Twenty-First Century Fox 2014 Annual Report Download - page 5

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On the entertainment side,
FX launched several new critically
acclaimed shows that resonated
with audiences and enhanced what
has become one of television’s
most well-defined and sought-after
channels. In 2014, the channel had
its best year ever from a ratings
perspective, while also amassing
a record 45 Emmy nominations.
Newer hits such as FARGO,
TYRANT and THE AMERICANS
complemented FX’s roster of long-
running series such as SONS OF
ANARCHY, AMERICAN HORROR
STORY, JUSTIFIED and LOUIE. On
the strength of the FX brand, we
launched FXX, an example of our
ability to leverage the Company’s
powerful brands to create new
programming experiences that
connect with audiences. We are
pleased with the progress of FXX,
which, following its transition
from Fox Soccer Channel, grew
its distribution by over 20 million
households and its primetime
viewership more than five-fold
from a year ago. FXX’s acquisition
of cable syndication rights for THE
SIMPSONS has already made a
major impact with audiences, who
watched the show’s recent 12-day
marathon in record numbers.
Our domestic cable sports
oerings also had a banner year,
supported by the solid foundation
of our regional sports businesses,
and strengthened further by our
decision to increase our ownership
stake in the YES Network to 80%.
As we continue to grow our sports
oering in local markets, in which we
broadcast thousands of live events
each year, the outlook for our RSN
business is strong.
Fox Sports 1 recently celebrated
its first anniversary as our primary
national sports channel, and, while
it is still in the early days of its
development, we are pleased with
its progress to date, especially
given the fact that only a select
number of our rights agreements are
currently leveraged on air. With the
Major League Baseball Playos, U.S.
Open Golf Championships and FIFA
Women’s World Cup all premiering
on FS1 over the next 12 months, we
look forward to even greater success
from the channel.
In news, Fox News continued to
dominate, celebrating its twelfth
consecutive year as America’s most-
watched cable news network. In
fact, Fox News’ primetime audience
is consistently larger than its three
main competitors combined.
Alongside its established time-slot
leaders THE O’REILLY FACTOR,
SPECIAL REPORT and FOX &
FRIENDS, the network continues to
develop and grow new successes
such as THE KELLY FILE and THE
FIVE. Fox Business Network also
continues to make great strides,
adding new shows and important
talent, such as Maria Bartiromo,
whose show OPENING BELL
launched earlier this year.
At Fox Broadcasting Company,
the past year represented an
important step forward in our eorts
to strengthen the FOX network,
highlighted by our switch to a year-
round development cycle. This new
strategy aligns the network more
closely with the creative community
throughout the year and no longer
> The Cable Network Programming segment surpassed
$12 billion in revenue for the first time in our history.
> We achieved record viewership throughout the
regular season and playos, and, most notably, with
Super Bowl XLVIII, which was the most watched
program in the history of television.
> In India, our operations are stronger than ever, and,
with a weekly reach of more than 650 million viewers,
Star India remains that nation’s largest and most
influential entertainment company.
limits us to launching new shows
within a crowded and restricted
timeframe. We have also upped
our investments in programming,
including in a number of highly-
anticipated new series, among them
GOTHAM, EMPIRE and GRACEPOINT.
In addition, at the close of the fiscal
year, we announced the united
Fox Television Group, with Gary
Newman and Dana Walden
adding oversight of the network
to their continuing roles leading
20th Century Fox Television . We
could not be more excited about
this new strategic alignment
that we expect will benefit both
businesses.
Sports continues to be a
cornerstone of our U.S. broadcast
business, and this past year marked
the 20th season of the NFL on FOX,
a milestone that not only reflects
our long-term partnership with the
league, but also the growth of
our collective businesses. We
achieved record viewership
throughout the regular season
and playos, and, most notably,
with Super Bowl XLVIII, which was
the most watched program in the
history of television.
Over the past 12 months, our
film and television studios have
continued to push boundaries.