 International logo | |
 US logo | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television |
| Founded | February 27, 1993; 32 years ago (1993-02-27) |
| Founder | Rupert Murdoch |
| Defunct | 2019; 7 years ago (2019) (US) 2024; 2 years ago (2024) (international) |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Successors |
|
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | |
| Brands | |
| Parent |
|
Fox Networks Group (FNG) was thetelevision networks division ofNews Corporation and later21st Century Fox that operated from 1993 to 2019. It oversaw the production,broadcasting and distribution of theFox,Fox Sports International,Fox Sports,FX Networks,National Geographic andBabyTV brands in the United States and over 1.725 billion households globally. The division also operatedvideo on demand services Fox Now, Fox Play and Fox Plus.
The domestic broadcast units of 21st Century Fox jointly operated Fox International Channels until 2016 when its units were absorbed into this division. FNG's domestic unit consisted of Fox Television Group (Fox and20th Century Fox Television), Fox Cable Networks,Fox Sports Media Group,Fox News Group,National Geographic Partners and Fox Networks Digital Consumer Group. Followingthe completed acquisition of 21st Century Fox bythe Walt Disney Company on March 20, 2019, the units making up the Fox Networks Group were dispersed into both the division's parent company's successor,Fox Corporation and Disney. Disney then revived theWalt Disney Television name previously used fortheir former television production company for their networks division at the time known asDisney–ABC Television Group to and retooled its international networks division previously known asDisney International Operations (later renamedWalt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International, thenDisney Media and Entertainment Distribution) to absorb the non-U.S. units. Walt Disney Television changed name to Disney General Entertainment Content in 2021 and then toDisney Entertainment Television in 2023. DMED was dissolved in 2023 and the units of the latter got transferred to Disney's latest division,Disney Entertainment, with the channels being subsequently rebranded as eitherFX or theStar Channel while being taken over by Disney's international regional subsidiaries. The last Fox channel rebranding wasin Spain on March 11, 2024.
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Australian-born American media magnateRupert Murdoch purchased Hong Kongcommercial broadcasting company Star TV in 1993 to launch Fox International Channels as the unit for the international expansion of the AmericanFox TV channel and subsequent multimedia businesses owned at the time by his companyNews Corporation.[1][2] Murdoch later retooled and rebranded Star TV asFox Networks Group Asia Pacific (laterDisney Networks Group Asia Pacific). In 1997, Fox International Channels purchased NHNZ, a producer of documentaries, which had a stake in Singapore-based Beach House Pictures.[3]
FIC entered the Spanish market with the launch of Fox in 2001, followed by National Geographic Channel, Fox Crime and Fox Life on.[4]
In January 2004, theFX289 channel for UK and Ireland was launched, later rebranded asFX as it moved toSky EPG in April 2005.[5] The channel was rebranded as Fox on January 11, 2013.[6]
In early 2006, FIC formed a production company called Fox Toma 1 with Argentine content producer Ernesto Sandler. FIC purchased a majority interest in Colombian television production companyTelecolombia in June 2007 and renaming itFox Telecolombia, to boost Spanish-language original shows for Latin America and the US, although Fox Telecolombia would still provide American channel Telefutura (nowUniMás) and Colombian channelCanal RCN with programming.[7] In September 2007, FIC purchased a majority share in the international operations of Israeli channelBabyTV with the founders retaining their original business.[8][9]
Argentinian lifestyle channelUtilisima, launched in 1996, was sold to Fox International Channels in 2007, who launched an American feed of the channel on May 10, 2010 (later renamedFox Life US).[10] The channel went global in 2008, with the addition of a Portuguese feed (which later rebranded as the Portuguese Fox Life channel),[11] and ended up being distributed across Latin America, Canada, Spain, New Zealand and Australia and the United States. The US version of the channel launched in May 2010. In 2013, it was rebranded as MundoFox and stopped being available internationally outside of Latin America (excluding Brazil). In July 2017, it was rebranded asNat Geo Kids. Its Brazilian feed was launched separately on October of that same year.
National Geographic Channels International attempted to launch new sister channels inin India,Nat Geo Wild,Nat Geo Adventure, Nat Geo Music and Nat Geo HD, by making them available to the market in May 2008.[12] Fox International Channels relaunched theNat Geo channels again along withFX,Fox Crime and BabyTV to add to its existing Fox History (later renamedFox Life India) and the main Nat Geo channel in June 2010.[13]
In January 2008, Fox International Channels purchased a controlling stake in Real Estate TV (RETV), a UK property-themed channel.[14] In April 2008, FIC launched Fox Next in Portugal, onMeo's Meo Mix package. Fox Next targets audiences between the ages from 25 to 44 and is programmed with films and TV shows with thematic primetime and weekday blocks.[15] On March 8, 2008, FIC and Rotana Media Services launched Fox Movies and Fox Series channels in the Middle East market in order to cater to the Arab world and audience to feature American television shows in region.[16][17] Fox then purchased a stake in Rotana in a joint venture agreed with Disney to carry its content and that ofABC for 4 years.[18] With Abu Dhabi Media Company in July 2009, FIC started National Geographic Abu Dhabi Channel.[17] In mid-2008, Fox Broadcasting and20th Century Fox Television formed Fox Inkubation, a joint initiative for new animation talent that would allow them to produce two minute shorts as pilots for new series. Fox TV had concurrently started its animation division 20th Century Fox Television Animation with Jennifer Howell, the same executive heading up both Inkubation and Fox TV Animation with Inkubation later being discontinued in 2012, as plans for a late night animation block moved forward and none of its projects got on the air with Howell exiting Fox at the end of her contract in May 2013.[19]
FIC launched theFox Life channel in 2004 and in swathes of time periods in Italy, the Balkans, Bulgaria, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latin America, Poland, Portugal, Russia and Turkey. The channel was available in its originality in Greece with Greek dub on December 1, 2008.[20]
An independent sales and marketing agency was set up in Tallinn, Estonia in June 2009. In March 2011, a Baltic regional office was set up in Tallinn with the independent marketing agency owner, Karoli Kindriks, as regional manager reporting to Ase Ytreland, Managing Director of Fox International Channels for Nordic & Baltic Region.[21]
On August 19, 2009,News Corporation announced that it would reorganize their Asia-Pacific subsidiaryStar TV in Hong Kong. Star TV was split intoStar India andStar Greater China. A few of such arrangements were that the original Star TV company would take over representation of FIC's channels in the region fromNGC Network Asia, LLC and Star itself would transform into a regional operation of Fox International Channels. Meanwhile, Star India would handle Fox-branded channels in India.[22][23][24]
In early March 2010, Fox International Channels agreed to move its Middle East and North Africa market channels' operations from Hong Kong and other locations to an Abu Dhabi facility. Its NHNZ subsidiary would also open a production office in Abu Dhabi. Fox would also establish itsMiddle East operations, a global online ad network business,.[17] In May 2010, FIC purchased a stake in Aquavision, aJohannesburg,South Africa production company, to be managed by NHNZ.[3][25]
In June 2010, FIC and Jan Dekker Holdings formed a joint venture to operate24Kitchen in the Dutch market.[26] On September 1, 2011, Fox Channels Benelux launched 24Kitchen onUPC in the Netherlands, in partnership with Jan Dekker Holdings. It was later launched on other television channel/network providers on October 1, 2011.[27]
In April 2011, FIC Nordic launchedFox Crime in Norway.[28] Finnish free-to-air TV channel, Suomi TV, was acquired by FIC on January 18, 2012.[29] and then rebranded as Fox in April 2012, expanding the channel's air time to 12 hours while adding FIC's co-produced seriesThe Walking Dead along with 20th Century Fox Television Distribution, National Geographic Channel and24Kitchen content.[28]
On July 1, 2011, Fox Movies was made available in Portugal on pay TV services and Angola and Mozambique on free-to-air TV.[30] On October 27, 2011, FIC purchased Spanish travel television channelViajar, fromPRISA.[31]
On January 23, 2012, FIC andRCN Televisión announced that they would launch a new Spanish-language terrestrial television network namedMundoFox in the United States as a joint venture.[32] The network was formally launched on August 13 that year.[33] Fox exited the joint venture in 2015,[34] and the channel was renamed as MundoMax on July 28 that year,[35][36] before it ceased operations on November 30, 2016.[37][38]
In May 2012, Fox International Channels Latin America announced that it would acquireMGM's share inLAPTV,[39] which operated The Film Zone, Cinecanal andMoviecity. In October 2013, FIC purchasedParamount's shares in LAPTV to become the sole owner.[40] LAPTV's businesses were later folded into FIC Latin America and Moviecity was relaunched as Fox+ in November 2014.
Former Fox Networks Group president David Haslingden's Racat Group purchased New Zealand-based documentaries production company NHNZ and its sister company, Singapore-based Beach House Pictures, in October 2012 from Fox.[41][42] Portugal-based Fluid Youth Culture purchased Fuel TV by January 2013.[43] On July 1, 2013, Fox Crime was replaced by Fox Network in Norway. FIC also renamed its premium Dutch network Eredivisie Live to Fox Sports Eredivisie, with its channels renamed as Fox Sports 1 to 3.[44] In the third quarter of 2013, FIC's French-language channels, including National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild and the travel-based Voyage, were expanded to Africa via RRsat's Global Network and Measat's Africasat-1a.[45]
On November 6, 2013, Fox International Channels acquired the 3Setanta Sports African channels; Zuku Sports (East Africa), Setanta Africa (English and French) and Setanta Action[46] relaunched the latter two as Fox Sports and Fox Sports 2, respectively in August 2014 in time forthe 2014–15 football league season.[47]
In 2014, FIC took over the distribution of Star World, Star Movies,National Geographic-branded channels, Fox-branded channels,Channel V International,Baby TV andSky News in the Middle East region from Star Select after its closure in the region.[48]
Fox Television Group, encompassing of the Fox Broadcasting Company and20th Century Fox Television, was formed in July 2014 and placed under Fox Networks Group.[49] In June 2014, Fox Networks Group andGail Berman formed The Jackal Group to provide programming for its various channels.[50]
In July 2014, Fox Networks Group andDNA Films formed DNA TV Limited. Fox Networks Group would have global-first rights with co-financing options to the joint venture's shows. DNA TV would be managed by DNA Films management with Eric Schrier, president of original programming for FX Networks and FX Productions, handling Fox's interest.[51]
In October 2014, Fox Crime Spain was replaced with FoxLife, with the latter's series programming moving primarily to Fox.[4] FIC merged its Turkey pay-TV and free-to-air operations, were merged in late 2014.[52] In the third quarter of 2014, a Fox-branded channel was launched in Sweden viaCom Hem.[53]
On November 27, 2014, FIC acquired Jan Dekker Holdings' stake of the 24Kitchen joint venture. FIC also closed the venture's production facility.[26]
On December 9, 2013, A&E Networks established an Italian branch and took full ownership of the ItalianHistory channel from FIC Italy.[54] In early 2014, the versions of Nat Geo Adventure in Asia and Pacific were relaunched asNat Geo People.[55] On October 1, 2015, Fox International Channels UK launchedYourTV, which would target female viewers, onFreeview andYouView, with the channel later being shut down on September 27, 2019.[56][57]
In 2015, 21st Century Fox and theNational Geographic Society formed a new joint venture namedNational Geographic Partners that would oversee the Society's commercial ventures.[58] This included the U.S. domestic and international versions of National Geographic-branded TV channels, but Fox Networks Group would continue to handle advertisement sales and distribution of these channels.
In January 2016, 21st Century Fox announced a major reorganization of its non-U.S. television businesses. Fox International Channels (FIC), which have been operating separately from 21CF's U.S. domestic television businesses, would be abolished and the head of its regional divisions would report to CEOPeter Rice and COORandy Freer at Fox Networks Group in the United States, instead of outgoing FIC CEOHernan Lopez, thus absorbing the international television businesses into Fox Networks Group. With that absorption, FIC's regional divisions being renamed Fox Networks Group Europe, Fox Networks Group Latin America and Fox Networks Group Asia, effectively abolishing Fox International Channels as a separate unit from 21st Century Fox's television business in the United States.[59][60][61] All three international divisions of Fox Networks Group were collectively referred as Fox Networks Group International in 21CF's formal documents (including the group's annual reports).[62]: 7
On December 5, 2017, 21st Century Fox appointedStar India chairman and CEOUday Shankar as president for the Asia-Pacific region of Fox Networks Group. The new role would oversee Fox's television and online video platform business across the region, and the president of Fox Networks Group Asia would report directly to Shankar (instead of the equivalent at FNG U.S.). This did not affect 20th Century Fox's filming business in the region, whose heads would continue to reported to the Charman and CEO of the film company.[63][64][65][66][67][68][69]
On December 14, 2017,The Walt Disney Company formally announced its intention toacquire most of 21st Century Fox assets.[70] Businesses to be bought by Disney included FX Networks, a share inNational Geographic Partners and international operations of Fox Networks Group. The Murdoch family would retain the ownership ofFox Broadcasting Company,Fox Television Stations,the American Fox Sports units,Fox News Channel andFox Business Network, through a new company, eventually namedFox Corporation. Disney also acquired the regionalFox Sports Networks, but theU.S. Department of Justice ordered that those assets be sold within 90 days of closing of the deal due to Disney's majority ownership ofESPN.[71]
On April 10, 2018,European Commission officials conducted an unannounced search of Fox Networks Group'sWest London offices, as part of an antitrust inquiry surrounding broadcast rights to sporting events.[72][73]
On March 19, 2019, Fox Corporation was officially spun off from 21st Century Fox and began trading on theNasdaq.[74] The next day, March 20, The Walt Disney Company completed the acquisition of 21st Century Fox.[75] This rendered Fox Networks Group as a standalone unit abolished. Disney then retooled its local television networks unit at the time. Disney, FX Networks and U.S. operations of National Geographic television channels were placed underWalt Disney Television, 20th Century Fox Television and Fox 21 Television Studios became a part ofDisney Television Studios,[76] and Fox Networks Group CEOPeter Rice was appointed as the Chairman of Walt Disney Television.[76] The international businesses of Fox Networks Group would be integrated with Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International (later renamedDisney Media and Entertainment Distribution).[75]
On January 17, 2020, Disney dropped the "Fox" name from the20th Century Studios andSearchlight Pictures film units, though no mention was made about the changes to Fox Networks Group or other Disney-owned Fox-branded units.[77] In the following years, Disney begun closing various channels from the Fox Networks Group due to dwindling ratings and to refocus its resources forDisney+ with the remaining active international Fox channels being rebranded asStar Channel (based upon theStar hub available on Disney+) or asFX Channels (with the exception of Japan and Turkey where the channels were respectively renamed as a revival ofDlife andNow respectively), effectively closing Fox Networks Group.[78][79][80]
Transferred to Disney General Entertainment Content
A partnership withNational Geographic Society in which Fox owned 73%[81][58]
Transferred to Disney General Entertainment Content
Transferred toFox Corporation
Transferred toFox Corporation
| Country Subsidiary | Fox | Fox Crime | Fox Comedy | Fox Life | Fox Sports | Fox Movies | National Geographic | Nat Geo Wild | Nat Geo People | BabyTV | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Networks Group (UK) Limited[86] |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
| Fox Networks Group Italy SARL | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Fox Networks Group Bulgaria EOOD[89] | | | | | | | | | | | 24Kitchen |
| Fox Networks Group Serbia |
|
| |
| |
|
|
| | | 24Kitchen |
| Fox Networks Group Hungary | | | | | | | | | Romania | | |
| Fox Networks Group France SA | | | | | | | | | | | Voyage |
| Fox Networks Group Greece | | | | | | | | | | | FX |
| Fox Networks Group Russia |
| | |
| | |
|
| | | |
| Fox Networks Group Polska Sp. z o.o. | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Fox Networks Group (Finland) Oy | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Fox Networks Group Scandinavia |
| | | | | | | | | | Xee |
| Fox Networks Group España, S.L.U. | | | | | | | | | | | [90] |
| Fox Networks Group Portugal SA | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Fox Networks Group Turkey | [91] | | | | | | | | | | |
| Fox Networks Group Germany GMBH | | | | | | | | | | | [94] |
| Fox Networks Group Benelux BV | | | | | | | | | | | 24Kitchen |
| Fox Networks Group Africa | | | | | | | | | | |
|
| Fox Networks Group Middle East FZ LLC | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Fox Networks Group Latin America | | | | | | | | | | |
|
| Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Fox Networks Group Japan | | | | | | | | | | |
Fox Networks Digital Consumer Group (FNDCG) was a division of21st Century Fox.[95] Following the Disney-21CF transaction,FX Now andNat Geo TV transferred to the second incarnation of Walt Disney Television (nowDisney General Entertainment Content) whileFox Now was transferred toFox Corporation and Fox Sports Go (nowFanDuel Sports Network app) was sold toDiamond Sports Group, a joint venture betweenSinclair Broadcast Group andAllen Media Group.[96][76]
| Unit | Transferred to |
|---|---|
| FXNOW | Disney General Entertainment Content |
| Nat Geo TV | |
| Fox Now | Fox Corporation |
| Fox Sports Go (nowFanDuel Sports Network app) | Sold toDiamond Sports Group, a joint venture betweenSinclair Broadcast Group andAllen Media Group |
Fox Networks Group Content Distribution was a global distributor of high-quality scripted and unscripted programming and formats. It was a division of Fox Networks Group.
Fox Networks Engineering & Operations (Fox NE&O) was the technical operations arm of the Fox Networks Group. It managed the network operations infrastructure and origination of the FNG outlets, including facilities such as the Fox Network Centers on the Fox Studio Lot in Los Angeles,the Woodlands, and Charlotte. A unit of Fox Digital Enterprises, Inc. (now TFCF Digital Enterprises, Inc. under Disney),[97][98] the division originally started out as MetroTape West underMetromedia, but became Fox Tape as Fox took over theMetromedia Square lot,[99][100] then became Fox Digital as Fox moved operations to the digital Fox Network Center on theCentury City lot of20th Century Fox.[101][102] On April 20, 2004, FNG announced the launch of Fox Networks Engineering & Operations.[103]In addition to providingmaster control resources, Fox NE&O also worked withFox Sports on technologies implemented in their productions, such as the Ventuz-basedFoxBox[104] andbroadcast studios.[105][106]
Fox Global Networks was a division of Fox Networks Group that was responsible for the distribution and marketing of Fox Networks Group USA.
Fox Media was a division of Fox Networks Group that enables innovative ad sales partnerships, including native advertising and branded content, across multiple platforms.
Fox Hispanic Media was the advertisement sales arm of Fox's portfolio of Spanish-language brands.
Eric Schrier, president of Original Programming for FX Networks and FX Productions, will manage Fox Networks Group's participation.
This will serve to confirm the agreement (agreement) originally reached in June 1996 between NABET Local 53 (Union) and the Employer (then Fox Digital Enterprises, Inc.) (Company) concerning Fox Sports Media Group's (then Fox Cable Networks, LLC, herein "Fox Sports") willingness to utilize the facilities of the Company(then Fox Tape), including the services of NABET Engineers employed by the Company, in exchange for the Union's agreement to make the modifications listed below to its collective bargaining agreement (Agreement) covering the Company's employees.
[Fox Sports North] has been planning and designing the updated facilities since June 2011, working in partnership with the Fox Network's engineering and operations group.
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