Rupert Murdoch eyes national sports channel to take on ESPN

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012...espn-sports-tv

Rupert Murdoch eyes national sports channel to take on ESPN, reports say

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is reported to be considering a rival to ESPN, the US's dominant sports channel.

Murdoch has long been an admirer of the Disney-owned channel and has repeatedly made big bets on sports in order to drive his cable and satellite TV businesses.

According to Bloomberg News, the company is considering converting Fuel, its action-sports network, to the new channel. The channel would compete not just with ESPN but with NBC's and CBS's sports networks.

The company did not return calls for comment.

News Corp has recently secured major sports rights. In October, the company won US TV rights to soccer's World Cup in 2018 and 2022, beating off a bid from ESPN. It has also secured rights to the Pac-12 college athletics conference and is in the running to secure an exclusive deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

News Corp is a former owner of the Dodgers, which were sold today to a team led by basketball legend Magic Johnson. Last year the Los Angeles Angels signed a 20-year deal with Fox Sports worth roughly $3bn, and any deal with the Dodgers is expected to exceed that.

Murdoch once described sport as the "battering ram" for his pay-TV operations and has successfully used sports rights to build his Sky TV satellite business in Europe and Asia.