As part of FS1's marketing campaign promoting the arrival of Skip Bayless on Sept. 6, the net "bought space on three billboards within a five mile radius" of ESPN’s Bristol HQ, according to Joe Flint of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Fox Sports National Networks President Jamie Horowitz said, "There were billboards put up where you can find lots of sports fans." Horowitz is betting that Bayless can bring his "passion and attention-getting style to a channel that is still struggling to make a dent against ESPN." Horowitz: "I don’t think there is anyone talking about sports that is better at being incisive and insightful." Flint writes it "won’t take too much" for Bayless to "improve ratings" in the 9:30am-noon ET window that will be home to his new show, "Undisputed." FS1 for the past year has averaged 37,000 viewers in that time slot "with a mix of studio shows and live events." “First Take” on ESPN2 "averaged 434,000 viewers in Bayless’ last year." Besides "bombarding Bristol with billboards," FS1 is promoting the arrival of Bayless "heavily on its own network and other properties owned by parent company 21st Century Fox, as well as on YouTube, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report." The net said that the campaign for “Undisputed” is one of its "biggest ever for a studio show" (WSJ.com, 9/1).
