Description
FX Networks, LLC, is a company consisting of a network of cable channels plus a production company and a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment business division of The Walt Disney Company. Originally a part of 21st Century Fox, the company was acquired by The Walt Disney Company on March 20, 2019. Consequently, FX Networks was integrated into the newly renamed Walt Disney Television unit.
History
Fox Broadcasting started up its fX unit by November 1993 under president Anne Sweeney Chuck Saftler was hired in November 1993. Coming from KTLA TV station, Mark Sonnenberg was recruited as first head of programming. On June 1, 1994, the fX cable channel premiered. Early the next month, Fox Broadcasting chair Lucie Salhany and fX was then transferred in a reorganization soon thereafter under Fox Television chair and CEO Chase Carey.
In mid-July 1994, a movie sister channel was announced under the working name of The Fox Movie Studio, also under Sweeney under the title of president of fX and Fox Movie Studio, to start airing in the fall. FX Networks launched the Fox Movie Studio on October 31, 1994, as fXM: Movies from Fox. fXM: Movies from Fox on March 1, 2000, was renamed Fox Movie Channel. Sweeney left for Disney in February 1996. She was replaced by Sonnenberg, who remained until 1998. Peter Liguori was appointed to replace him.
The FX289 channel for UK and Ireland launched in January 2004 then rebranded as FX as it moved in the Sky EPG in April 2005. The channel was rebranded as Fox on 11 January 2013.
John Landgraf joined as president of entertainment in 2004 then promoted in 2005 to president and general manager of FX Networks. In that span, FX's original series increased to two to 11, which was a factor in starting an in-house production company.
In August 2007, FX Productions was formed to take stakes in FX programming. FX acquired a number of non-Fox films for the channels. Landgraf was elevated to CEO of FX Networks and FX Productions in June 2013 while taking charge of FXNow digital video-on-demand platform. On March 28, 2013, FX president John Landgraf announced their upcoming launch of a new channel, FXX. Landgraf described the channel as "slightly more comedy focused" and aimed at younger audiences 18-34 compared with FX's programming and viewers aged 25–54, respectively. The channel was launched alongside the new tagline, "Fearless", that was implemented during 2013 across the channels of FX Networks. These announcements were part of FX Networks' plans to further distinguish itself from the "sameness" of free-to-air television and its "endless imitators" on subscription TV. Also that month, Fox Movie Channel changed its name back to FXM.
In June 2017, the 101-year-old actress Olivia de Havilland filed a lawsuit against FX Networks and producer Ryan Murphy for inaccurately portraying her and using her likeness without permission. On March 26, 2018, a California appeals court threw out the lawsuit on First Amendment grounds.
Expanding from the FX-BBC co-production of Taboo, in October 2018 FX agreed to give the BBC UK rights to all future and select current FX original scripted shows.
On December 14, 2017, The Walt Disney Company announced that it would acquire 21st Century Fox, including FX Networks, LLC. The acquisition was completed on March 20, 2019. In a September 2018 interview with Variety of the Disney-Fox deal, Landgraf said, "I think this is a necessary step. I have curiosity and a bit of anxiety about how it will work, but I'm really excited about it.
In 2017, Comcast launched FX+; the service was shut down on August 20, 2019, with four shows shifting premieres to Hulu. FX programming was moved to Hulu as "FX on Hulu" on March 2, 2020, with a limited number of shows.
