FOX Sports Gears Up for African Expansion

JOHANNESBURG: FOX Sports and FOX Sports 2 will replace Setanta Sports and Setanta Action, respectively, in sub-Saharan Africa this August.

FOX International Channels is launching the two new brands into the region in time for the kickoff of the 2014-15 football league season. The rebrand to FOX Sports follows FIC's acquisition of Setanta Africa Services last October. The channels will reach more than a million homes across sub-Saharan Africa on ZAP, CV Multimedia, Zuku, MyTV, StarTimes, StarSat, Agape, Azam TV, Montage TV, Sports TV Uganda, My.T, Sat Con, Mali Vision, DRTV, Blueline, Excaf, AB Sat and TV+.

FOX Sports will focus mainly on football, including Ligue 1, Eredivisie, Belgian Pro league, English Championship, Liga MX, Major League Soccer and Coupe de la Ligue, plus content from club channels Barça TV, Chelsea TV, Manchester City TV, and the Milan Channel.

FOX Sports 2 will deliver a variety of other sports, including Euroleague Basketball, Formula E Motor Racing, DTM touring cars, National Rugby League, ice hockey, Mixed Martial Arts, kickboxing and boxing, plus extra football content.

“We are thrilled with the launch of FOX Sports in Africa, which is the culmination of a process that began last year with the acquisition of Setanta Africa,” said Alessandro Tucci, senior VP and general manager of FOX International Channels Africa. “FOX Sports is the number one global sports television brand. Now, African viewers can experience the raw excitement and emotion of the world’s major football leagues, and a huge variety of other sports, in the unique style of FOX Sports. We are as passionate about football and our other sports as the fans are.”

FOX Sports now reaches more than 73 million subscribers in 88 countries broadcasting in eight different languages. In Africa it joins an FIC portfolio that includes FOX, FX, FOX Crime, FOX Movies, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Gold and BabyTV.