FOX Deportes

Even though the FOX Networks lacks some soccer content of years past, Spanish audiences still have FOX Deportes.

The Spanish-only channel launched back in 1993 as La Cadena Deportive Prime Ticket, a sister channel to a regional sports network. In 1996, FOX entered a 50-50 agreement with that RSN in southern California to become FOX Sports Americas. Later, the channel went through a couple of rebrands and name changes, including FOX Sports World Español. In 2010, the name settled on FOX Deportes, which is what it is now.

Despite the Spanish moniker, the channel does not always broadcast sports in English. For example, during the 2018 World Cup, the channel did show English-language re-broadcasts of games. Still, the vast majority of content airing on the channel is in Spanish.

According to Nielsen, FOX Depores reached 18 percent of households in the United States in 2015. Consequently, nearly 22 million households had access to the channel at that time. Streaming services and the web of different media changes that number, but it is certainly a popular channel.

The channel is not as easy to find as some of its sister networks. In fact, fuboTV appears to be the only streaming provider to carry the channel, Even then, it only comes in the Latino Plus add-on. Hulu does not provide the option, although it does carry the ESPN Deportes channel. DirecTV and DISH are both satellite providers that carry the channel. Then, certain cable providers have the option to include FOX Deportes in an additional sports package, but there are no guarantees.

Spanish broadcasts also may be available through the FOX Sports app, which of course requires a TV subscription to watch games.

FOX Deportes Soccer Coverage

Keeping in line with the trend of FOX losing much of their soccer coverage, certain games will air on FOX Deportes. As stated earlier, a couple 2018 World Cup games made reruns on the channel. Although, those remained with the English commentary.

Often, this channel’s content mirrors the FOX Sports 1 coverage. Therefore, expect Major League Baseball to air in Spanish at the same time the English-language broadcast airs on FS1.

Regardless, soccer does come to the channel. FOX holds partial rights to the MLS, as well as the FIFA competitions and the Copa America. Select World Cup Qualifiers are also on the schedule for FOX Deportes, but they share those rights with the likes of ESPN and CBS for CONCACAF and fuboTV for South America.

MLS games tend to air when there is not much else in terms of content that could go on the FOX family of networks. These could be marquee games, but there are times when ESPN will broadcast games in lieu of the FOX channels.

Editorially, FOX should build up their Spanish-language audience through soccer. However, there is a lack of promotion to the events the network covers, preventing a certain level of growth. With ESPN and CBS challenging for the best American provider of soccer, FOX and FOX Deportes seem to be left in the wake.