When senior Fox executives decided to launch an all-sports cable network a few years ago, they tapped Jeff Shell to make it happen.

Shell was so successful in building Fox Sports Network into a legitimate challenger to the supremacy of ESPN, that parent company News Corp. has now asked him to oversee all its non-news cable operations.

As new president and chief executive of Fox Cable Networks (FCN), Shell is working to turn the new division of Fox Entertainment into a competitive player in the emerging digital cable and direct television markets. He’s facing some tough competition, in the form of Viacom Inc. and Walt Disney Co.

“We’re in an elite class now,” Shell said. “It used to be about selling channels to people. Now, instead of offering 50 to 60 channels, AT & T; is putting in digital boxes (with hundreds of channels) and, ultimately, interactive options.”

Shell hopes to make FCN the programming choice for cable providers looking for more channels to offer customers. He has already secured long-term contracts for content with heavyweight cable providers like AT & T; and Time Warner.

Shell’s plan involves providing cable firms with packages of Fox channels to distribute through a variety of service tiers. For instance, while the Fox Family Channel would be shown on most cable systems, the Fox Movie Channel would only go to customers with the pricier digital boxes.

Under his strategy, operators would agree to carry newer Fox channels like the National Geographic Channel and the Health Network in order to gain access to proven moneymakers like Fox’s regional sports programming.

Shell was most recently president of Fox Sports Networks and will continue to oversee ad sales, distribution and rights negotiations for the cable sports business. He joined Fox Television in 1994 as head of new business development.