Twenty-First Century Fox 2004 Annual Report Download - page 24

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22
Viewers and Critics Choose Fox Sports
Fox Sports Net received five Sports Emmy Award nominations,
three for the critically acclaimed two-hour special
Beyond the Glory:
Mike Tyson.
The networks also enjoyed a 9 percent increase in
local ratings for National Basketball Association games.
To enhance the viewing experience for its 80 million-plus
subscribers, Fox Sports Net began producing local events in
high-definition, making the group the largest supplier of local
high-definition programming in the U.S.
In May 2004, Fox Sports Net announced a trio of dedicated
college sports networks – Fox College Sports – which will debut
with the start of the college football season in the U.S.
More Viewers Feel The Need For SPEED
Ratings at SPEED Channel increased more than 23 percent since
February 2004 when SPEED unveiled an expanded original
program line-up including auto enthusiast series
Chop, Cut,
Rebuild; Sportscar Revolution
and
Autorotica.
SPEED increased
its distribution to reach 62 million homes during the year.
FUEL For Fans
FUEL, an extreme sports network launched in July 2003,
significantly expanded its U.S. subscribers in its first year.
The channel expanded internationally with a March 2004 launch
on News Corporation’s 25 percent-owned FOXTEL in Australia,
and planned launch in the UK and Europe.
National Geographic Channel
Since January 2004, primetime audiences at Fox Entertainment
Group’s 67 percent-owned National Geographic Channel have
climbed every month, culminating in the network’s highest-rated
program ever –
Return to Titanic
– in June 2004.
In December 2003, the Channel entered into a new distribution
agreement with a major cable system, giving it contracts with each
of the top 10 cable distributors serving the U.S. By the end of
fiscal 2004, National Geographic reached 50 million homes.
Cable Network Programming Briefs
Cable Network Programming
NEWS CORPORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2004
FX generated the highest
primetime ratings in its 10-
year history during fiscal
2004, posting a 14 percent gain
in total viewers and a 15 per-
cent increase among the tar-
get audience of adults 18 to 49.
FX’s ratings success was
largely fueled by the perform-
ance of its original series. FX
has set a new standard for
quality original series in
advertiser-supported cable
television. In July 2003, the
network launched its second
original drama series,
Nip/Tuck, which was basic
cable’s number-one ranked
new original series. Of all
original series on cable in cal-
endar 2003, Nip/Tuck’s ratings
among adults 18 to 49 were
equaled only by FX’s Emmy
and Golden Globe Award-win-
ning drama series, The Shield.
Nip/Tuck was the only new
series on television to earn a
Golden Globe nomination for
Best Drama Series last year,
making FX the only basic
cable network to have received
best series Golden Globe
nominations for two differ-
ent shows. Nip/Tuck’s Joely
Richardson also became the
first actress from a basic cable
series to earn a Golden Globe
nomination for Best Actress.
Special FX Has Banner Year
FX’s strong primetime
movie schedule also boosted
the network with better
titles, as did the success
of its weekly DVD on TV
format, an enhancement
that has helped generate
added value for its acquired
films.
Soon after the end of fiscal
2004, FX launched a new
original series, Rescue Me,
starring Denis Leary. The
premiere of Rescue Me was
seen by almost 4.1 million
viewers and was the second
highest rated series premiere
in the network’s history.