Fox Sports President of National Networks Jamie Horowitz recently sat for a Q&A with the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Marisa Guthrie, who asked him about the direction of FS1. Below are excerpts from the Q&A, some of which have been edited for brevity.
Q: You've said you are trying to create at FS1 what Fox News is to cable news. But obviously Fox News was going after a conservative audience that felt underserved. Who is underserved in sports?
Horowitz: There has been an incredible, precipitous decline in linear TV ratings for traditional news and highlights programming. ESPN has made a big bet on SportsCenter. More than 50% of ESPN's programming is SportsCenter. FS1 has an opportunity to make a big bet on opinion-based programming. And that's where I think the opportunity lies in the day part. ... Opinion-based sports programming is setting record highs.
Q: You outbid ESPN for Skip Bayless and Colin Cowherd. How much leeway do you have in terms of spending on talent?
Horowitz: My boss, (Fox Sports President & COO) Eric Shanks, said to me (last) week he is more optimistic about FS1 today than he has ever been before. And I share those sentiments. I think we have made strategic decisions that position FS1 to succeed. And I think the bet on opinion-based programming requires finding fearless, incisive talent to drive those shows.
Q: Bayless said he felt "handcuffed" at ESPN. Why should talent feel they have more freedom at Fox?
Horowitz: There's a culture at Fox that tends to work well. Just look outside of sports. What kind of movies does Fox make? Deadpool. What kind of cartoons does Fox do? The Simpsons. What do they do on basic cable? The Americans. There is a risk-taking atmosphere here, and I think Skip was saying he feels like he's coming home.
Q: Have your league partners expressed anger with what your opinion hosts have said?
Horowitz: Not a single time. Primarily what sports fans are most interested in is criticism about the games -- play selections, play calls, decisions players made. The things that you're introducing, more league issue-type things, tend not to be the things sports fans actually care about.
Q: Do you still talk to ESPN president John Skipper?
Horowitz: John Skipper has been incredibly kind to me. You learn people's true colors when they don't need you and when you're in a bad spot. After my time at NBC ended, John took me out for breakfast and said, "So you want to know about the time I was fired?" I said, "Yes. Yes, I do. That's exactly what I want." It was so beautiful. He was just like, "Hey man, I'm here to help. I have no agenda, but if it would cheer you up, I'll tell you I was fired once, too, and things turned out OK" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 8/19 issue).
GLASS HOUSES? ESPN's Scott Van Pelt responded to Horowitz' comments on Twitter, saying, "It's truly incredible he continues to talk about our ratings. It's like a broke guy saying Warren Buffet lost a few million" (TWITTER.com, 8/10).
