Cuts At Fox Sports And Addition Of Barstool Show Changing Viewership

Sweeping changes at FOX Sports—including canceling multiple FS1 shows and a new partnership with Barstool Sports—reflect a major strategic shift for the network as it chases deeper viewer engagement and relevance in the fractured media landscape.

Big Noon Gets Bigger: Dave Portnoy Joins The Desk

The biggest news came on July 17 when FOX Sports announced Barstool’s bombastic founder, Dave Portnoy, would join Big Noon Kickoff coverage for its seventh season.

The move represents FOX’s latest volley to compete against College GameDay, which has leaned in heavily on larger-than-life personality Pat McAfee, another charismatic and controversial media personality who started his career at Barstool.

FS1 Cuts Longtime Talent And New Shows Alike

News of Portnoy’s arrival broke just days after FOX announced the end of its decade-long relationship with Joy Taylor and the canceling of her show “Speak.” A pair of morning shows– “Breakfast Ball” with Craig Carton, Mark Schlereth and Danny Parkins, and “The Facility” with NFL veterans LeSean McCoy, Emmanuel Acho, Chase Daniel and James Jones—were also shelved less than a year after their September 2024 launch.

Barstool’s Role Expands Beyond Saturdays

The Barstool deal, however, involves far more than just Portnoy giving hot takes on the same stage as Rob Stone, Urban Meyer, Brady Quinn, Mark Ingram and Matt Leinart. The Barstool College Football Show will join Big Noon Kickoff on location at some games. It will air across Barstool-owned channels from 9-9:45 a.m., as well as across FOX platforms.

Barstool Sports will also contribute to FOX Sports’ college basketball coverage.

“We’re excited to welcome Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports to the FOX Sports family,” FOX Sports CEO and Executive Producer Eric Shanks stated in a press release. “Dave has built a one-of-a-kind brand that connects with a new generation of sports fans – authentic, bold, and original. Their unique voice and loyal fanbase make them a natural fit for our evolving multi-platform content strategy.”

Ratings Trouble And Internal Shake-Ups

The changes, taken as a whole, represent a broader philosophical shift at FOX Sports, shifting talent priorities toward influence over playing or broadcast experience.

The three canceled shows were developed by former programming executive Charlie Dixon, fired in April. All three shows failed to gain significant or consistent traction with viewers. Awful Announcing noted in October of 2024 that The Facility was drawing an average viewership of 121,000, far below ESPN’s same-time programming.

Taylor, who rose to prominence as moderator of “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed,” was facing an expiring contract, and her $400,000 salary might be viewed by FOX as better spent elsewhere. She, too, faces controversy related to Dixon’s firing, as Taylor was named in a lawsuit against him that alleges sexual battery.

Solving FOX’s Problems

The moves solve significant problems for FOX in its competition with College GameDay, according to Ben Koo of Awful Announcing, since McAfee’s arrival allowed College GameDay to pull away from a Big Noon Kickoff in both ratings and buzz.

The morning lineup had also given up ground up to ESPN, with the departure of Sharpe from Undisputed and the network’s broader morning decline, and there was no clear plan to regain its footing, Koo said.

“Dave Portnoy makes sense because of his large social presence,” Koo said. “He’s very good on his feet with attention-grabbing quotes and thoughts, and he’s even kind of extended that beyond sports, with the economy and politics. He brings a different audience to the table.”

A Strategy With Risks

The bet on Barstool comes at a time when bold, irreverent personalities like McAfee are dominating fans’ media attention. Barstool brings to FOX the coveted 18-34 demographic and extends the network’s reach across digital, social and streaming platforms. Barstool Sports has an audience of more than 66 million unique users each month that skew nearly 75 percent male.

Portnoy also provides Big Noon Kickoff with a larger-than-life personality who can banter on numerous topics, including his love of Michigan Football.

The move is not without risk. Barstool has long been polarizing, facing accusations of misogyny and racial insensitivity, and legal issues around workplace culture, which could raise questions for advertisers.

Koo does not believe that is a big concern for FOX.

“FOX long been comfortable taking big swings,” Koo said. “Sometimes they don’t work out, but sometimes they do. They’ve always been the most risk tolerant, and they’ve always been willing to roll the dice.”

The Future Of Sports Coverage

ESPN is reaping rewards from its bet on McAfee in a media environment seemingly driven by algorithms and outrageous takes. With FOX aligning with Portnoy, the question remains whether future sports coverage will focus more on games and athletes or the personalities who talk about them.

“These personalities who are not born through traditional TV, who have come up on their own through the internet and social media, they’re now getting plugged into television, because they’re bringing audience with them,” Koo said. “Long term we are in a trend for sports media and beyond, where attention goes to celebrities–people who can move the needle with what they say.

“We’re coming into a bombastic, brotastic era.”