Fox Sports 1 in talks to expand reach for launch

Fox Sports 1, the new US pay-television channel from the Fox Sports division of the Fox network, remains in talks to seal carriage deals with pay-television operators Time Warner Cable, DirecTV and Dish ahead of its launch on August 17, according to the Bloomberg news agency.

The three major pay-television services in the US have a reach of about 46 million subscribers.

Fox Sports 1 will already be available to about 45 million subscribers through carriage deals with pay-television platforms Comcast, Cox Communications, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-verse, Cablevision, Charter Communications and Suddenlink Communications.

Fox Sports co-president and co-chief operating officer Randy Freer said last week that he hoped the 24-hour sports channel would be available in up to 90 million homes on its launch day.