TCA Day One: All About "New Fox"

amp8220Itamp8217s good to see all of youamp8221 Newman said greeting the group as the image appeared on screenamp160 amp8220I hope you had a great holiday and enjoyed your vacations amp160As you can see Dana and I certainly didamp8221The Grand Ballroom at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena amp8211 our home for the next two weeks amp8211 exploded with laughteramp160 amp8220We wanted to acknowledge the elephant in the room or in our case the mouseamp8221 Newman added to further laughter and applauseAnd just like that the air was cleared for a session largely devoted to the recently announced sale of many assets of Fox to The Walt Disney CompanyNewman pictured at top with Walden wasted no time explaining exactly what the sale amp8211 which he said will not be finalized for another 1218 months amp8211 will mean for the Fox Television Groupamp160 amp8220On the day the deal closes the TV studio will become part of Disneyamp8221 he saidamp160 amp8220On that same day Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Sports Fox News and the Fox ownedandoperated stations will be spun off into what we are calling amp8216New Foxamp8217 amp160This will be a very robust and nimble company which will continue the tradition of disruption that has always been core to the Fox brand amp160We are in the most exciting and dynamic time in the history of the TV business and amp8216New Foxamp8217 has an extraordinary opportunity to chart a new course for the futureamp8221Along those lines Newman reminded the press that Current Fox has jumped out way ahead of the other broadcast networks during this first week of the new year by premiering three new shows the comedy LA to Vegas the drama 911 and the reality competition series The Four Battle for Stardom along with the 11th season of The XFilesDana Walden acknowledged that there has been quota little bit of confusionamp8221 over plans for amp8220New Foxamp8221amp160 amp8220When News Corp Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch initially was talking about amp8216New Foxamp8217 he was talking about it as a whole entity Fox Sports the OampampOs Fox News and the broadcast networkquot she saidamp160 quotThe three companies that I mentioned first are largely live platforms amp160So 80 percent of the programming in all of 39New Fox39 will be live and sports and then the network will continue to do entertainment programmingamp8220Rupert sees this as an enormous opportunity for the broadcast networkamp8221 she continued noting that independent program suppliers like Warner Bros Sony Lionsgate and MGM have been outsiders at Foxamp160 amp8220They never have a leg up in terms of getting onto a broadcast network and in Rupertamp8217s view this is a great opportunity for a lot of companies that have tremendous rosters to be advantaged at a networkamp8220If you look at those four companies that I mentioned earlier that will become part of amp8216New Foxamp8217 itamp8217s an extremely lucrative domestically focused businessamp8221 Walden added amp160amp8220The real estate on the broadcast network is very valuable amp160Iamp8217m sure that anyone who wants to be in business with amp8216New Foxamp8217 will also have to contemplate some sort of ownership split with the network in order to gain entree onto their schedule amp160If you look at the company as a whole it will be very lucrativeamp8221Later in the day when Ryan Murphy was here to talk about his new drama series 911 he was asked about the sale to Disney of the studio he has long called his homeamp160 Murphy is pictured above second from right with 911 stars Connie Britton Peter Krause and Angela Bassett and executive producer Brad Falchukamp8220Itamp8217s a very emotional thing for me and Iamp8217ll tell you whyamp8221 he saidamp160 amp8220I started with Fox in 2003amp160 I was somebody who was told I was not employableamp160 I did NipTuck at Fox studiosamp160 It was my first show that worked and I was given an opportunityamp160 From that I was allowed to create a career and I created with Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear and with other collaborators things that I really loved like Glee and American Horror Story and American Crime Story and Feud and now 911 and I was allowed to do The Normal Heart amp160I haveamp160been surrounded since 2003 at Fox with an incredible group of executives who have always allowed me to sort of follow my interest and passionsamp160 Iamp8217ve grown up there amp160I started working there in my thirties amp160I was very not prepared for what happenedamp8220When this deal first went down I got a call from the Murdochs and I got a call from Mr Iger and I said point blank the stuff that I do is not specifically Disney and Iamp8217m interested in that and Iamp8217m concerned about thatamp8221 he continuedamp160 amp8220Am I going to have to put Mickey Mouse in American Horror Storyamp8221When the laughter at that Mickey Mouse reference died down Murphy said of The Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Iger amp8220He was very sweet and transparent and kind amp160He said the reason that Disney was interested in buying Fox is because they believed in the assets and they believed in the executives and the creators amp160I think that Mr Iger has done a tremendous job taking over communities and keeping those communities intact and families intact like Pixar like Marvel amp160So Iamp8217m sort of interested to see what that company is going to look like before I make any decisions about where Iamp8217m going to goamp160 But it is an interesting thing to feel that suddenly your family could change or be separated and I think that Iamp8217ve just decided to wait and sit back and talk to my friends who are my bosses and see whatamp8217s happening with them and then make a decision once we sort of know whatamp8217s happeningamp8220Itamp8217s not just me at this pointamp8221 he addedamp160 amp8220Iamp8217ve created a group that is really trying to move the bar forward in terms of hiring women hiring minorities getting equal pay for women and I want to continue that wherever I go amp160I want to make sure that that community is taken care ofamp8221Seth MacFarlane another of Foxamp8217s megaproducers came by later with the cast of his longrunning animated series Family Guy for a table read of the upcoming 300th episodeamp160 He also had something to say about the Disney dealamp8220I was remarkably unfazedamp8221 he saidamp160 amp8220This kind of stuff happens often nowamp160 By buying 20th Century Fox Disney bought all of its franchises as wellamp160 I think thatamp8217s where the value is so I donamp8217t really expect anything to change all that muchamp160 If I had to guess I would say they would maybe treat it like a Touchstone in the amp821780s and let 20th be its thing and be its own brandamp160 I donamp8217t think a whole lot is going to changeamp8221MacFarlane noted that as with Murphy Iger reached out to him tooamp160 He called it amp8220a very good phone callamp8221Click on the social 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TCA Day One: All About "New Fox"

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Ed Martin

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TCA Day One: All About "New Fox"

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