FSC Will Not Offer Champions League In HD Until February

Fox Sports Will Do Pre-, Postgame Shows For Champions League Coverage From L.A. Studios

Fox Sports Int'l Exec VP & GM David Sternberg said that Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) will not be available in HD until the end of '09, meaning that UEFA Champions League games on the net "will not be in high-def until the start of the first knockout stage in February 2010," according to Jack Bell of the N.Y. TIMES. Sternberg confirmed that Fox Sports will do pre- and postgame shows for its Champions League coverage from its L.A. studios, while the "match commentary will be plucked from commentators on site." FSC also will carry a Champions League highlights show, as well as UEFA's weekly magazine show, and Sternberg said that foxsoccer.com will offer video highlights. The net reportedly is pursuing Sky Sports analyst Andy Gray, who worked for ESPN during coverage of Euro '08, and Sternberg said, "It would be phenomenal to even talk about that." But Sternberg added, "We're talking about all kinds of options and possible scenarios. Andy is the lead football commentator for Sky in the U.K. He not only does Champions League, but he's on EPL games, too." FSC currently is available in just 35 million cable HHs in the U.S., and Sternberg said, "One of our objectives in pursuing the Champions League was to help drive increased distribution of FSC and Fox Sports Espanol" (NYTIMES.com, 4/17).