The sports media ecosystem is in a state of dynamic change concurrent with fluctuations in consumption habits, technological capabilities and means of dissemination. Rather than remaining reactive, FS1 has positioned itself to be adept in reacting and making changes should they be necessary.
When media outlets reported tension and dissonance between Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe at FS1’s morning program Undisputed, fans became wary of the future of the show. Since the program’s inception in 2016, both co-hosts had connected with audiences through their candid conversations on different topics around the world of sports.
As all of this was occurring, Craig Carton was in the midst of working at WFAN without a contract as he balanced his radio duties with trying to build a new morning show on FS1. Carton had yet to make the decision to commit to FS1 on a full-time basis and leave WFAN, something he came to terms with in late-June.
With a sense of uncertainty in the mornings, afternoons proved to be stable with FS1’s programs consistently displaying a growth trajectory. Although the morning programs were at an ostensible inflection point, Charlie Dixon, the network’s executive vice president of content, knew that everything would end up working out.
“I love that we’re the jetski [and] not the ocean liner because when these things are happening – when a new platform comes out and is actually succeeding; when a new talent comes to fruition that we didn’t even know how big they were going to become – we’re able to water that plant and it grows,” Dixon said. “I have not seen that in my experience to date better than it’s done at this company.”
The outcome became more clear when Sharpe reached a buyout with FOX Sports, ending his time on Undisputed and the distribution of his podcast, Club Shay Shay, through the company. Sharpe was officially a media free agent, and after a summer of widespread speculation, he announced that his independent media company, Shay Shay Media, was partnering with The Volume in a content deal that included his hit podcast. Shortly thereafter, he inked a deal with ESPN to serve as a contributor on First Take with Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim, frequently making appearances on Monday and Tuesday mornings.
“You’re in a deal and then all of a sudden, Shannon wants 175 catches versus the 100 he was getting with the Broncos, and you move on,” Dixon said. “To me, it felt very natural. I felt like I think he’s doing great, [and] I want nothing but great for him because, frankly, it looks good for everybody here too. We want him to do well because that’s why we invested in him in the first place.”
As Sharpe was contemplating his next destination, Dixon was involved in the process of creating a revamped edition of Undisputed that would re-emerge on the network’s airwaves just before the start of the NFL season. Dixon previously worked in programming at ESPN and helped develop First Take, which had transitioned to a format with a rotation of panelists to debate Smith on various topics from around the sports world. Rather than naming a new permanent commentator to work with Bayless, the network decided to install a rotation of its own, with Richard Sherman, Josina Anderson, Keyshawn Johnson, Rachel Nichols and Michael Irvin joining the mix.
“We definitely did not lean on what First Take was doing; we were leaning on what I thought was best for what people are trying to consume right now, and I think Skip has so much more to offer than just the debate thing,” Dixon said. “He’s the best-ever on earth at the debate format, and we still have some part of that in the show, but the reality is the guy’s had an amazing career.”
The program is approaching its third month in the new format, something Dixon claims is an achievement for a show that had been in the same format for seven years. Although there have been reports of the program falling short of First Take in the ratings, the current focus is towards constructing and airing stellar content that serves the viewing audience.
“The three months is very hard to reformat for a person who’s kind of redefined a category, right?,” Dixon said. “Everybody would admit it that he created the debate format, and then he’s evolving the show where it takes a minute. Now all of these people are really resonating towards our goal of, ‘Let’s just have the most impressive conversation in all of sports television,’ and he’s working on that; it takes a minute.”
Preceding Undisputed is Craig Carton, a veteran sports media personality primarily appearing on a television program for the first time in his career. Since Carton signed a deal granting FOX Sports exclusivity over his media rights, The Carton Show has added a permanent co-host in David Jacoby and analyst Willie Colon, and conducted various interviews with key personnel around the world of sports.
“It’s all habit-forming,” Dixon said. “We can’t force it; if we could, it would be very easy. I think you just have to keep them available in very specific time slots where they know where they can get it, and now that’s kind of evolving into wherever you want to consume them, but making sure that they know.”
FOX Sports has distinctive studio offerings across its properties, but the FOX NFL Sunday cast has been synonymous and accumulated extolment from viewers around the world. The crew displays its strong chemistry with one another and fosters a connection with fans every week, providing viewers with levity and repartee on a weekly basis that further compels viewers to tune in.
Dixon is aware of the synergies that exist throughout the company, and has been working to translate the aura on the gameday programming to daily studio shows. Up and down the new programming lineup, a resounding modus operandi has been adopted that focuses on celebrating sports. That approach has translated into quantitative results.
As an example, Speak, featuring Joy Taylor, Emmanuel Acho and LeSean McCoy, is up 70% year-over-year (YoY) and has attained 12 consecutive months of YoY viewership growth. The hosts frequently watch games together and converse beyond the standard workday, underscoring how they have been able to develop strong chemistry on the air.
“I think people watch sports because they want to be entertained, and sometimes the content had gone to a little bit more about debate, etc., and we’re about, ‘Let’s have an impassioned conversation and have people that you care to watch and you want to be in that room with,’” Dixon articulated. “I always equate everything to a dinner party; like, ‘Who do you want [at] your dinner party?’”
A similar premise applies to First Things First, which moved into the afternoons last fall after starting out in mornings. The program is led by Nick Wright, a dynamic and distinctive on-air talent that Dixon believes is better suited to work in the afternoons than the mornings. Wright has been hosting the show since it took the air in 2017 and met with Dixon to compile the remainder of the cast in Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes.
“That’s not a knock; it’s more that he’s so smart that I think you have to be awake if you’re going to take [in] his content; you have to be there for him,” Dixon said. “It was all about actually chemistry.”
Dixon does not have anything to do with the program on a day-to-day basis except in watching and ensuring that he is supplementing the areas that are working and subsequently paying dividends on the air. Ratings for the show have augmented 97% YoY and the program has had 14 consecutive months of double-digit YoY growth, adequately meeting the audience where it is and providing shrewd yet entertaining perspectives on different storylines within professional sports.
“I think First Things First – and I believe this about all the shows now – you want to be in the room and you would want to be in and out of that conversation,” Dixon said. “Maybe I can be a part of that – you feel a part of it versus feeling bad about things. I think there’s enough negativity in the world right now that sports content should be just positive.”
FOX Sports has been successful at actualizing talent, something Dixon attributes to the willingness of company leadership to take chances and auditing based on results rather than conjecture. Akin to the overall media landscape, the company moves expeditiously and trusts its leadership that it is positioning the brand for sustained growth. Apropos to its uniform mantra, “We are FOX Sports,” the company values collaboration and inquisitiveness to cultivate all types of audiovisual content.
“Obviously you have to know your stuff when you’re going into these conversations,” Dixon said, “but the truth is if you have a plan and you know what you’re looking for from your talent and what the results you’re hoping for [are], it gets done tomorrow, whereas other companies, that could be a six-month conversation and the person has already left.”
With host Colin Cowherd’s contract set to expire early in 2025, Dixon knows that there will be a decision to make pertaining to his future. The Herd leads off afternoons on FS1 and features both Cowherd and co-host Jason McIntyre. In addition to his work with FOX Sports, Cowherd also owns and operates The Volume, a digital media venture that he estimates is worth more than $100 million.
“You’re making your bets on the talent,” Dixon said. “Now if the question is, ‘Would I make a bet on Colin Cowherd?,’ of course. I think he’s honestly one of the top people who’s ever done this in the game.”
Although Cowherd established himself largely through the audio medium, FS1 does not tend to view his existing program as a radio show simulcast on television. Rather the network feels that Cowherd’s program more closely resembles a television show and is simulcast on the air.
“We work with the guys at iHeart all the time to make sure that everybody’s being satiated, but the truth is radio has such a different specific feel to it,” Dixon said. “If you just put radio shows on TV, I have not seen that be a track record for growth.”
When Dixon is at home consuming content, he finds that although he enjoys what is being perpetuated on audio platforms, he misses the visual elements of the programs. Despite the show being tailored for television, Cowherd’s program remains simulcast around the country to a growing number of consumers, the platform through which they follow notwithstanding.
“Making sure we’re just available to everyone across every platform – and that’s not just for radio or linear or broadcast – it’s what we’re doing exhaustively with all of our social content,” Dixon said. “I think we’re really kind of setting a trend there as well.”
FS1 remains focused on offering and promulgating premium brands, and an area of growth has been within its digital offerings. Over the summer, the network unveiled cutting-edge digital studios that house The Joel Klatt Show, State of the Union and The Skip Bayless Show. The location also broadcasts Flippin’ Bats which recently broadcast live from the World Series, airing live content as another viewing option to the traditional MLB on FOX postgame show.
“If you want to consume MLB content on FOX, the more the merrier, right?,” Dixon said. “Why would you only have a limited amount?… Why wouldn’t you have Ben [Verlander] and why wouldn’t you have his access, and why wouldn’t you have him with John Smoltz – and that all of a sudden just creates the ecosystem of, ‘Everybody, we’re all on the same team,’ and I think that is unique to what is going on in sports at FOX.”
Cord cutting remains an evident problem that many media companies have looked to combat through an increased focus on digital content and, for some, the development of a DTC (direct-to-consumer) platform. FOX Sports has not announced plans for offering its shows and live play-by-play in this manner, although it has ownership of the Tubi streaming platform.
“A lot of cable is not doing as well as far as growth pattern,” Dixon said. “I think we’re creating the content people want to watch, and then they’ll let us know if they don’t like it, but right now they like it.”
As a media executive, Dixon is energized by working with hundreds of like-minded individuals who bring passion and expertise to their jobs. He considers himself fortunate to be able to motivate them each day to help the network attain heights either unrealized or previously perceived as outright impossible.
“Keep your eyes open and make sure you know what you think the future looks like,” Dixon said, “and I say that to my groups all the time is, ‘How are we going to grow the thing? This thing took care of us for however many years, right? How are we going to take care of it?’”
Derek Futterman is a contributing editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, find him on X @derekfutterman.
