A couple days after FX Networks’ day at the winter 2019 Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour in Pasadena, California, FOX Entertainment took the stage last week. Charlie Collier, CEO of FOX Entertainment, kicked things off with an executive session. During this time, he discussed the exciting prospects for FOX Entertainment and answered some questions from TV critics in attendance.
FOX’s legacy and future
The theme for FOX’s day at the TCA press tour was “Let’s Go Crazy,” which falls in line with the network’s bold past – from its launch as a fourth broadcast network, to its $1.6 billion investment in NFL rights in 1993, to greenlighting quirky singing competition (and now runaway hit and the No. 1 new show in the U.S.) “The Masked Singer.”
“But I’ll tell you, from my experience, that the most rewarding and successful creative and business bets have one thing in common and that’s that, at some point along the way…everything sounds crazy,” Charlie said. “And I’m here today because I believe that this next era at FOX will add yet another risk welcoming, bold bet-taking, successful chapter to FOX’s 30-plus-year legacy of exploration and investment and innovation.”
Among other things, this next chapter will give FOX flexibility and freedom it hasn’t enjoyed before. Sitting alongside Fox Corporation’s sports and news businesses, FOX Entertainment will be “a startup company, albeit a startup company with, roughly, $26 billion in valuation” in addition to the NFL and hit shows like “Empire,” “9-1-1” and “Last Man Standing,” Charlie said.
“We value creating the right environment and the right culture and the right creative relationships with which to succeed, well-funded and strategic enough to act fast, small enough to remain scrappy, and nimble enough to fit in the corners that others can’t or just simply won’t,” he added later in his opening remarks. “And the broadcast network is just one part of FOX Entertainment. There will be expansion and acquisitions, and I can assure you that the Murdochs and this management team are as curious and strategic as they’ve ever been.”
Sidecar
During his remarks, Charlie announced the launch of Sidecar, a content development accelerator headed by veteran executive and producer Gail Berman. Sidecar, which will be 100 percent owned by FOX, will run alongside the network and focus on identifying and incubating programming for FOX first and for third-party platforms second.
The new accelerator will “offer creators another access point to FOX Entertainment” and give FOX capacity and capabilities without some of the overhead it previously had, Charlie said.
Programming notes
While Charlie didn’t go into detail about FOX’s recent programming announcements, he did mention FOX’s renewal of “The Simpsons” for two additional seasons (31 and 32), the only pickup the company announced on its TCA press tour day; and mentioned the series orders for “Duncanville” and “Bless the Harts,” the newest additions to FOX’s animation slate that will premiere next season.
However, he touched on a few other programming-related points:
- WWE “SmackDown Live,” which is scheduled to debut for FOX in October, will air on Friday nights, which means “Last Man Standing” will be moved to another night of the week
- While FOX Sports, FS1 and other FOX networks will have “ties to the WWE world,” “SmackDown” will be FOX’s only WWE content
- Charlie reiterated FOX’s ability to use live and near-live experiences as “promotional platforms” to send audiences off to great storytelling
- When asked about the future of live-action sitcoms for FOX, Charlie said “we’re going to play in every genre, and we’re going to look to do it really well, and use these promotional platforms to benefit them”
- FOX had nothing to announce regarding “24” or “Scream Queens”
After the executive session, FOX hosted panel discussions for “Bless the Harts,” “Gotham” and “The Masked Singer,” as well as a panel titled “Voices of Drama.
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