Fox Soccer Plus
An American subscription sports television channel focused on soccer, rugby league, and Australian rules football.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Fox Soccer Plus is an American sports television channel whose programming has centered on soccer and rugby-related sports, with Australian rules football also forming an important part of its schedule. The service originated as Setanta Sports, a North American and Caribbean channel launched by the Irish broadcaster Setanta Sports on April 26, 2005. Its initial proposition was to bring a broad selection of live and delayed international sports to viewers in the United States and Caribbean, particularly competitions that were not consistently available on mainstream American sports networks. During its Setanta era, the channel carried a wide range of properties. Soccer coverage included selected Premier League matches, Football League competitions, UEFA club tournaments, French and Russian league football, Scottish competitions, international matches, and qualifying games. The channel also presented rugby union tournaments and competitions, including the Rugby World Cup, England's Premiership, the Heineken Cup, the Celtic and Italian club competition that later became the Pro12, Super Rugby, the Tri-Nations, and other international and domestic events. Additional programming included Gaelic Athletic Association events and selected motorsport series. Some premium events were distributed through Setanta Premium, while Setanta Broadband offered selected programming and pay-per-view access over the internet. Setanta's North American business underwent a major change during the financial and operational difficulties affecting Setanta Sports. On January 27, 2010, Setanta announced an agreement to transfer selected soccer and rugby programming rights to Fox Soccer Channel and to end its own U.S. and Caribbean channel operation. News Corporation, then the owner of Fox's sports television properties, acquired the channel and relevant programming rights. At midnight on March 1, 2010, Setanta Sports was relaunched as Fox Soccer Plus. The new name positioned the service as a companion and premium extension to Fox Soccer Channel rather than as a standalone international Setanta outlet. Fox Soccer Plus continued to carry selected soccer and rugby content after the rebrand, but its rights portfolio changed substantially over time. Serie A and Ligue 1 programming moved to beIN Sport for the 2012–13 season, while Super Rugby and the Tri-Nations had previously moved to DirecTV. The channel also lost rugby union properties such as the Heineken Cup, English Premiership, and Pro12. Bundesliga coverage remained part of its history until rights moved to ESPN in 2020. These changes reduced the number of marquee international soccer and rugby events available on the channel. The September 2013 replacement of Fox Soccer Channel by FXX did not eliminate Fox Soccer Plus. Instead, Fox Soccer Plus continued as a separate service with a more specialized and comparatively limited schedule. In the late 2010s, its soccer output included replays of Major League Soccer matches shown on Fox or FS1, selected FIFA-event replays, and occasional matches from competitions such as Liga MX, Italy's Serie B, Copa do Brasil, the UEFA Nations League, the Coupe de France, and the Canadian Premier League. Its rugby league schedule remained more substantial, including Australian National Rugby League matches, State of Origin games, playoff games, and the NRL Grand Final. The channel also carried regular-season and postseason Australian Football League matches, including AFL Women's games and preseason fixtures. Fox Soccer Plus has been distributed through major satellite, cable, telecommunications, and streaming providers, with a 720p high-definition feed available through at least some distributors. The channel remains associated with Fox Sports, although the precise current scope of its programming and distribution is subject to provider and rights changes.
History
Fox Soccer Plus began as Setanta Sports, a channel launched on April 26, 2005, by the Irish sports broadcaster Setanta Sports. The service was created for the United States and Caribbean markets and specialized in international sports programming, particularly soccer and rugby. Its early soccer schedule included delayed programming from club channels associated with Manchester United and Chelsea, as well as selected live and delayed matches from European domestic competitions and international tournaments. Setanta Sports expanded its offering through a mixture of standard subscription television, premium commercial events, and online distribution. Setanta Premium supplied selected matches to commercial venues on a pay-per-view basis, while Setanta Broadband provided internet access to portions of the channel's programming and certain pay-per-view events. The broader schedule included Premier League matches, Football League competitions, UEFA competitions, Ligue 1, the Russian Premier League, Scottish football, international fixtures, and qualifying matches. Rugby programming was similarly broad, covering rugby union competitions such as the Rugby World Cup, the English Premiership, the Heineken Cup, Super Rugby, the Tri-Nations, the Celtic and Italian club competition later known as the Pro12, and selected southern-hemisphere tournaments. Gaelic games and motorsport were also included. The channel's ownership and operating structure changed during 2009 and 2010. Setanta Sports North America Limited was part of a wider Setanta corporate structure and was licensed alongside Setanta Sports Channel Ireland Limited by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. On January 27, 2010, Setanta announced that it would transfer selected programming rights to Fox Soccer Channel and stop broadcasting its U.S. and Caribbean channel at the end of February. Fox's parent company, then News Corporation, acquired the channel and relevant rights. The service was relaunched at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time on March 1, 2010, under the Fox Soccer Plus name. The rebrand placed the channel within Fox's soccer-focused television portfolio. It retained a role as a specialist outlet for soccer and rugby but gradually lost several major properties. Serie A and Ligue 1 departed in 2012 when their U.S. rights moved to beIN Sport. Super Rugby and the Tri-Nations moved to DirecTV in 2011. Fox Soccer Plus also formerly carried major rugby union properties, including the Heineken Cup, the English Premiership, and the Pro12, but those competitions no longer formed part of its regular schedule. Bundesliga coverage continued for a period before moving to ESPN in 2020. Fox Soccer Channel was replaced by FXX in September 2013, but Fox Soccer Plus survived as a distinct channel. Its later soccer schedule became more selective, including replays of Major League Soccer games shown on Fox or FS1, replays of FIFA events, and occasional live or delayed matches from competitions such as Liga MX, Serie B, Copa do Brasil, the UEFA Nations League, the Coupe de France, and the Canadian Premier League. Rugby league and Australian rules football became particularly visible components of the service. The channel has carried multiple National Rugby League games per round, State of Origin matches, NRL playoffs and the Grand Final, as well as Australian Football League regular-season games, finals, the Grand Final, preseason matches, and AFL Women's programming. Distribution has included national satellite carriage and regional cable, telecommunications, and streaming availability. A high-definition 720p feed has also been offered through certain providers. Although the channel has lost many of the marquee rights associated with its Setanta and early Fox eras, it remains an operating Fox Sports service focused on international and specialist sports programming. Exact availability and the live-rights portfolio can change as distribution agreements and sports-media contracts expire or are renewed.
- 2020
Bundesliga rights move to ESPN
[1]The channel's Bundesliga coverage ended after ESPN assumed the relevant rights.
- 2013
Fox Soccer Channel is replaced by FXX
[1]Fox Soccer Channel was replaced by FXX, while Fox Soccer Plus continued as a separate channel.
- 2012
Serie A and Ligue 1 coverage ends
[1]Fox Soccer Plus stopped carrying Serie A and Ligue 1 when the U.S. rights moved to beIN Sport for the following season.
- 2011
Super Rugby and Tri-Nations rights move to DirecTV
[1]The channel lost rights to major southern-hemisphere rugby properties, including Super Rugby and the Tri-Nations.
- 2010
Fox Soccer Plus replaces Setanta Sports
[1]After Fox acquired selected programming rights and the channel operation, Setanta Sports ended its U.S. and Caribbean broadcast and relaunched as Fox Soccer Plus on March 1.
- 2009
Setanta Sports North America ownership structure changes
[1]The ownership structure of Setanta Sports North America Limited changed during July, as part of the corporate developments preceding the channel's transfer to Fox.
- 2005
Setanta Sports launches in the United States and Caribbean
[1]Setanta Sports launched the channel on April 26 as an international sports service focused particularly on soccer and rugby programming.
Products and positioning
A specialist premium sports channel serving viewers seeking international soccer, rugby league, and Australian rules football that may not be available on general-interest American sports networks.
Subscription sports television · 2010
Fox Soccer Plus television channel
The core Fox Soccer Plus service is a specialist American sports channel. Its programming has included selected soccer matches, replays, rugby league, and Australian rules football. Rather than operating as a broad general sports network, it has served as a supplementary outlet for international competitions and events that require additional television capacity.
Subscription sports television · 2005
Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports was the channel's original identity from its 2005 launch until the March 2010 rebrand. It offered an unusually broad international schedule for American viewers, including European soccer, rugby union, Gaelic games, and selected motorsport. The brand was discontinued in the United States and Caribbean when the service became Fox Soccer Plus.
Commercial pay-per-view service
Setanta Premium
Setanta Premium was a former commercial pay-per-view offering available to selected venues. It supplied events such as Scottish Premier League matches, FA Cup games, rugby internationals, European club matches, and other premium fixtures that were not always carried live on the main Setanta channel.
Online sports subscription service
Setanta Broadband
Setanta Broadband was a former internet distribution service that allowed subscribers with suitable high-speed connections to watch selected Setanta programming and purchase certain pay-per-view events. Its historical offerings included Portuguese Liga matches and Premier League coverage.
Brand decisions
2013
Continuation of Fox Soccer Plus after Fox Soccer Channel's replacementStrategyBackground
Fox replaced Fox Soccer Channel with FXX, changing the structure of its U.S. soccer television offering.
Action taken
Fox retained Fox Soccer Plus as a separate sports channel rather than ending the service at the same time.
Aftermath
Fox Soccer Plus continued with a more specialized schedule, including selected soccer replays and international sports rights.
2010
Transfer of Setanta programming rights and channel operation to FoxM&ABackground
Setanta Sports announced that it would stop broadcasting its U.S. and Caribbean channel and transfer selected soccer and rugby programming rights to Fox Soccer Channel.
Action taken
Fox's parent company acquired the channel and relevant rights, and the service was relaunched as Fox Soccer Plus on March 1, 2010.
Aftermath
The rebrand preserved a specialist international sports outlet within the Fox portfolio, although the channel's rights portfolio later became narrower.
Sources1 sources
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