After a month, Fox pleased with FS1 performance

Sports Business Daily reports that a review of the first month of FS1 has shown that its doing well among the second-tier sports networks.  Overall, the network ratings are up 29% as compared to a year ago and viewership for males 18-49 is up 49 percent.

The article, which was originally in AdWeek, shows that nightly ratings have improved 102 percent from a year ago on Speed.  In the key 18-49 demo it is up 180 percent.

FS1 is doing well against secondary sport networks such as the MLB Network, NBC Sports Network and the Golf Channel, but its too early for it to compete with ESPN as it averaged 4.26 million viewers in prime time.  In comparison, FS1 averaged 302,000 viewers in prime time.

With the change from Speed to FS1, the audience profile has shifted for the better.  Its median age is now 45, down from 52 years of age.  Also, household income is up 12 percent to $60,400. What this means is that the audience is becoming more attractive for advertisers.

Notably, Regis Philbin’s show, Crowd Goes Wild, has been a disappointment in the ratings and does not show signs of rising from its tailspin.

Payout Perspective:

The AdWeek article focuses on the positive of the FS1 launch as it compares it to what the network was as Speed just a year ago.  Obviously, Speed was much more of a niche network catering to a narrow demographic. Thus, the better numbers should be expected.  With the expansion of FS1 and its broader base of sports including the UFC, the audience has opened up.  Still, Fox is putting a positive spin on the “babysteps” achieved by FS1.

What is interesting is that the article notes that its portfolio of the aforementioned sports (i.e., UFC, NCAA Football, NASCAR, soccer) should give Fox the leverage to boost the affiliate fee in the near future and bring in huge revenues for News Corp.