Today, FOX released their upcoming MLB on FOX 2014 schedule, which will occupy many upcoming Saturdays for the next few months. Will this impact UFC programming on Saturday nights?
![mlbonfox[1]](http://mmapayout.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mlbonfox1.jpg)
2014 FOX SPORTS/FOX SPORTS 1 MLB REGULAR-SEASON BROADCAST SCHEDULE
(Note: Schedule Subject to Change – Times Refer to On-Air)
Saturday, April 5
1:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Indians
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers
Tuesday, April 8
8:15 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals
Saturday, April 12
1:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
Saturday, April 19
1:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Detroit Tigers
8:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers
Saturday, April 26
1:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at New York Yankees
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals
Saturday, May 3
1:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs
7:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals
Saturday, May 10
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers
7:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Cleveland Indians at Tampa Bay Rays
Thursday, May 15
12:35 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
San Diego Padres at Cincinnati Reds
Saturday, May 17
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Yankees
Saturday, May 24
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Texas Rangers at Detroit Tigers
7:00 PM ET – FOX
St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds
Washington Nationals at Pittsburgh Pirates
Kansas City Royals at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Saturday, May 31
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Atlanta Braves at Miami Marlins
7:00 PM ET – FOX
Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox
Pittsburgh Pirates at Los Angeles Dodgers
Saturday, June 7
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Cleveland Indians at Texas Rangers
7:00 PM ET – FOX
Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers
New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals
Oakland Athletics at Baltimore Orioles
Saturday, June 14
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers
7:00 PM ET – FOX
Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals
Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Atlanta Braves
Saturday, June 21
7:00 PM ET – FOX
Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals
Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs
Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Indians
10:05 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Saturday, June 28
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Minnesota Twins at Texas Rangers
7:00 PM ET – FOX
Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers
Washington Nationals at Chicago Cubs
Saturday, July 5
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Arizona Diamondbacks at Atlanta Braves
7:00 PM ET – FOX
Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox
Texas Rangers at New York Mets
San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres
Saturday, July 12
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers
7:00 PM ET – FOX
Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds
Washington Nationals at Philadelphia Phillies
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Texas Rangers
Tuesday, July 15
2014 MLB All-Star Game from Target Field – Minneapolis, MN
Saturday, July 19
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals
7:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Cleveland Indians at Detroit Tigers
Saturday, July 26
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds
7:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals
Tuesday, July 29
8:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
New York Yankees at Texas Rangers
Saturday, August 2
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox
Saturday, August 9
1:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
St. Louis Cardinals at Baltimore Orioles
Saturday, August 16
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
7:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
San Diego Padres at St. Louis Cardinals
Saturday, August 23
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
San Francisco Giants at Washington Nationals
7:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Atlanta Braves at Cincinnati Reds
Tuesday, August 26
8:10 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals
Saturday, August 30
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates
Saturday, September 6
1:00 PM ET – FOX
San Francisco Giants at Detroit Tigers
Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays
4:00 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
Kansas City Royals at New York Yankees
Saturday, September 13
1:00 PM ET – FOX
Atlanta Braves at Texas Rangers
New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
8:10 PM ET – FOX Sports 1
San Diego Padres at Arizona Diamondbacks
Saturday, September 20
FOX/FOX Sports 1
TBD
Saturday, September 27
FOX/FOX Sports 1
TBD
Payout Perspective:
Since the launch of FOX Sports 1, they have touted MLB on the network in addition to NASCAR and the UFC. April 5th will now be the official debut of MLB on the network, which will finally place a big traditional sport on the network. An afterthought to now airing baseball from April to September is what will happen to UFC programming on Saturdays? From a look at the schedule, FS1 will feature at least one, sometimes two MLB games on Saturdays, which happens to be when the UFC airs either their own events or prelims as lead-ins to their PPV events.
From Fox Sports point of view, this is the reason why they created Fox Sports 2, where they can keep the bigger sport on FS1 and move the clashing programming onto FS2. The question is how much, if any, UFC Saturday programming will be moved to FS2 in the several few months? The UFC also has the option to air their programming on Fight Pass, which would be a great selling point for the service, but both FS2 and Fight Pass would significantly decrease the exposure and reach of the product.
FS1 will whither away… baseball is a regional TV sport.
Jose you silly rabbit, the 4pm and 1pm mlb slots on fs1 does not affect ufc programming as the UFC usually airs at 8pm or later on fs1.
And alot of those 7pm mlb slots are scheduled for big Fox… not fs1. There are only 8 MLB slots on fs1 that would interfere with UFC programming and one of those nights the UFC will be on big fox.
So you have around 7 that may interfere in future years (assuming fs1 keeps this same schedule and assuming there’s a UFC event every saturday night.
Right now there is no conflict because there isnt a live UFC every saturday night… Fox is also testing UFC on sundays incase a conflict does arise in the future.
mmalogic,
“So you have around 7 that may interfere in future years (assuming fs1 keeps this same schedule and assuming there’s a UFC event every saturday night.”
That was precisely the point of this article though, to see if there will be any impact on their schedule. It definitely makes it less flexible, that’s for sure. The live foreign shows on Saturday morning/afternoons would pose an issue, though rare.
You also have to think about delays, extra innings, etc that could affect the start time and would be moved to FS2. It’s something to keep an eye on. You are right about the Sunday time slot, but then that may compete against other events or big TV shows. Definitely new territory for the UFC this year.
I am not a baseball fan, so it won’t impact me much.
4/19: MLB FS1 UFC Big Fox 11
5/10″ MLB FS1: UFC FN (so likley FS2)
5/31: MLB Fox: UFC unamed UFC (FS1?)
6/14: MLB: Fox: UFC 174 (FS1?)
UFC has no others booked until 9/27
9/27: MLB (playoffs?): UFC178 (FS1 or FS2)
So from what UFC has booked you are only looking 2 cards moving to FX2.
6/21, 7/19, 8/16, and 9/13 are the other MLB on FS1 so there are potentially 4 more conflicts.
“The live foreign shows on Saturday morning/afternoons would pose an issue, though rare.”
But those will air on Fight Pass?
@Billy: That hasn’t been necessarily been declared. A lot of the smaller shows will be but I’m not sure they will do that for all foreign shows.