NFL Football saved the Fox Network

[Dr. Evil]

15 years ago, Fox was a minor network with The Simpsons, Married with Children and a bunch of shows with poor ratings. Nobody I think really paid that much attention to Fox at that time. And then all of a sudden they took a huge risk: They bid for the rights to televise NFL football. It caused a chain effect that caused huge ramifications throughout TV. One example occurred here in Dallas. Channel 4 in Dallas was once a CBS Affiliate and as soon as Fox got the NFL package, Channel 4 became Fox4, which it still is today. CBS ended up on Channel 11, which was an Indy station prior to Fox getting the NFL. Channel 33 was the Fox station before the NFL landed on Fox. They were also able to get announcers like Pat Summerall, John Madden, Dick Stockton and Terry Bradshaw.

15 years later, the NFL has become a staple of programming for the network and I believe strongly that the NFL saved the Fox Network from extinction. it made Fox into a legit network and it also would help Fox land baseball, hockey (which they eventually got rid of), NASCAR and BCS College Football. Fox landing the NFL also helped FX in that the NFL was a perfect platform to promote FX shows. Fox was also able to promote it's own shows during NFL games, which they still do to this day. I also think that the NFL landing on Fox played a factor in the creation of the Fox Sports Network.

I have no doubt in my mind that landing NFL football was the best thing to happen to Fox ever. Fox took a huge risk 15 years ago in landing the NFL and it turned out to be the best thing to ever happen to Fox.

NFL on Fox theme:

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