Fox TV Group chiefs named

21st Century Fox veterans Gary Newman and Dana Walden have been named joint leaders of a new division uniting 20th Century Fox Television (TCFTV) and Fox Broadcasting Company (FBC).

Both will hold the title of chairman and CEO of Fox Television Group and will be responsible for programming, digital and marketing at the Fox network while continuing to oversee 20th Century Fox Television (Fox 21, Fox Television Studios), which they have led for the past 15 years.

The pair, who will take up the new positions this month, were named presidents of 20th Century Fox Television in December 1999, and were later elevated to chairmen and then chairmen and CEOs. They will now report to Peter Rice, chairman of Fox Networks Group.

The move follows Kevin Reilly’s departure as chairman of entertainment at FBC last month after seven years with the network.

Walden had been one of those tipped to replace Reilly, along with FBC chief operating officer Joe Earley and FX Networks CEO John Landgraf, before it became clear that a restructure would take place.

While both companies will be housed within Fox Television Group, FBC and TCFTV will continue to operate as independent entities with shared financial and creative goals.

Fox Television Group will operate as a division of Fox Networks Group, which also oversees 21st Century Fox’s domestic entertainment, sports and non-fiction channels, as well as Fox International Channels’ collection of more than 300 channels worldwide.

Chase Carey, president and chief operating officer of 21st Century Fox, said: “While TCFTV and FBC will each continue as an open supplier and an open network, respectively, the closer alignment of these two properties, coupled with a unified vision from Dana and Gary, gives us a clear advantage in creating even more hit content that will benefit both businesses.”