Eric Shanks took the helm at Fox Sports in 2010 and the following year shocked the sports industry in stealing the World Cup rights from rival ESPN. It wasn’t his last blockbuster.
2011: Fox wins the FIFA men’s World Cup rights for 2018 and 2022 for $425 million, and later commits $1.1 billion to extend its NFL rights for nine years.
2012: Shanks negotiates an eight-year, $4 billion extension with MLB and renews with NASCAR for $2.4 billion over eight years.
2013: Fox lands a 12-year broadcast deal for the new Big East.
2014: MLS and U.S. Soccer agree to parallel eight-year agreements with Fox and ESPN, with Fox returning to the league for the first time since 2011.
2015: FIFA extends Fox’s World Cup rights to include the women’s World Cup in 2023 and this summer’s men’s tournament.
2017: Fox lands a six-year, $1.44 billion deal for the Big Ten that includes the conference’s football championship game.
2018: Fox gets a five-year deal for NFL “Thursday Night Football” and extends its MLB rights through 2028 for around $730 million per year.
2021: Shanks agrees to an 11-year extension with the NFL worth $2.25 billion annually, and Fox increases its stake in the Big Ten Network from 51% to 61%.
2022: Fox joins ESPN in extending its Big 12 rights for $2.28 billion over six years. It later acquires linear broadcast rights for MLS alongside its Apple streaming deal.
2023: NASCAR extends its Fox broadcast deal, which includes the Daytona 500, for seven years.
2024: Fox Sports lands IndyCar media rights on a multiyear deal and the next year acquires a 33% stake in parent company Penske Entertainment.
