FOX Sports kicks off Bundesliga coverage with promising first weekend
FOX Sports’ debut of the Bundesliga coverage kicked off across its networks this weekend with a bang. On Friday, they televised the season opener between Bayern Munich and Hamburg on FOX Sports 2 and regional FOX Sports Net channels, followed by coverage on Saturday and Sunday. All in all, it […]
FOX Sports’ debut of the Bundesliga coverage kicked off across its networks this weekend with a bang. On Friday, they televised the season opener between Bayern Munich and Hamburg on FOX Sports 2 and regional FOX Sports Net channels, followed by coverage on Saturday and Sunday. All in all, it was a very welcome return for the Bundesliga back to FOX Sports (Fox Soccer Channel televised Bundesliga games in the early-to-mid 2000′s).
FOX’s Bundesliga host Ian Joy hit the ground running in his debut and is perfect for the position as host and moderator. His pronunciation and knowledge of the German game was very evident, and is a great hire by FOX Sports.
Joy was flanked by analysts Eric Wynalda, Brad Friedel and Jovan Kirovski. All three of the panelists were a good fit. Kirovski appeared nervous in front of the camera on Friday, but was much better on Sunday. Wynalda was excitable as always, while Friedel seemed genuinely excited and passionate about the league.
FOX’s broadcasts are helped by the fantastic production from the Bundesliga, where the matchday experience translates so well on television — with brilliant camera angles, plenty of different shots and a broadcast that really encapsulates the wonderful matchday atmosphere you’ll find at almost all Bundesliga stadiums.
SEE MORE: View the Bundesliga TV schedule for US TV.
In addition to the production quality from the Bundesliga being superb, FOX’s set was warm and inviting, Also, FOX’s use of the giant wall of TV screens behind them to display results and charting team’s progress over the years was encouraging to see.
FOX’s decision to feature “FS1″ on the screens built into the studio desk was bamboozling given that only one of FOX’s six Bundesliga games on TV this weekend was featured on FOX Sports 1.
Plus, while FOX had a studio presence for the games on Friday and Sunday, it was bizarre that FOX Sports decided not to have a studio team for Saturday’s games and, instead, had Ian Joy providing a few minutes of voiceover before the games kicked off.
SEE MORE: Sign up for a free 7-day trial to watch all Bundesliga games.
Two of the issues that FOX Sports will have to live with this season are completely out of their control. The first is the blowouts by the Bundesliga’s two top teams — Bayern Munich (winning 5-0) and Borussia Dortmund (winning 4-0). For the Bundesliga to be interesting to casual soccer fans, the games featuring top teams will need to be more competitive.
Second, FOX Sports and the Bundesliga have to consider how Premier League games often overlap with the Bundesliga. The only match not to overlap this weekend was Dortmund against Borussia Monchengladbach, but that was on a rare Premier League Saturday where there was no 12:30pm ET kickoff. For many, like me, the Bundesliga may end up being a fantastic league to watch on DVR instead of live. While the must-see Premier League matches are unfolding, the Bundesliga games can be taped and watched later. And the chances of there being spoilers on social media to ruin your taped experience will be far less than with the Premier League.
Overall, though, this was a promising start for FOX Sports’ Bundesliga coverage.
