News Corp. Said to Plan U.S. Sports Network to Rival ESPN

Apparently, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp is taking steps to start a national US sports network on cable television aimed at challenging Walt Disney’s ESPN.

News Corp. is assembling the required rights from pay-TV carriers and sports organizations, said sources, who requested anonymity because talks are private. While a final decision to move forward hasn’t been made, the company is considering converting its Fuel action-sports network to the new channel. With a national network, Fox would join Comcast’s NBC Sports Network and CBS Corp’s CBS Sports Network in taking on the dominant ESPN. News Corp. last year secured rights to the Pac-12 Conference and Big-12 Conference games and owns 20 regional sports networks. The company in October won TV rights to soccer’s World Cup in 2018 and 2022.