Fox Sports Arizona
Fox Sports Arizona (FSAZ) is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, a joint venture between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios, and operates as an affiliate of Fox Sports Networks. The channel broadcasts professional, collegiate and high school sports events, with a primary focus on Phoenix area teams. It is available on most cable providers throughout Arizona; Fox Sports Arizona is also available nationwide on satellite provider DirecTV.
 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Arizona New Mexico Utah Southern Nevada |
| Network | Fox Sports Networks |
| Headquarters | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 720p (HDTV) 480i (SDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Diamond Sports Group (Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios) |
| History | |
| Launched | September 1, 1996 |
| Former names | Prime Sports Arizona (1996) FOX Sports Arizona (1996–2000) FOX Sports Net Arizona (2000–2004) FSN Arizona (2004–2008) |
| Links | |
| Website | www.foxsports.com/arizona |
| Availability | |
| Cable | |
| Cox Communications (Phoenix) | 34 (SD) 1034 (HD) |
| Cox Communications (Tucson) | 26 (SD) 1026 (HD) |
| Available on select other cable systems in designated broadcast area | Consult your local cable provider or program listings source for channel availability |
| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | 686 (SD/HD) |
| Streaming media | |
| Fox Sports Go | www.foxsportsgo.com/ (U.S. cable internet subscribers only; requires login from participating providers to stream content; some events may not be available due to league rights restrictions) |
Overview
The channel originally launched as Prime Sports Arizona on September 1, 1996, serving as an affiliate of the Prime Network. Two months later on November 1, the channel was rebranded as Fox Sports Arizona, after Liberty Media sold the Prime Network to News Corporation, with Prime's regional networks serving as the cornerstone of the new Fox Sports Net chain of regional sports networks (which Liberty originally co-owned in a joint venture with News Corporation).[1]
On December 14, 2017, as part of a merger between both companies, The Walt Disney Company announced plans to acquire all 22 regional Fox Sports networks from 21st Century Fox, including Fox Sports Arizona. However, on June 27, 2018, the Justice Department ordered their divestment under antitrust grounds, citing Disney's ownership of ESPN. On May 3, 2019, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios (through their joint venture, Diamond Holdings) bought Fox Sports Networks from The Walt Disney Company for $10.6 billion. The deal closed on August 22, 2019.[2][3]
Fox Sports Arizona holds the regional cable television rights to three of the four major professional sports franchises in the Phoenix area: the Arizona Diamondbacks (Major League Baseball, with rights to most regular season games), the Phoenix Suns (NBA, with rights to most regular season and early-round playoff games) and the Arizona Coyotes (NHL, also with rights to most regular season and early-round playoff games), as well as the Phoenix Mercury (WNBA). Also, they carry games for the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League (which also stream live on YouTube) and the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (which are also streamed live on AHL.TV). In addition, Fox Sports Arizona also televises collegiate sports events involving the Arizona State Sun Devils, as well as a number of events from other teams of the Pac-12 Conference.
Fox Sports Arizona formerly held the broadcast rights to select Arizona Wildcats sporting events from its inception until the spring of 2009; the University of Arizona shifted these event telecasts to the Arizona Wildcats Sports Network, beginning in August 2009, which were simulcast on FSA from 2010 until 2012, upon the launch of the Pac-12 Network and its dedicated "Pac-12 Arizona" subfeed network devoted to Arizona and Arizona State University sports.
Other services
Fox Sports Arizona Plus
Fox Sports Arizona launched an alternate feed, Fox Sports Arizona Plus, on April 25, 2008. Created as an overflow active only during instances in which a sporting event that Fox Sports Arizona holds rights to overlaps with another game being broadcast on the primary channel, it was established to resolve scheduling conflicts involving the 2008 NBA Playoffs Game 3 matchup between Phoenix Suns and a scheduled Arizona Diamondbacks game on that date. Fox Sports Arizona Plus was available on select cable providers including Cox Communications and Qwest Choice TV, and via satellite on Dish Network.
On-air staff
- Steve Berthiaume - Play-by-play
- Greg Schulte - Alternate Play-by-play
- Bob Brenly - Analyst
- Mark Grace - Color analyst
- Jody Jackson - Host/reporter
- Kate Longworth - Reporter
- Todd Walsh - Host/reporter
References
- R. Thomas Umstead (July 8, 1996). "Liberty Sports regionals will become Fox Sports net". Multichannel News. The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015 – via HighBeam Research.
- "Sinclair completes acquisition of regional sports networks from Disney". Bloomberg. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- Littleton, Cynthia. "Sinclair Clinches Disney-Regional Sports Networks Deal, Byron Allen Joins as Partner". Variety. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
External links
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