[2] Both FS1 and FS2 carried over most of the sports programming from their predecessors, as well as content from Fox Soccer, which would then be replaced by the entertainment-based channel FXX on September 2, 2013.

The network is based primarily from the Fox Sports division's headquarters on the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City section of Los Angeles, though the network also has significant broadcast operations in New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina (the latter of which had served as Speed's home base).

The reports indicated that Fox planned on converting one of these niche sports channels, Speed – which focused on auto racing and other motorsports – into the new Fox Sports 1 due to its established reach on U.S. pay television providers (Speed maintained a subscriber base of 81 million homes with cable, IPTV or satellite service by 2012), which would result in the reduction of the channel's commitment to NASCAR and other motorsports coverage.

[6] Further supporting this theory, reports surfaced in January 2013 that Fox Soccer would be relaunched as FXX, a general entertainment network that would be spun off from FX and would feature comedy series and feature films; such reports were confirmed when the channel's planned launch was officially announced by Fox Entertainment Group on March 28, 2013.

Now let's get on with the show.The launch day featured 16½ hours of live sports coverage,[16] including NASCAR coverage during the late morning and afternoon (highlighted by a Camping World Truck Series qualifying round and race), five hours of UFC bouts in the evening (the main event of the Fight Night card being a match between Maurício Rua and Chael Sonnen), and the premiere of the sports news and discussion show Fox Sports Live following the conclusion of the UFC event.

[12][19] Concerns by providers over the increasing costs for cable and satellite services for their customers (largely believed to be partly due to the higher fees commanded by certain sports channels) resulted in Fox backing off charging the 80¢ per subscriber rate, instead charging the same 23¢ rate that those providers paid to carry Speed.

[24] In early 2014, some major Canadian service providers began to drop the channel upon the expiration of their contractual rights to carry Speed.

[27] On July 14, 2015, Fox Sports reached a long-term agreement with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to broadcast its drag racing events beginning in 2016.

[28][29] On March 21, 2018, Fox Sports announced that it had acquired the television rights for the PBA Tour of ten-pin bowling, beginning in 2019 (once again replacing ESPN).

[41] After Horowitz's exit from Fox, his replacement Mark Silverman (who came from Big Ten Network) admitted that FS1 had matured and "grown past 'embrace debate'", emphasizing a focus on offering shows that are "smart, entertaining and interesting to sports fans", alongside opinion-based programs.

[42] In September 2018, FS1 premiered a sports betting-related studio program, Lock It In, which featured Clay Travis as well as Vegas bookie Todd Fuhrman, former Jimmy Kimmel Live!