We don?t know if Fox TV Group CEO Dana Walden will be staying with Fox after its merger with Disney closes, but she didn?t act like she had one foot out the door, spending a lot of time during Fox?s executive session at TCA touting ?New Fox.?
Noting that Fox will be ?the only network to operate with complete independence,? Walden said she wants the post-merger Fox to become the place that brings back independent studios. ?We see this as great opportunity to get vibrant independent studios back on broadcast. Indies have gotten squeezed.?
Walden noted that five years ago, 16 new series on major networks came from independent studios, but that number fell to six this year.
?They?ll have more opportunity because the independents will be on a completely even playing field,? she said, specifically calling out Sony Picture TV, MGM, Lionsgate and Warner Bros. ?We want to be their first choice among the Big 4 networks.? She noted that three of the past season?s top-rated series on broadcast ? ?Roseanne,? ?The Big Bang Theory? and ?This Is Us? all came from studios not affiliated with their networks.
?New Fox will be an aggressive buyer from all studios and top creators,? she said, adding that 90 percent of their development slate this past season came from their own studio, but that number will be reduced to 50 percent this year. Every new series they order, Fox will have a 50 percent ownership stake.
?Our long-term goal is a well rounded schedule with projects coming from anywhere,? said Walden.
02-08-2018 - Vidéo