Although they may not admit it publicly, FOX Sports will be most disappointed that the English Premier League teams have been knocked out of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League Round of 16 stages.
After all, for years, European tournament matches involving Premier League teams have often been showcased as “the main event” on FOX Sports 1 while “lesser important” teams from other leagues are often shown live on FOX Sports 2 or FOX Soccer Plus.
There’s one reason for the favoritism towards English Premier League teams — they generate larger viewing audiences compared to teams from other leagues.
Now that Chelsea, Arsenal, Everton and Manchester City are out of Europe, the only creme de la creme match that would smash TV viewing audiences than a game featuring a Premier League side in the UEFA Champions League is a semi-final or final featuring Barcelona against Real Madrid. That’s the type of game that would transcend individual allegiances, no matter who the soccer fan supports.
But while the prospect of an el Clasico final is mouthwatering, anything else won’t be a ratings bonanza in the US given the exclusion of well-supported clubs such as Chelsea and Arsenal.
By its track record of showing Premier League teams in the higher profile TV spots for European competition, such as FOX Sports 1, FOX has put itself in a situation where the majority of soccer fans have seen far fewer matches involving teams such as Porto, Juventus, Monaco, Bayern Munich, Atletico and PSG — unless they’ve faced Premier League opposition in the previous rounds, or the TV viewer has a subscription to beIN SPORTS.
Based on the teams participating in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, beIN SPORTS is the biggest winner — 75% of the teams still left in the tournament have league games that are televised exclusively by beIN SPORTS, week-in week-out throughout the entire season.
With the Premier League clubs flopping in Europe, perhaps FOX Sports may want to consider showing English clubs less often in the future as the most prominent matches on its network?
