Editing Speed (TV network) (section)

===Shutdown of Speed and relaunch as Fox Sports 1, 2 and Fox Sports Racing===
{{main|Fox Sports 1|Fox Sports 2|Fox Sports Racing}}
On March 5, 2013, Fox Sports announced that Speed would be shut down and replaced by a new mainstream sports channel known as [[Fox Sports 1]]; the network was to inherit Speed's NASCAR coverage (which would be expanded under a new television deal in 2015 to add coverage of selected [[Sprint Cup Series]] and [[Nationwide Series]] events), but joined by new or recently acquired sports rights, including [[college basketball]] and [[college football|football]], [[Major League Soccer]], [[Ultimate Fighting Championship|UFC]], and new studio programming. Sister channel Fuel TV was also being re-launched as a companion, [[Fox Sports 2]].<ref name=usatoday-fs1>{{cite news|title=Fox Sports launches direct challenge to ESPN dominance|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2013/03/05/fox-sports-cable-channel-challenging-espn-dominance-catholic-7/1965299/|work=USA Today|access-date=March 7, 2013|first1=Michael|last1=Hiestand|date=March 5, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Fox Sports announces Fox Sports 1|url=http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/FOX-Sports-announces-FOX-Sports-1-network-030513|access-date=March 5, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/fox-extends-nascar-tv-contract-adds-races-broadcast-221529120.html|title=Fox extends NASCAR TV contract and adds races to broadcast schedule starting in 2015|website=sports.yahoo.com|date=August 2013 }}</ref><ref name="rebrand">{{cite web|url=http://www.mmaweekly.com/fuel-tv-re-brands-as-fox-sports-2-launches-alongside-fox-sports-1-will-still-feature-ufc|title=Fuel TV Re-Brands as Fox Sports 2, Launches Alongside Fox Sports 1; Will Still Feature UFC|last=Pishna|first=Ken|work=MMA Weekly|date=August 6, 2013|access-date=August 11, 2013}}</ref>

The last program to be broadcast by Speed in the United States was a replay of qualifying for that weekend's Sprint Cup event, the [[Pure Michigan 400]], which was soon followed by a statement from Fox NASCAR play-by-play announcer [[Mike Joy]] marking the end of Speed's operations in the United States:
{{cquote|For 18 years, it's been our honor and privilege to present motorsports and automotive-related programming to you on the network that began as Speedvision, became Speed Channel, and is now known as Speed. From the visionaries who started this network, from maintenance to management, from the talent to the truck drivers, we've shared your passion for motorsports over lo these many years. We love that you care as much about your cars as family, God and country, and so do we. But now, it's time to switch off the ignition and turn in the keys. This is the end of Speed in America. We hope you'll follow us on our new journey to Fox Sports 1 because all your favorite live NASCAR programming and much more is coming along with us. So now, it's goodnight and farewell to America's motorsports authority, Speed.|4=Fox's [[Mike Joy]], at the moment Speed was relaunched as Fox Sports 1<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nascar/story/2013-08-17/end-of-speed-start-of-fox-sports-1-video-future-mike-joy-curt-menefee|title=As Speed dies, Mike Joy provides lookback, then bridge to Fox Sports 1|website=www.sportingnews.com}}</ref>}}

Although Fox marketed the transition to Fox Sports 1 as a re-launch of Speed, Fox was required to re-negotiate carriage deals with providers for Fox Sports 1 due to the change of its nature of service. There was uncertainty over whether Fox Sports 1 would have sufficient carriage at launch, as it had not yet reached deals with three of the four largest pay television providers in the United States (these being [[DirecTV]], [[Dish Network]] and [[Time Warner Cable]]) with only a month before its launch. However, all three finally agreed to terms to carry Fox Sports 1 three days before the scheduled launch.<ref name="lat-fs1-deal">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-fox-sports-distribution-20130814,0,5466870.story|title=Fox Sports 1 will launch with DirecTV, Dish and Time Warner Cable|first=Joe|last=Flint|date=August 14, 2013|access-date=August 14, 2013|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> For any remaining television providers that did not reach a deal, Fox offered a "watered-down" version of Speed (which consisted of a loop of the network's reality programming and no live events) to fulfill existing carriage contracts until they reached a deal to carry Fox Sports 1. In international markets such as Canada, a Speed-branded service was maintained running an automated loop of Speed's previous non-event programming, and simulcasts of motorsports programming carried by Fox Sports 1 or [[Fox Sports 2|2]].<ref name="sbj-twospeeds"/><ref name=sbj-fs1carriage>{{cite web|title=FS1 carriage talks sticky a month out|url=http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2013/07/15/Media/FS1.aspx|work=Sports Business Journal|date=July 15, 2013 |access-date=July 15, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCSGrid.do?stnNum=16011|title=Speed Channel TV listings (August 17, 2013 onwards)|publisher=[[Zap2It]]|access-date=August 7, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202162923/http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCSGrid.do?stnNum=16011|archive-date=February 2, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

[[Image:Speed tv f1 panel ims stage 2006.jpg|thumb|325px|right|Speed's former [[Formula One]] commentators record a panel discussion at the 2006 [[United States Grand Prix]] at [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]] (left to right&nbsp;– [[Derek Daly]], [[Peter Windsor]], [[Bob Varsha]], [[David Hobbs (racing driver)|David Hobbs]], [[Sam Posey]], [[Steve Matchett]]).]]

Despite the channel’s shutdown, the Speed brand would be briefly used on Fox Sports’ social media platforms for coverage of [[AMA Supercross]], the [[NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series]], the [[ARCA Racing Series]], [[International Motor Sports Association|IMSA]], and other non-NASCAR motorsports. Some of these Speed-branded accounts were later converted for ''[[IndyCar Series on Fox]]'' use.

In Canada, as well as the [[Caribbean]] and [[Puerto Rico]], Speed was not converted to Fox Sports 1 with the exact reasons for this not being confirmed, although in the case of Canada, it was not clear whether Fox would have had the ability to make such a change given that Speed's Canadian authorization was based on it being a motorsports-based network with that version of Speed still being available in these areas despite its U.S. shutdown. It would continue to carry various NASCAR and other motorsports events, as well as related studio programming, mostly simulcast with their U.S. broadcasts on Fox Sports 1 or Fox Sports 2, but did not otherwise originate any new programming of its own. During hours when the network was not simulcasting FS1 or FS2 coverage, it carried repeats of past events and Speed's previous reality and documentary programming without carrying commercial advertising: commercial breaks consist solely of promos for its programming, with no outside advertising aside from [[public service announcement]]s and promotions inserted by local providers.<ref name=sbj-twospeeds>{{cite web|title=Two channels will carry Speed name|url=https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2013/08/05/Media/Speed-future.aspx|work=Sports Business Journal|date=August 5, 2013 |access-date=August 16, 2013}}</ref>

In early 2014, major Canadian service providers including [[Rogers Cable]] and [[Bell Satellite TV]] began to drop the service upon the expiration of their carriage contracts. [[Cogeco]] dropped the Speed Channel on July 15, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cogeco.ca/speedchannel/|title=Speed Channel|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140726233541/http://www.cogeco.ca/speedchannel/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 26, 2014|publisher=[[Cogeco]]|access-date=July 18, 2014}}</ref> [[Shaw Communications|Shaw]] later announced they would drop Speed on April 1, 2015 within their cable and satellite system (a.k.a. Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shaw.ca/Customer-Bulletins/April-2015-Removal-of-Speed-channel/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206090237/http://www.shaw.ca/Customer-Bulletins/April-2015-Removal-of-Speed-channel/|archive-date=February 6, 2015|title=April 2015 - Removal of Speed channel|publisher=Shaw|access-date=February 12, 2015}}</ref> Reports indicate that Fox had attempted to raise the channel's carriage fees significantly, despite the major reductions in original programming for international viewers,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thestar.blogs.com/autoracing/2014/02/fogarty-gurney-at-large-villeneuve-at-indy-and-speed-channel.html|title=Fogarty, Gurney at large, Villeneuve at Indy and Speed Channel|first=Norris|last=McDonald|work=Wheels.ca|date=February 25, 2014|access-date=March 24, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324184308/http://thestar.blogs.com/autoracing/2014/02/fogarty-gurney-at-large-villeneuve-at-indy-and-speed-channel.html|archive-date=March 24, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and Rogers suggests Fox was unwilling to allow Speed to be moved to a more specialized package in light of the programming and cost changes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rogers.com/web/content/speed-channel?asc_refid=serviceupdate|title=Speed Channel|publisher=[[Rogers Communications]]|access-date=March 24, 2014}}</ref>

On February 19, 2015, Fox announced that the international feed of Speed would be re-branded as [[Fox Sports Racing]], and announced that Rogers had reached a deal to add the rebranded network back to its lineup.<ref name=fs-fsracing>{{cite web|title=FOX Sports Racing to launch new era in motor sports Friday|url=http://www.foxsports.com/motor/story/fox-sports-racing-rebranding-speed-international-launch-feb-20-camping-world-truck-race-021915|work=Fox Sports|access-date=February 20, 2015}}</ref>