Programming Profile

Fox Entertainment Global’s Fernando Szew outlines the new division’s international content strategy and offers a peek at some of its new titles for Mipcom via C21’s Digital Screenings.

Fox Entertainment is looking to re-enter the global television market with a bang this fall, following the recent launch of its international distribution and global content partnerships division, Fox Entertainment Global.

The new LA-based unit, unveiled last month, will oversee international sales and distribution of IP produced under Fox Entertainment Studios, MarVista Entertainment and Bento Box Entertainment.

Content produced through its in-house unscripted studio, Fox Alternative Entertainment (FAE), will continue to be sold through a partnership with Propagate Content, although Fox Entertainment Global will work closely alongside Propagate to distribute that content.

Fox said the fledgling division represents its “formal re-entry” into the international TV market, with the dual goal of monetising its growing portfolio of wholly owned originals and forging new coproduction partnerships around the world.

“The strategy is to centralise the sales activities within Fox Entertainment and go out to the international marketplace with open arms, not just to license content but also to entertain coproductions and different partnership opportunities around the world,” says Fernando Szew, who has added the role of CEO of Fox Entertainment Global to his existing job as CEO and founding partner of MarVista Entertainment.

“It’s a truly a centralised way for other broadcasters and platforms in the global marketplace to be in business with all the different elements of Fox Entertainment,” he adds.

The launch of Fox Entertainment Global is part of a long-term strategy that began with several M&A moves designed to expand Fox Entertainment’s production and distribution capabilities.

The most recent was the acquisition of MarVista Entertainment, which Fox Entertainment bought 10 months ago in a deal pegged at around US$100m. Two-and-a-half years earlier, in August 2019, Fox Entertainment bought Bob’s Burgers studio Bento Box Entertainment. Between those acquisitions, Fox Corporation acquired AVoD service Tubi for around US$440m.

With those pieces in place, Szew says the time was right to formally launch a banner through which it could sell the growing slate of wholly owned projects developed and produced through Fox Entertainment’s various in-house studios.

There are three priority titles on the distribution slate for this year’s Mipcom: a pair of adult animation series, Krapopolis and Grimsburg, and the live-action comedy Animal Control.

Krapopolis, created by Community and Rick & Morty creator Dan Harmon and produced by Bento Box, is Fox’s first fully owned animated series. Set in mythical ancient Greece, the animated comedy follows a dysfunctional family of humans, gods and monsters attempting to run the world’s first cities.

While the series isn’t slated to premiere until next year, Fox network in the US has already commissioned a second season of the show, which is voiced by Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso), Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd), Matt Berry (What We Do In The Shadows), Pam Murphy (Mapleworth Murders) and Duncan Trussell (The Midnight Gospel).

Grimsburg, also produced via Bento Box, centres on a misanthropic detective, played by Jon Hamm (Mad Men), who easily cracks complex cases but struggles to solve one mystery: his family. Created by Catlan McClelland and Matthew Schlissel, the series is expected to premiere in 2023.

Meanwhile, Animal Control is the first wholly owned live-action comedy from Fox Entertainment Studios. The project, from writers and executive producers Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg, Tad Quill and Dan Sterling, received a straight-to-series order in July. The workplace comedy, about a group of animal control workers, is currently in pre-production and is expected to debut in 2023.

Although selling proprietary shows globally is a key facet of Fox Entertainment’s strategy, forging coproduction partnerships anchored by its US-based broadcast network business is an equally important part of the plan, says Szew.

He believes Fox Entertainment will be a compelling new partner for international commissioners, producers and creators, especially given that it operates independently from all the other major studios and streamers.

“We are proud that we have a certain independence within Fox Entertainment. Unlike many others, we are not keeping the content for our own exploitation on a worldwide basis for any streaming platform, so we are very capable, willing and wishful to trade and play with others.

“We have seen that this is something the marketplace has been clamouring for, especially with an entity with the deep resources, history and creative talent that we have at Fox Entertainment.”

Another key aspect of Fox Entertainment Global’s purpose is to distribute the fast-growing MarVista Entertainment catalogue. Szew emphasises that, as both a production and creative entity, MarVista will continue to operate as it has done in the past, collaborating with both domestic and international partners.

“Truly, MarVista hasn’t missed a beat, and even more so given the acquisition by Fox Entertainment. It has meant our slate has truly been supercharged. We’re really excited to show the new MarVista to the marketplace, with a lot of new movies we think are current and relevant and hopefully new partners will think so too,” he says.

One area that MarVista is moving into more forcefully is quick-turnaround feature films. The studio produced a film based on the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, and the Tubi original was released on September 30, just four months after the jury reached its verdict in favour of Pirates of the Caribbean actor Depp.

Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial sees Mark Hapka (Parallels) and Megan Davis (Alone in the Dark) portraying the couple’s tempestuous relationship, both in and out of the courtroom.

“We now have the ability to act even faster and make sure we are always delivering content that’s relevant, topical and as much in the zeitgeist as possible. We love the urgency of being able to tell stories in a scripted way, and it’s always about trying to find ways to be relevant to the audience,” says Szew.

“We were very excited to be able to partner with our friends and siblings at Tubi to push that out and really coalesce around quick collaboration. That is one of the things that has occurred since we joined Fox Entertainment – having partners across the Fox lot that we can talk to, make quick decisions with and stay really relevant.”

That increased speed to market will be an important part of MarVista’s strategy, with Szew also noting that Fox’s acquisition of entertainment news site TMZ has created opportunities for more quick-turnaround programming on the unscripted and documentary side.

In addition to proprietary content, Fox Entertainment Global will also be selling third-party titles. Some of those projects will be sold through MarVista’s existing partnerships, but Fox Entertainment Global will also be on the hunt for new titles. Szew says the company is having discussions but hasn’t officially acquired worldwide sales rights for any projects yet.

He adds that Fox Entertainment Global is well positioned to capitalise on market demand for an independent operator that has a deep pool of development, production, commissioning and distribution firepower at its disposal.

“In terms of the timing, we think there’s a thirst in the marketplace for someone who is strong and independent from what a lot of other major media companies are beholden to,” says Szew. “We’re in it for the long term.”