It is "third and long" for News Corp.'s "flagging"
sports Web site, foxsports.com, according to Bernhard Warner
of the INDUSTRY STANDARD, who writes of a "new game plan"
that will have the Fox site "focus on high-school and
regional sports in a bid to improve ratings." News Digital
Media President Jon Richmond: "The local Web, I think, is
the next generation of all this. That means high-school
sports and club sports. We are going to co-opt loyalty to
FoxSports at the earliest possible age." Warner outlines
Fox's plan, which includes a strategic relationship with
Rivals.com (see THE DAILY, 12/3). Warner writes that Fox's
"strategy flies in the face of what competitors are doing,"
as ESPN.com and SportsLine.com are "crushing Fox online by
building up international sports sites and securing deals
with big leagues." Competitors are "skeptical" of Fox's
regional approach. But Richmond thinks the company's plan,
including its "broadband aspirations," will help Fox "narrow
the gap" between the sites. Richmond: "Being behind today
will have no bearing on what the situation will be three or
four years from now." SportsLine CEO Michael Levy: "They've
spent a lot of time talking about what they're going to do
for the past five years and nothing's worked. Maybe it will
work this time" (INDUSTRY STANDARD, 12/13 issue).
