Andy Gray and Richard Keys to Join Fox Soccer Channel for In-Depth Coverage of Soccer’s Biggest Spectacle

Fox Soccer Channel today announced that a pair of in-depth studio shows, Ticket to South Africa and Passport to South Africa will anchor the network’s coverage of the world’s biggest soccer tournament taking place later this year.

As the world’s attention turns to South Africa in June, Fox Soccer Channel will assemble an impressive line-up of expert analysts led by Andy Gray from Great Britain’s Sky Sports. Premiering Thursday, June 10 and airing as the final whistle blows each matchday, Ticket to South Africa is a live, one-hour studio show presenting a complete recap of every game, previews of future matches and reports from Fox Soccer Channel’s correspondents at the venues. Gray will be joined by Fox Soccer Channel’s well-respected commentators Christopher Sullivan (former U.S. National Team midfielder) and Warren Barton (former Newcastle United and England National Team defender).

After enjoying a standout career with Scotland’s National Team and top-flight English clubs, Gray transitioned to the broadcasting booth and is widely considered one of the beautiful game’s most insightful voices. The Glasgow native currently provides color commentary on Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League matches, and has previously added his voice to FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship telecasts.

Richard Keys – who serves as Gray’s frequent broadcast partner – will anchor Ticket to South Africa. A veteran play-by-play announcer of over 1,000 soccer match telecasts, Keys is the presenter of Sky Sports’ flagship Barclays Premier League program Super Sunday.

"The addition of Andy Gray and Richard Keys to our on-air talent team means viewers will hear from two incredibly knowledgeable sources who have covered the game at its highest levels – on location in Europe and beyond – for years,” said Dermot McQuarrie, Senior Vice President of Programming and Production for Fox Soccer Channel.

Complementing Ticket to South Africa during the month-long tournament, Fox Soccer Channel will feature expanded coverage from Fox Soccer Report and Sky Sports News, both featuring teams reporting live from South Africa.

Additionally, premiering Monday, Jan. 18 at 9:30 p.m. ET is Passport to South Africa, a nine-episode series focusing on the 32 nations competing for glory this June and July. These insightful 30-minute studio shows will look at each country’s grouping, how it qualified and its chances to take home the title. Passport will feature in-depth analysis, features and predictions from Fox Soccer Channel’s commentators including Sullivan, Barton and Bobby McMahon (Fox Soccer Report lead analyst), plus special guests.

Both Passport to South Africa and Ticket to South Africa will be televised in high-definition, where available.

Throughout the first half of 2010, Fox Soccer Channel will televise a number of other programs building up to the biggest sporting event in Africa’s history, including The Contenders, The Greatest and International Rivalries, in addition to a series of vignettes entitled Road to Glory.

"With wall-to-wall coverage before, during and after soccer’s most important event, courtesy of the most well-informed team assembled, Fox Soccer Channel’s viewers will gain unprecedented insight as they gear up for the action in South Africa,” added McQuarrie.

About Fox Soccer Channel

Fox Soccer Channel offers the most comprehensive coverage of world-class soccer available in the United States, serving as the primary television destination for coverage of England’s Barclays Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. Matches from Major League Soccer, Italy’s Serie A, Women’s Professional Soccer, the Argentine First Division and the Australian Hyundai A-League are also featured prominently, in addition to such global tournaments as the English FA Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and CONCACAF Champions League™. The Official Broadcast Partner of the United States Youth Soccer Association, Fox Soccer Channel also televises the United Soccer Leagues and NCAA Division I college men’s and women’s soccer. The Nielsen-rated channel reaches more than 35 million cable and satellite households nationwide.

Fox Soccer Channel is one of 36 national and regional programming networks within Fox Networks Group, an operating unit of the News Corporation (NYSE:NWS). These broadcast, cable, satellite and telephony delivered networks reach more than half a billion U.S. television homes, and represent one of the media industry's most diverse collections of programming operations. Fox Networks Group consists of FOX Sports, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Cable Networks and Fox Networks Engineering & Operations. For more information, visit America’s most visited online soccer destination at foxsoccer.com.