation, a separate standalone company.
So Fox Corp continues operating the FS1 channel, alongside other Fox-branded entities like Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox), Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, and Fox Television Stations.
FS1 also has the following "sister" sports channels that share ownership and sometimes programming with Fox Sports 1:
- FS2: An alternative to FS1 focused on niche sports and overflow programming
- Big Ten Network: A joint venture channel dedicated to Big Ten Conference college sports
- Fox Deportes: Fox Sports for the Spanish-language audience
Keep these Fox-owned sports channels in mind as we shift our discussion toward the programming and talent you’ll discover on FS1.
A Breakdown of Fox Sports 1 Programming
Now that you understand the business backstory of FS1, let‘s get into the good stuff: what you can actually watch on the channel!
Much like ESPN, FS1 strikes a balance between airing live sporting events and packaged shows covering the latest sports news. Of course, FS1 also covers sports that have TV rights deals with Fox, so expect lots of auto racing, college football, MLB games and more.
Let me break down the key programming pieces that make up FS1:
Live Sports
When it comes to live sports coverage, these are FS1‘s bread and butter:
- MLB games: Regular season, All-Star Game, Division Series playoff games
- NASCAR/motorsports: Sprint Cup, Xfinity Series, Truck Series, ARCA Series
- College football games: Big 12, Big Ten conferences
- College basketball games: Big East, Pac-12 conferences
- Soccer matches: MLS, Bundesliga, Copa America
- WWE events: Smackdown, Raw replays
FS1 really invests heavily in showcasing live college sports in particular. They air tons of football and men‘s basketball from major NCAA conferences.
As you can see, FS1 doesn‘t have the sheer volume of live events that ESPN offers. But for selected sports like NASCAR, MLB postseason and certain college conferences, FS1 is a destination channel.
Now let‘s explore FS1‘s various news commentary and analysis programs…
Fox Sports 1 Talk Shows
In addition to live games and matches, FS1 produces many of its own daily and weekly talk shows. The most popular FS1 commentary programs include:
- Skip and Shannon: Undisputed: FS1‘s marquee morning debate show featuring Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe discussing the latest sports topics
- The Herd with Colin Cowherd: Longtime radio host Colin Cowherd shares sports news and opinions from his unique perspective
- NASCAR RaceHub: News and interviews around the latest from the NASCAR circuit
- WWE Backstage: Weekly WWE talk show hosted by Renee Paquette alongside past wrestlers
- The Carton Show: New York sports radio veteran Craig Carton brings his loud personality to FS1
- First Things First: Morning opinion and analysis show with Nick Wright, Kevin Wildes and Chris Broussard
- Speak for Yourself: Afternoon discussion panel breaks down trending sports stories
In addition, FS1 rolls out specialty programming timed around big sporting events.
For example, Big Noon Kickoff is the network‘s popular college Gameday-style football pregame show airing on Saturdays. And during NASCAR‘s regular season, you can catch the build-up with weekly RaceDay preview programs.
I‘ll also note that FS1 replays classic games and documentaries during overnight off-peak hours. So don‘t be surprised to encounter an old UFC fight or Dodgers playoff showing if you flip to the channel late at night!
Next, I want to discuss FS2 and where Fox‘s other national sports channel fits in…
Explaining Fox Sports 2 (FS2)
Back on August 17, 2013 when Fox Sports 1 officially launched, it also rebranded an existing channel called Fuel TV into Fox Sports 2 (FS2).
The concept for FS2 is to provide "alternative" sports programming to complement what FS1 offers. Translation = niche sports or FS1 content that gets preempted by live event overruns.
In its early days, critics knocked FS2 as simply functioning as a FS1 overflow channel. And honestly, FS2 does continue airing a lot of FS1 studio shows and live games that can‘t fit on the main schedule. For example, regular season MLB on FS1 will often bounce to FS2 when big college football action preempts it.
Still, FS2 has tried introducing its own unique programming over the last decade as well. Some current examples you‘ll see on FS2 include:
- Australian Rules Football matches
- Major League Rugby games
- Junior hockey leagues
- Various overseas soccer leagues
- Horse racing & equestrian events
- Poker tournaments coverage
- Boxing and MMA undercards
For the most part though, FS2 gets far lower viewership than FS1 and its bigger live sports offerings.
However, FS2 does have some niche audiences who loyally tune in for certain international sports coverage not widely available.
I‘ve included the FS2 channel number for Spectrum subscribers below:
| Network | Spectrum Channel |
|---|---|
| FS2 | 401 |
And that wraps up our deep dive into everything surrounding Fox Sports 1! Let‘s recap some key takeaways…
The Main Things to Know About Fox Sports 1 (FS1)
Below I‘ll leave you with the core concepts to remember about FS1 channel availability, background, ownership and programming:
- FS1 is Fox‘s national 24-hour sports TV network competing with ESPN
- FS1 launched in August 2013, taking over the prior Speed motorsports channel
- FS1 is owned by Fox Corporation, not Disney, and sits alongside Fox Broadcast Network
- For Spectrum viewers, FS1 is typically between channels 36 and 97 depending on your market
- FS1 airs live games/events from MLB, NASCAR, college football, soccer, WWE and more
- Beyond events, FS1 has daily sports talk shows like Undisputed and The Herd to analysis the latest sports news
- FS2 exists as FS1‘s sister station focused on niche sports and overflow programming
Hopefully this guide leaves you with everything you need to know find and watch Fox Sports 1 based on your Spectrum cable package! Let me know if any other questions come up.
