History of Fox Sports Networks in Timeline

Fox Sports Networks (FSN) was a collection of regional sports channels in the U.S., established in 1996 by News Corporation. Disney acquired them in 2019 as part of the 21st Century Fox purchase but was mandated by the Department of Justice to sell them. Sinclair Broadcast Group acquired FSN in August 2019. While exploring rebranding options, the networks operated under the Fox Sports name via a transitional license. A partnership with Bally's Corporation resulted in the networks rebranding as Bally Sports on March 31, 2021, effectively ending the Fox Sports Networks brand after a 25-year run.

1976: Launch of SportsChannel

In 1976, the SportsChannel network began operating with the launch of the original SportsChannel (now MSG Sportsnet) in the New York City area.

1983: Launch of Prime Network

In 1983, Prime Network was launched with Home Sports Entertainment (now Bally Sports Southwest) as its charter member network.

1994: Fox Broadcasting Company Forms Sports Division

In 1994, ten years after launching the Fox Broadcasting Company, News Corporation formed its own sports division with the acquisition of the television rights to the National Football Conference of the National Football League.

October 31, 1995: News Corporation Enters Joint Venture with Liberty Media

On October 31, 1995, News Corporation acquired a 50% ownership interest in TCI's Liberty Media's Prime Sports affiliates, while Liberty gained a stake in Fox's cable channel FX.

July 1, 1996: WBIS-TV Launches with Fox Sports Partnership

On July 1, 1996, WBIS-TV launched after being purchased by Dow Jones & Company and ITT Corporation, with Fox Sports programming complementing its "S+" format that combined sports and business news. Fox Sports Net paid WBIS-TV $30 million to broadcast games and nightly news shows for the next five years to fill coverage gaps in the New York media market, where it did not have an affiliate.

July 3, 1996: Prime Sports Networks to Rebrand as Fox Sports Net

On July 3, 1996, News Corporation and Liberty Media/TCI announced that the Prime Sports networks would be rebranded under the new "Fox Sports Net" brand.

September 7, 1996: Launch of Fox Sports Arizona

On September 7, 1996, Fox Sports Arizona launched, becoming the first new network to come out of the News Corporation and Liberty Media/TCI partnership.

1996: Home Team Sports Affiliates with FSN

Home Team Sports had been affiliated with FSN since 1996.

1996: Fox Sports Networks Formed

In 1996, News Corporation formed Fox Sports Networks, formerly known as Fox Sports Net, as a collective name for a group of regional sports channels in the United States.

January 1997: Fox Purchases and Rebrands SportSouth

In January 1997, Fox purchased SportSouth from Turner and rebranded the network as Fox Sports South.

June 30, 1997: Fox/Liberty Purchase Interest in Cablevision/NBC Sports Properties

On June 30, 1997, the Fox/Liberty joint venture purchased a 40% interest in Cablevision/NBC's sports properties, including the SportsChannel America networks, Madison Square Garden, and the New York Knicks and New York Rangers professional sports franchises, for $850 million.

1998: SportsChannel America Integrated into Fox Sports Net

In 1998, SportsChannel America was integrated into the Fox Sports Net family of networks.

1999: News Corp Becomes Sole Owner of Fox Sports Net

In 1999, Liberty Media (then a subsidiary of AT&T) sold its interest in Fox Sports Net and FX to News Corp, making News Corp the sole owner of Fox Sports Net.

July 11, 2000: Comcast Purchases Interest in Midwest Sports Channel and Home Team Sports

On July 11, 2000, Comcast purchased a majority interest in the Minneapolis-based Midwest Sports Channel and Baltimore-based Home Team Sports from Viacom.

September 7, 2000: Comcast and News Corporation Settle Dispute Over Sports Networks

On September 7, 2000, Comcast and News Corporation settled a dispute, with Comcast trading its equity interest in Midwest Sports Channel to News Corporation for exclusive ownership of Home Team Sports.

2000: SportsChannel Florida Joins FSN

In 2000, SportsChannel Florida joined FSN after News Corporation and Cablevision purchased Florida Panthers owner Wayne Huizenga's controlling interest in that network.

September 2004: Fox Sports Net Renamed FSN

In September 2004, Fox Sports Net became known simply as "FSN".

February 22, 2005: News Corporation Acquires Full Ownership of FSN/Fox Sports Local

On February 22, 2005, News Corporation acquired full ownership of FSN/Fox Sports Local, following an asset trade with Cablevision Systems Corporation.

2005: Closure of Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios Florida

In 2005, Nickelodeon Studios closed down at Universal Studios Florida, which also housed production facilities for Fox Sports Networks at Stage 19.

June 2006: Fox Sports Chicago Ceases Operations

In June 2006, Fox Sports Chicago ceased operations after losing regional cable television rights to local professional teams.

December 22, 2006: News Corporation Sells Interest in Fox Sports Regional Networks and DirecTV

On December 22, 2006, News Corporation sold its interest in four Fox Sports regional networks (FSN Utah, FSN Pittsburgh, FSN Northwest, and FSN Rocky Mountain) and its stake in DirecTV to Liberty Media.

April 30, 2007: Cablevision Sells Interests in New England and Bay Area Networks to Comcast

On April 30, 2007, Cablevision sold its 50% interests in the New England and Bay Area networks to Comcast for $570 million.

July 2007: FSN New England Relaunches as Comcast SportsNet New England

In July 2007, FSN New England relaunched as Comcast SportsNet New England.

March 2008: FSN Bay Area Relaunches as Comcast SportsNet Bay Area

In March 2008, FSN Bay Area relaunched as Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.

October 15, 2008: End of "Americans in Focus" Hispanic Heritage Month Segments

On October 15, 2008, the Hispanic Heritage Month segments of the "Americans in Focus" public service initiative, sponsored by Farmers Insurance, concluded. These one-minute vignettes profiling non-white persons aired on the FSN networks during Hispanic Heritage Month.

May 4, 2009: DirecTV Group Inc. to Join Liberty's Entertainment Unit

On May 4, 2009, DirecTV Group Inc. announced it would become a part of Liberty's entertainment unit, with plans to spin off certain properties into a separate company under the DirecTV name.

November 19, 2009: DirecTV Sports Networks Formed

On November 19, 2009, DirecTV Sports Networks was formed as a new division to operate the four acquired FSN-affiliated networks upon the spin-off's completion.

2010: "Fox Sports Local" Adopted for Regional Networks

In 2010, "Fox Sports Local" was adopted for use in referencing the regional networks, despite the former name remaining in common use.

April 1, 2011: DirecTV Sports Networks Rebrands FSN Affiliates as Root Sports

On April 1, 2011, DirecTV Sports Networks rebranded its FSN regional affiliates under the Root Sports brand.

2012: News Corporation Acquires Stake in YES Network and FSN Relocates

In 2012, News Corporation acquired a 49% stake in the YES Network and FSN/Fox Sports Local relocated its headquarters from Los Angeles to Houston.

July 1, 2013: FSN Owned-and-Operated Networks Spun Off into 21st Century Fox

On July 1, 2013, the FSN owned-and-operated networks were spun off along with most of News Corporation's U.S. entertainment properties into 21st Century Fox.

September 2013: FSN National Programming Affiliation

In September 2013, YES Network gained the affiliation for FSN's national programming, sharing it with MSG Plus.

January 25, 2014: 21st Century Fox Becomes Majority Owner of YES Networks

On January 25, 2014, 21st Century Fox became the YES Networks' majority owner by purchasing an additional 31% share.

December 14, 2017: Disney Announces Intention to Acquire 21st Century Fox

On December 14, 2017, The Walt Disney Company announced its intention to acquire 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion, with the Justice Department ordering the divestiture of Fox Sports' regional operations due to market concentration concerns.

November 20, 2018: Bids Submitted for Fox Sports Networks

On November 20, 2018, Amazon, Sinclair and CVC jointly, Apollo, KKR and Tegna officially bid for the Fox Sports Networks.

December 2018: Possibility of Individual Sales for Fox Sports Networks

In December 2018, due to low bids, the possibility arose that Fox Sports Networks could be sold individually instead of as a single group, with Amazon and Charter making partial bids.

January 11, 2019: Apollo and Other Bidders Back Out of Deal for Networks

On January 11, 2019, CNBC reported that Apollo, Blackstone, CVC, and other bidders except Sinclair backed out of the deal for the Fox Sports Networks.

January 2019: Fox Corporation States No Plans to Bid for Channels

In a January 2019 SEC filing, Fox Corporation stated that it no longer had any plans to bid for the Fox Sports Channels.

February 2019: Liberty Media and MLB Make Offers for Channels

In February 2019, it was reported that Liberty Media and Major League Baseball had made offers for the Fox Sports Channels.

March 8, 2019: Yankees Reach Deal to Re-purchase Fox's Share in YES Network

On March 8, 2019, it was reported that the Yankees had reached a deal to re-purchase Fox's share in the YES Network for $3.5 billion.

March 20, 2019: Disney Acquires Fox Sports Networks

On March 20, 2019, The Walt Disney Company acquired Fox Sports Networks as part of its acquisition of 21st Century Fox.

April 15, 2019: Final Round of Bids Due for Fox Sports Networks

On April 15, 2019, the final round of bids were due for Fox Sports Networks, with bids having been in excess of $10 billion or higher.

April 2019: Big3 Files Complaint Against Charter Communications

In April 2019, Big3 filed a complaint with the Department of Justice and FCC, accusing Charter Communications of attempting to "undermine" its bid.

June 18, 2019: Disney Required to Sell Fox Sports Networks

On June 18, 2019, The U.S. Department of Justice mandated that Disney sell the regional Fox Sports Networks within ninety days of completing its acquisition of 21st Century Fox, due to concerns about market concentration.

July 2019: Dish and Sling Drop Fox Sports Networks

In July 2019, Dish Network and Sling TV ceased to carry Fox Sports Networks due to carriage disputes.

August 22, 2019: Sinclair Acquires Fox Sports Networks

On August 22, 2019, Sinclair completed the acquisition of the Fox Sports Networks (excluding the YES Network) from Disney.

November 2019: Report of Fox Sports Florida Rebrand

In November 2019, the Sun-Sentinel reported that Fox Sports Florida was slated to be rebranded "within the next few months".

January 2020: FuboTV Drops Fox Sports Networks

In January 2020, FuboTV stopped carrying Fox Sports Networks due to carriage disputes.

October 2020: YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV Drop Fox Sports Networks

In October 2020, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV stopped carrying Fox Sports Networks.

November 4, 2020: Sinclair Takes $4.23 Billion Write-Down on FSN Purchase

On November 4, 2020, Sinclair took a $4.23 billion write-down on its purchase of Fox Sports Networks.

November 17, 2020: Sinclair Explores Rebranding FSN via Naming Rights Deal

On November 17, 2020, it was reported that Sinclair was considering rebranding the Fox Sports Networks through a naming rights agreement and was in discussions with companies involved in sports betting.

December 2020: Sinclair Announces Bally's-Branded Streaming Service

In December 2020, Sinclair announced plans to launch its own direct-to-consumer Bally's-branded streaming service in 2021, which would include live streaming of its linear sports networks.

January 27, 2021: Sinclair Announces Rebranding to Bally Sports

On January 27, 2021, Sinclair announced that the networks would be rebranded as Bally Sports. Fox Sports Carolinas and Fox Sports Tennessee were discontinued, with their programming dispersed to Bally Sports South and Southeast. Prime Ticket and SportsTime Ohio were rebranded as Bally Sports SoCal and Bally Sports Great Lakes, respectively, to better reflect their target markets.

March 31, 2021: Fox Sports Networks Rebrands as Bally Sports

On March 31, 2021, Fox Sports Networks were rebranded as Bally Sports after a cross-partnership with Bally's Corporation, ending the Fox Sports Networks branding after 25 years.