Fox Sports Asia
| Company type | Pay television channel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports broadcasting |
| Predecessor | ESPN Star Sports |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founder | HutchVision and Prime Network International (initially as Prime Sports) |
| Defunct | 1 October 2021 |
| Fate | Operations ceased; brand folded into Disney+ streaming service |
| Headquarters | Singapore (headquarters of joint venture) , Singapore |
Area served | Pan-Asia, including regional feeds for Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, mainland China, South Korea |
| Products | Sports television channels (Fox Sports, Fox Sports 2, Fox Sports 3, Fox Sports News, Fox Football Channel) |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia) Pte. Ltd. |
| Parent | Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific |
Fox Sports Asia—previously known as ESPN Star Sports—was a pan-Asian pay television channel operated by Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific, a division of The Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia) Pte. Ltd. The network also managed a localized version of Star Sports tailored for audiences in mainland China and South Korea.
The channel originally debuted in 1991 under the name Star Sports (initially branded as Prime Sports) alongside ESPN, both broadcast under the joint venture of Satellite Television Asian Region (STAR TV) and ESPN International. These two entities merged their Asian broadcasting operations in October 1996. In 2012, News Corporation acquired full ownership and undertook a two-stage rebranding process completed in January 2013 and August 2014.
Star Sports
In March 1991, HutchVision collaborated with Denver-based Prime Network International to launch a sports channel that reached over 30 countries across Asia, targeting nearly three billion potential viewers.
The channel began transmission on 21 August 1991 as Prime Sports (), featuring its inaugural broadcast of the US Open tennis tournament. Managed by STAR TV based in Hong Kong, it operated as a round-the-clock multi-sport outlet broadcasting in both English and Chinese via the AsiaSat 1 satellite, serving regions spanning from the Far East to the Middle East. Subsequently, STAR TV segmented the service regionally to better cater to diverse audiences.
On 1 February 1996, the channel introduced a new logo characterized by a boxed STAR emblem incorporating a pentagram star within a frame. A significant brand overhaul took place on 1 April 1999, transitioning from a vertical to horizontal logo design consistent with other STAR TV channels.
Until 31 March 2001, this feed simultaneously served Southeast Asian and Chinese markets before splitting into two distinct channels dedicated to each region.
ESPN
ESPN was part of the "Gang of Five" alliance—which included CNN International, HBO, TVB (with TVB Superchannel), and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (with Australia Television International)—established to rival STAR TV's dominance in Asia. Initially, its broadcasts were relayed via the Palapa satellite, later expanding coverage through Apstar satellite services.
In May 1995, ESPN inaugurated its production studios at New Tech Park located in Lorong Chuan, Singapore.
Merger into ESPN Star Sports
Although ESPN and Star Sports competed throughout Asia, both networks struggled financially. Consequently, in October 1996 they merged their operations into a joint venture headquartered in Singapore, which was later named ESPN Star Sports.
On 16 January 1998, Fox Sports was introduced in the Middle East through Star Select, replacing ESPN Star Sports in that region; however, the pan-Asian feed continued to be accessible via AsiaSat and Palapa satellites.
Transition to Fox Sports
On 6 June 2012, News Corporation announced plans to purchase ESPN International’s shareholding in ESPN Star Sports. Subsequently, Star India assumed control of ESPN Star Sports' Indian operations and relaunched its sports channels under the Star Sports brand on 6 November 2013.
In October 2012, Fox Football Channel commenced broadcasts in Malaysia, though it ceased operations in 2015.
On 28 January 2013, ESPN and ESPN HD were rebranded as Fox Sports and Fox Sports Plus HD respectively across Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. The regional ESPNews was renamed Fox Sports News, while SportsCenter Asia became known as Fox Sports Central.
By 15 August 2014, Star Sports was rebranded as Fox Sports 2; Fox Sports Plus HD transitioned to Fox Sports 3 (branded as Fox Sports HD in Vietnam), with both high-definition and standard-definition versions launched. Meanwhile, East Asia retained a version of Star Sports for mainland China and South Korea; additionally, the ESPN feed for mainland China was renamed Star Sports 2 on 10 January 2014.
ESPN International shifted its focus towards digital platforms covering football (ESPNFC), cricket (CricInfo), Formula 1 (ESPNF1), and Australian rugby (ESPNscrum). It partnered with Multi Screen Media in India (Sony ESPN until March 2020), TV5 Network in the Philippines (ESPN5 until October 2021), Tencent in China (hosting an ESPN section on qq.com), and Mediacorp in Singapore (handling local advertising sales for ESPN’s website).
On 31 March 2020, Fox Sports Asia’s website was consolidated into the global ESPN site; however, social media accounts remained independently managed.
On 8 March 2021, Fox Sports collaborated with Emtek’s OTT platform Vidio, enhancing accessibility for viewers in Indonesia.
Closure
On 18 September 2020, Disney declared its intention to discontinue Fox Sports operations in Taiwan by the end of that year, with the official shutdown occurring on 1 January 2021 following prolonged financial setbacks in the market.
Subsequently, on 27 April 2021, Disney announced that Fox Sports and other Fox-branded channels across Asia would terminate their broadcasts on 1 October 2021, concluding three decades of transmission. This decision consolidated the formerly separate Prime Sports/Star Sports Asia and ESPN Asia channel slots to prioritize the Disney+ streaming service, including Disney+ Hotstar in selected regions. Among the final sports events aired were the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, the Superbike World Championship at Circuito de Jerez, and UFC 266.
Prior to the network's closure, South Korea’s SPOTV secured broadcasting rights for the remaining rounds of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship and Superbike World Championship, effectively replacing Fox Sports as the content provider. In Vietnam, MotoGP coverage was absent until SPOTV officially launched services there on 24 December 2023.
Following Fox Sports Asia’s shutdown, Hong Kong’s Now TV acquired rights to air the 2021 US Open, remaining Formula One races, and future UFC events. Malaysia’s Astro responded by introducing Astro SuperSport 5 to cover Formula One and UFC content. In the Philippines, Premier Sports (under TAP Sports) took over Fox Sports’ programming after its closure. Singaporean providers StarHub TV and Singtel TV maintained sports coverage through Hub Sports and Mio Sports respectively, while Thailand’s TrueVisions broadcasted events via True Sport channels. Indonesia’s streaming platform Mola transmitted remaining UFC matches and held sublicensing agreements for Singapore and Malaysia, including rights to Dana White’s Contender Series. Additionally, Emtek Group aired Formula One on Champions TV and its OTT platform Vidio.
Starting in 2023, beIN Sports assumed Formula One broadcasting rights across Hong Kong and Southeast Asia—excluding Vietnam—where tennis coverage of the Australian Open and French Open also remained under beIN Sports (Vietnamese rights stayed with K+ and VTVcab). SPOTV took charge of Wimbledon and US Open tennis broadcasts throughout Southeast Asia except Vietnam until late 2023. Extensions for UFC broadcasting rights were still under negotiation.
The John Dykes Show was slated to return as a Star Original on Disney+ Hotstar in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, with ambitions to expand into additional Disney+ markets such as Singapore and Hong Kong.
Shortly after ceasing operations, Disney revived the ESPN brand in Asia as a digital media outlet through its official YouTube channel and various social media platforms.
Channels
- Fox Sports (previously ESPN)
- Fox Sports 2 (formerly Prime Sports and Star Sports)
- Fox Sports 3 (earlier ESPN HD and Fox Sports Plus HD)
- Fox Sports News: Introduced in November 2009 on Singtel's Mio TV in Singapore before extending to Hong Kong via PCCW's Now TV in 2011. The channel was rebranded as Fox Sports News in January 2013 but was gradually discontinued across most areas by mid-2017.
- Fox Football Channel: Launched in Malaysia in October 2012 with a focus on soccer content; operations ceased in 2015.
Regions
Fox Sports operated regional feeds tailored for:
- Hong Kong: Featured a customized schedule due to specific broadcasting rights. Managed by Fox Networks Group Hong Kong; operations ceased on 1 October 2021.
- Indonesia: Administered by Fox Networks Group Indonesia; headquarters closed on 12 November 2021.
- Malaysia and Brunei: The feed did not include field hockey coverage. Operated by Fox Networks Group Malaysia; headquarters closed on 12 November 2021.
- Philippines: Managed by Fox Networks Group Philippines; headquarters closed on 1 October 2021.
- Singapore: Operated by Fox Networks Group Singapore; headquarters closed on 12 November 2021.
- Vietnam: Run by Fox Networks Group Vietnam; Hanoi office closed on 1 October 2021 while Ho Chi Minh City office shut down on 12 November 2021.
- Taiwan: Overseen by Fox Networks Group Taiwan from Taipei; headquarters closed on 1 January 2024.
Fox also administered versions of Star Sports tailored for mainland China and South Korea, including Star Sports 2 (which operated under ESPN branding until late 2014) serving China.
In South Korea, Fox Sports collaborated with JTBC until March 2020 through JTBC3 Fox Sports (currently known as JTBC Golf&Sports). Previously, during the ESPN Star Sports era, partnerships included MBC with MBC ESPN (now MBC Sports+) from 2001 until July 2010, as well as SBS with SBS ESPN (now SBS Sports) from late 2010 through to 2014.
Final programming
Broadcasting rights for various sports properties are subject to geographic limitations; the rights detailed below may not extend to every Asian territory where Fox Sports was present.
Australian Rules Football
- Australian Football League (excluding the Philippines)
Boxing
- Global Boxing Events
Cricket
- ICC
- Cricket World Cup (all matches streamed on official website and Fox+, television coverage limited to highlights)
- Under-19 Cricket World Cup (full match coverage on Fox+, TV broadcasts include highlights and live final)
- Women's Cricket World Cup (complete match streaming on Fox+, TV broadcasts feature highlights)
- Anthony de Mello Trophy
- Border–Gavaskar Trophy
- Sri Lanka T20 fixtures
Football
- AFC (broadcast rights in Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore through 2024)
- AFF Suzuki Cup (available in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia; Indonesian rights subsequently transferred to RCTI, iNews, MNC Sports, and Soccer Channel)
- Danish Super League (one weekly match from 2019 to 2021)
- FC Copenhagen (matches during the first week of each month)
- Brøndby IF (second week of the month matches)
- FC Midtjylland (third week games)
- Aarhus GF (fourth week fixtures)
- DBU Pokalen
- A-League (coverage in Guam, Mongolia, Northern Marianas, Palau)
Field Hockey
- Men's FIH Pro League (excluding Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore)
- Women's FIH Pro League (excluding Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore)
Golf
- The Masters Tournament
- U.S. Open Championship
- The Open Championship
- PGA Championship
- ANA Inspiration
- United States Women's Open Championship (golf)
- Women's PGA Championship
- Ricoh Women's British Open
- The Evian Championship
Kickboxing
Mixed Martial Arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship (remaining 2021 events broadcast on Mola and Indonesian channels including antv and tvOne)
Motorsports
- Formula One (2021–2022 seasons shown via various broadcasters such as Indonesia’s Champions TV/Moji, Malaysia’s Astro SuperSport, and Singapore’s Starhub/Singtel TV)
- FIA Formula 2 Championship
- FIA Formula 3 Championship
- MotoGP (2021 season aired on SPOTV and Indonesia’s Trans7)
- Moto2
- Moto3
- MotoE
- IndyCar Series (general broadcasts on CANAL+ Vietnam)
- Superbike World Championship
- WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
- Extreme E
- FIM Motocross World Championship
- Supercars Championship
- Australian Superbike Championship
- Australian Motocross Championship
- World Touring Car Cup (highlights only)
- FIA World Endurance Championship (highlights only)
- MotoAmerica (2020–2021)
Union
League
- National Rugby League (available exclusively in Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore)
Tennis
- Coverage of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open (also broadcast on alternate channels)
- ATP Cup
- Fed Cup (final round only)
- Laver Cup
News
Additional Programming
- The G.O.A.T. (exclusively in the Philippines)
- Full Throttle (Philippines exclusive)
- 76 Rider (Indonesia only)
- Special Force 2 Pro League
- Fox Sports Live (pre- and post-event/race coverage)
- 2 Wheels
- Chequered Flag
- The John Dykes Show
- Sport Confidential
- International Motorsports News
- Gilette World of Sports
- Football Asia
On-Air Talent
- John Dykes
- Colette Wong
- Paula Malai Ali
- Yvette King
- Jason de la Peña
- Steve Dawson
- Ben Ibrahim
- Edward Russell
- Alex Yoong
- Matteo Guerinoni
- Matthew Marsh
- Jazeman Jaafar
- Marlon Stöckinger
Related Articles
External links
- Articles with short description
- Sports television in Indonesia
- Defunct television channels
- Sports television in Malaysia
- Sports television in Singapore
- Sports television in the Philippines
- Television stations in Taiwan
- Cable television in Hong Kong
- Mass media in Southeast Asia
- Fox Sports International
- ESPN media outlets
- Prime Sports
- Star Sports
- Television channels and stations established in 1991
- Television channels and stations disestablished in 2021