The Business of Television : Fox

TV Twittering: A Subtle Art

News — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:37:00 GMT

When Fox’s “Prison Break” ran its series finale last month, fans of the show were left wondering if the lead character was really dead. Their response was to go online and post a whole lot of “WTF?s” in chat rooms, fan sites and Twitter, using the Internet...(read more)

USA’s Sloane Takes Drama Reins at Fox

News — Tue, 26 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

USA Network development executive Lindsay Sloane is joining Fox Broadcasting, signing on to run drama development with Terence Carter. Ms. Sloane and Mr. Carter have been named co-heads of drama and will be charged with finding new one-hour projects for...(read more)

Fox Wins 5th Straight Season in Key 18-49 Demo

News — Tue, 26 May 2009 03:40:00 GMT

Fox and CBS did it again. For the 2008-09 TV season, Fox has officially claimed its fifth consecutive ratings win among adults 18-49, while CBS wrapped up the season as the most-watched broadcast network for the sixth time in the last seven years. It...(read more)

Broadcast Networks Holding Firm on Upfront Ad Pricing

News — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:36:24 GMT

With the television industry slogging through the worst economy in decades, the broadcast networks put their best foot forward at the upfront, then braced for long negotiations with media buyers and advertisers. “I’m surprised by how normal everything...(read more)

Ratings: It's Official - Fox Wins 18-49 Demo

News — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:40:59 GMT

Fox has officially claimed its fifth consecutive win among adults 18-49 for the 2008-09 TV season, while CBS wrapped up the season as the most-watched broadcast network for the sixth time out of the last seven years. With “America Idol” to bolster the...(read more)

‘American Idol’ Finale Hits Ratings Low

News — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:53:29 GMT

“American Idol” wrapped up its eighth season Wednesday night with its lowest-rated finale ever. Last night’s two-hour results show averaged a 10.0 rating among adults 18-49 from 8-10:07 p.m., according to time-zone-adjusted Fast National numbers from...(read more)

‘American Idol’ Ratings: Lowest Performance Finale Ever

News — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:39:43 GMT

Tuesday night’s “American Idol” was the series’ lowest-rated final performance night ever. Last night’s episode drew an 8.3 rating/24 share among adults 18-49, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research figures. About 23.1 million viewers tuned in...(read more)

Twentieth Clears ‘Unit’ in 56% of U.S. for Fall 2010

News — Tue, 19 May 2009 23:03:54 GMT

Twentieth Television’s “The Unit,” formerly on CBS, is hitting broadcast syndication in fall 2010 and is currently cleared in 56% of the country, the distribution company announced today. “Unit” is cleared in the top 15 markets of the country, sold to...(read more)

Fox Upfront Kicks Off TV-Ad Ritual; Remote Free TV Re-Imagined

News — Tue, 19 May 2009 02:45:58 GMT

With Fox preaching stability in its lineup, its upfront presentation was reminiscent of last year’s. The main thing upsetting the sense of déjà vu was that this year’s presentation at New York’s City Center and party afterwards at Central Park’s Wollman...(read more)

Fox Puts 'Fringe' on Thursday, Moves 'Dance' to Fall

News — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:13:09 GMT

Fox is boldly sending J.J. Abrams’ “Fringe” to Thursday nights and shifting “So You Think You Can Dance” into the fall as part of an aggressive fall schedule designed to make the network more competitive in the fourth quarter. “Fringe” will shift from...(read more)

'24's' 7th Season Hits Creative High

News — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:45:00 GMT

Fox’s “24,” which is scheduled to air its two-hour season finale tonight, has returned from a yearlong hiatus with what is arguably its best season yet from a creative point of view. An Emmy winner for best drama series three years ago, the show lost...(read more)

Fox Focuses on Stability in Upfront

News — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:28:44 GMT

TV’s No. 1 network is likely to kick off upfront week by announcing a new schedule marked by stability—and maybe a surprise or two. Fox, which is finishing its fifth season as the top-rated network among adults 18-49, is taking over NBC’s traditional...(read more)

Upfront Digital Ad Sales Primed to Rise

News — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:25:00 GMT

With the majority of the networks’ upfront presentations still a few weeks away, it’s difficult to predict when advertisers will start spending on television and online buys. But digital executives at most of the broadcast networks are optimistic that...(read more)

CBS Gains in Sweeps Period; Fox Remains on Top

News — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:05:00 GMT

For the first two weeks of the May sweeps, CBS is the only broadcast television network posting year-over-year gains among total viewers. The network is also the only one to avoid any losses among adults 18-49, the demographic still led by Fox. Among...(read more)

Supreme Court Upholds FCC Policy on ‘Fleeting Expletives,’ Returns 1st Amendment Issue to Lower Court

News — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:41:03 GMT

Swearing on television remains potentially punishable by FCC fines following a Supreme Court ruling that upheld the power of federal regulation over “fleeting expletives” in live broadcasts. In a 5-4 vote written by Justice Antonin Scalia, the court upheld...(read more)