Closure
On 18 September 2020, Disney announced that it would shut down Fox Sports operations in Taiwan at the end of 2020.[22] It was later revealed that operations in Taiwan would end on 1 January 2021, following years of financial losses in the region.[23]
On 27 April 2021, Disney announced that the Fox Sports network, along with the rest of the Fox channels, would permanently cease operations on 1 October after 30 years of broadcasting. This move folded the former Prime Sports/Star Sports Asia and ESPN Asia channel spaces as Disney shifted focus to its streaming platform, Disney+ (or Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand; the launch in Vietnam had not yet been announced).[1] The last events covered by the channel were the 2021 Russian Grand Prix (Formula One), the 2021 Superbike World Championship at Circuito de Jerez, and UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega.
Prior to the shutdown, Korean sports network SPOTV acquired the rights to broadcast the remainder of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship,[24] taking over the Fox Sports network's place once its transmission went offline; this ensured the remaining MotoGP races were broadcast.[25] They also carried the Superbike World Championship.[26] Vietnam had no TV broadcaster for MotoGP until SPOTV officially launched on 24 December 2023.[27]
Hong Kong pay TV provider Now TV picked up coverage of the 2021 US Open, the remaining races of the 2021 Formula One World Championship, and future UFC fights prior to the closure of the Fox Sports network.[28][29]
The remaining coverage of both Formula One and UFC was aired on Astro in Malaysia on Astro SuperSport 5 (launched post-closure);[30] Premier Sports from the TAP Sports network in the Philippines, which replaced Fox Sports and also secured most of the another rights formerly held by ABS-CBN's sports division whose had sharing several rights with Fox Sports until its winddown following the expiration and subsequent cancellation of legislative broadcast network franchise in 2020;[31] StarHub TV and Singtel TV in Singapore (on Hub Sports and Mio Sports);[32] and TrueVisions' True Sport in Thailand.[33] Mola streamed the remaining UFC fights in Indonesia while also sub-licensing to both Singapore and Malaysia for future live fights, including Dana White's Contender Series; these had not been aired previously when Fox Sports focused on UFC main events.
As reported exclusively by SportBusiness, Formula One coverage in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia (excluding Vietnam, where K+ owned the rights following the channel's closure) transferred to beIN Sports starting in 2023.[37] beIN Sports also held rights for both the Australian Open and French Open (except in Vietnam, where rights were owned by K+ and VTVcab, respectively),[38][39] while SPOTV, which was already available across Southeast Asia (excluding Vietnam until 24 December 2023[27]), broadcast Wimbledon and the US Open. The extension for UFC coverage in Southeast Asia had yet to be finalized.
The John Dykes Show was announced to resume on Disney+ Hotstar in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, and was yet to be announced for other Disney+ territories, including Singapore and Hong Kong, as Star Originals.[40]
A few days after the closure, Disney relaunched the ESPN brand in Asia as a digital media portal through its official YouTube channel and social media pages.
