![]() | |
Country | Australia |
---|---|
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Picture format | 576i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
Ownership | |
Owner | Fox Sports Pty Limited |
Sister channels | Fox Sports News Fox Cricket Fox Footy Fox Netball Fox Sports |
History | |
Launched | 27 February 2017 |
Replaced | Fox Sports 502 |
Links | |
Website | foxsports.com.au |
Availability | |
Streaming media | |
Foxtel Go | Channel 502 |
Kayo Sports | Channel 502 |
Fox League is an Australian subscription television channel dedicated to screening rugby league (both domestic and international) matches and related programming.
Ownership and launch
It is owned by Fox Sports Pty Limited and is available throughout Australia on Foxtel.
The channel was launched on 27 February 2017.[1]
History
On 27 November 2015, the Australian Rugby League Commission announced that Fox Sports had secured the rights to air all National Rugby League games excluding the NRL Grand Final (which continues to be aired on Nine Network) live for the 2018–22 seasons.[2] Additionally, it was announced that the current rights agreement had been altered to allow Fox Sports to also have the live rights for all games excluding the Grand Final for the 2016 and 2017 seasons,[3] however, a dedicated yet-to-be-named NRL channel to showcase these rights would not launch until the 2017 season.[2]
In February 2017 it was announced the new channel would be called Fox League and would officially launch on 27 February 2017.[4] Ultimately, Fox League replaced Fox Sports 2 on channel 502.[5][6]
In 2017, the NRL preliminary finals had 418,000 and 407,000 viewers.[7] In 2020, Fox League began carried in Canada on the pay streaming service DAZN.
Programming
Event coverage
Sports programming on Fox League includes the following:
- National Rugby League (2017–present; every game live except the Grand Final)
- Challenge Cup (2017–present)
- Super League (2017–present; three live games per weekend)
- Pacific Rugby League Internationals (2017–present)
- The Knock On Effect NSW Cup (2017–present; one or two games per weekend)
- Hostplus Cup (2017–present; One Finals Series Game Live each weekend & Grand Final Live)
- NRL State Championship (2017–present)
- Pre Season Challenge (2017–present)
- Charity Shield (2017–present)
- Harvey Norman All-Stars (2017–present)
- International Rugby League (2017–present)
- NRL Women's Premiership (2018–present)
- Pacific Championships (2019–present)
- Rugby League World Cup (2022–present)
- Women's Rugby League World Cup (2022–present)
- Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup (2022–present)
- Koori Knockout (2022–present)
Special events
- Dally M Awards (2017–present)
- Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame (2018–present)
News and analysis programming
Fox League airs several studio shows including the programs listed below:
- Kia Thursday Night Football (2017–present) [8][9]
- VB Friday Night Footy (2017–present) [8][9]
- Bundaberg Rum NRL Super Saturday (2017–present) [8][9]
- Chemist Warehouse Sunday Ticket (2017–present) [8][9]
- KFC Monday Football (2017–present; occasional)
- The Late Show With Matty Johns (2017–present)[8][9]
- Sunday Night with Matty Johns (2017–present)[8][1][9]
- NRL 360 (2017–present)[8][9]
- NRL Tonight (2017–present)[10]
- The Fan (2018–present)
- The Matty Johns Podcast (2019–present)
- The Final 5 (2020–present)
- Top 5 Rivalries (2020–present)
- Vossy's Awesome 80s (2020–present)
- Season's Best (2020–present)
Former programming
- League 13 – to –1 (2017)[8][9]
- League Legends (2017)[8][9]
- On the Couch with Sterlo (2017)[8][9]
- Narrow World of Sports (2017–2020)[8][9]
- The Sunday Wrap (2017)
- NRL Under-20s (2017)
- Queenslanders Only (2017–2019)[8][9]
- League Life (2017–2019)[8][9]
- NRL Schoolboy Cup (2017–2019)
- NRL Touch Premiership (2018)
- Rugby League European Championship (2018–2018)
- Big League Wrap (2018–2021)
- Controversy Corner (2018–2020)
- NRL Try Time (2018–2020)
- The Greatest (2018–2019)
- Rugby League World Cup 9s (2019–2019)
- Jersey Flegg Cup (2019–2019 NZ Warriors Home Games)
- NRL Nines (2020)
- Auckland Rugby League (2020)
- Auckland Rugby League National 20's (2021–2022)
- Benji (2022)
- RFL Championship (2023)
Personnel
Network executives announced a number of key hosting personnel at the public launch of the station on 16 February 2017.[11][12]
Network personalities and the media attended the launch for Fox League's 2018 programming slate on 20 February 2018. Further key hosting personnel were announced, in addition to some pre-existing roles from 2017.[13]
HostsThursday Night League[13]
Friday Night Footy[13]
Super Saturday[13]
Sunday Ticket[13]
Sunday Night with Matty Johns[11][13]
Controversy Corner
Big League Wrap[13]
NRL Try Time[13]
The Greatest[13]
The Late Show with Matty Johns[11][13]
The Professor's Late Hit[11][13]
Matty Johns Face to Face
Benji
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CommentatorsPlay-by-play
Special Comments
Sideline
Narrator
NSW Cup
NRLW
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Watch NRL
Outside of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, Fox League operates Watch NRL, a global streaming network. The network streams all games live, including State of Origin and the Grand Final, unlike its domestic counterpart, who broadcasts these games on delay.
See also
- Fox Cricket
- Fox Footy
- Fox Netball
- Fox Sports
- Fox Sports 2 & Fox Soccer Plus (American simulcast partners for matches)
- List of sports television channels
References
- ^ a b "Fox Sports NRL channel to push game in Queensland with Suncorp Stadium launch". The Courier Mail. 12 February 2017. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ a b Knox, David (27 November 2015). "New NRL channel coming as FOX Sports confirms multi-year deal". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ Knox, David (27 November 2015). "Nine varies NRL deal, new Thursday night game". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ Perry, Kevin (5 February 2017). "Foxtel confirms date for Fox League channel launch". DeciderTV. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ PaigeTurner (6 February 2017). "Foxtel combines sport and broadband in new promo bundle". Foxtel. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
Fox League will replace Fox Sports 2 on 27 February 2017.
- ^ PaigeTurner (16 February 2017). "FOX SPORTS More launches 23 February on channel 507 in HD". Foxtel. Archived from the original on 22 August 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ 2017 TV: the final word Archived 10 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine – TV Tonight, 2 February 2018
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Women take pride of place in new FOX League channel". TV Tonight. 16 February 2017. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Knox, David (17 February 2017). "Fox League: Dedicated rugby league, Channel 502, full season TV schedule". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ "Fox League 2017: TV schedule, programs, guide". 16 February 2017. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g "NRL stars, new all-female panel of hosts launch the new dedicated channel Fox League". The Daily Telegraph. 16 February 2017. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ "Fox League: The Juicy Details". News.com.au. 16 February 2016. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Fox League Gets Bigger and Better in 2018". Fox Sports. 20 February 2018. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2018.