FX (TV network)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| FX | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Launched | June 1, 1994 |
| Owned by | News Corporation |
| Slogan | There Is No Box |
| Formerly called | fX, FX: Fox Gone Cable |
| Website | fxnetworks.com |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | Channel 248 |
| Dish Network | Channel 136, 878 |
| SKY Italia | Channel 113 |
| SKY Brazil | Channel 47 |
| NET Digital | Channel 54 |
| now TV | Channel 524 |
| D-SMART Turkey | Channel 8 |
| Cable | |
| Available on many cable systems | Check local listings for channels |
FX (for Fox eXtended) is the name of a number of related subscription TV channels owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group. The network's most popular shows are the Emmy-nominated trio of The Shield, Nip/Tuck and Rescue Me, as well as the comedy hit It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Series introduced in 2007 include Dirt, The Riches, and Damages. The networks mainly broadcast original programming aired on FOX in the 1990s and 2000s.
Contents |
[edit] Programming
[edit] History
[edit] fX (1994–1997)
The first fX channel was launched in the United States on June 1, 1994. Broadcasting from a large "apartment" in Manhattan, fX ushered in a new era of interactive television, but did not exist long enough to see the eventual success of such interactivity. The network centered around original programming, broadcast live every day from the "fX Apartment", and rebroadcasts of kitschy shows from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
fX had two taglines: "TV Made Fresh Daily" and "The World's First Living Television Network".[1] The "f" was lower-case to portray a type of relaxed friendliness. The stylized "X" represented the network's roots: the crossing spotlights of the 20th Century Fox logo.
The network prided itself on its interactivity with viewers. fX, in 1994, was the first television network to openly embrace e-mail and the World Wide Web as methods of feedback. Most of the shows would feature instant responses to e-mailed questions, and one show (Backchat) was exclusively devoted to responding to viewer mail, whether e-mailed or mailed traditionally. Select viewers were allowed to spend a day at the "apartment" and take part in all of the network's shows.
fX's viewer base was very loyal, but the budget was simply too high for the clearance the network was receiving. Ironically, the first incarnation of fX was not even available on the local cable system in New York City, where programming originated. During the time the network launched in the mid-1990s, cable systems around the United States were upgrading their infrastructures to increase channel capacity and were not regularly adding channels until these upgrades were complete. The same problem plagued Fox News Channel around its early 1996 launch.
The live shows were cancelled one-by-one until only Personal fX remained. Breakfast Time was moved to the FOX network and renamed FOX After Breakfast in mid-1996. It never found a substantial audience and was cancelled less than a year later. Eventually, all live programming with the exception of Personal fX was dropped and the network focused entirely on its classic television shows until its relaunch in mid-1997. Personal fX remained on the refocused FX until May 1, 1998.
[edit] Fox Gone Cable (1997–2001)
fX was relaunched as 'FX: Fox Gone Cable'[2] in early 1997, targeting men aged 18 to 49. The network is known for original drama series and NASCAR programming.
During the first few years after its relaunch, FX was known for little else than airing reruns of such Fox shows as The X-Files and Married... with Children, as well as 20th Century Fox shows such as M*A*S*H and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Soon after its relaunch, the tagline "Fox Gone Cable" was dropped. When the cable reruns of Ally McBeal and The Practice fumbled in primetime, FX predominately ran movies in their more high-profile time periods.
After obtaining the spring broadcast rights to NASCAR, Fox Sports announced that for their inaugural 2001 season, FX would serve as their cable partner. This meant that FX would cover several Nationwide Series races, three NASCAR Sprint Cup races (including the All-Star Race), and select qualifying and final practice sessions. The move was meant to promote the network and cause NASCAR fans to contact their cable providers to add the channel to their line-up. In 2002, network president Peter Liguori praised NASCAR from moving the number of available homes from 58.5 million to 76.6 million.[3]
FX aired numerous Major League Baseball on Saturday Nights in 2001, including Cal Ripken, Jr.'s final game at Camden Yards.
[edit] Post-"Fox Gone Cable" years (2002–2007)
In recent years, however, the network has emerged as a major force in original cable programming, gaining both acclaim and notoriety for edgy dramas. This began in 2002 with the release of its breakout hit, police drama The Shield. This trend continued the following year with Nip/Tuck, which chronicles the world of plastic surgery, and the Denis Leary-helmed Rescue Me, about FDNY firemen and their lives and in 2007 with Dirt, a show starring Courteney Cox about a ruthless tabloid editor who seeks out the truth. Unlike many broadcast networks, FX is willing to take risks with their programming and push the envelope of what can be shown on television, having high, TV-MA ratings. Opinions on these shows are mixed. Some organizations, like the Parents Television Council and American Family Association, have asked advertisers to boycott these shows due to their graphic content.[4][5] However, the shows are also critically acclaimed for their strong storylines and characters.
Capitalizing on the success of the hit documentary Super Size Me, creator Morgan Spurlock launched a new series, 30 Days, on FX in June 2005. The series puts its subjects in situations uncomfortable to them for 30 days, such as making millionaires work for minimum wage, and having Christians live in a Muslim community.
In the summer of 2005, FX debuted two new comedy series, Starved, about the daily lives of four friends with eating disorders who live in New York, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, about four people who own a bar in the titular city and somehow always wind up having comic misadventures, usually very un-PC. Both of these shows feature frank sexual dialogue and strong language, pitched as "The Dark Side of Comedy". While Starved gained low ratings and was derided by groups that sought to publicize eating disorders, being canceled after its first season, Sunny quickly became a critics' darling, consistently achieved high ratings and was picked up for a second season within days of its first season finale. An edited version of Sunny was aired by Fox for a three-episode run in the summer of 2006, in an effort to promote it on FX.
In 2006, FX debuted two new series, the reality television show Black. White. and the drama Thief but neither were picked up for a second season. After 2006, FX also no longer broadcast NASCAR, as sister network Speed Channel became the new cable partner for NASCAR on Fox.
Throughout 2007, FX inroduced three new dramas, Dirt starring Courteney Cox, The Riches starring Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver, and Damages starring Glenn Close and Ted Danson. All three did well in the ratings and were renewed for second seasons.
On October 15, 2007 a high definition feed was launched on DirecTV.
As of 2008, the channel was available in 90.6 million U.S. homes.
[edit] "There Is No Box" (2008-present)
In 2008, the network launched a new branding campaign built around the theme There Is No Box, which was influenced by the phrase "outside the box" and refers to how the network's programming goes beyond the box concept, as well as a pun on the network competing against premium channels such as HBO, with its original programming. The network's logo changed on December 18, 2007 and uses only the FX letters for branding by removing the klieg light logo box to the left. The new branding will have an advertising campaign which will include a post-game ad for the network during Fox's coverage of Super Bowl XLII [6]. The song that is used in the promo commercial is "You Give Me Something" by James Morrison.[7]
Over the last year, competition between other cable networks has increased, evident in the second season ratings for less successful series, Dirt and The Riches, which have had ratings decrease significantly since their first seasons last year. Some weeks viewers were barely over 1 million.
John Landgraff told Entertainment Weekly that things are slow at the network because "It's a combination of the strike having us scrambling, and trying to figure out what shows are compatable where." He also said that Damages will debut its second season in January the earliest and the next season of Rescue Me will premiere in the spring.
In 2008, the network picked up Sons of Anarchy, about a notorious outlaw motorcycle club steeled on protecting their sheltered California town from corporate developers and drug dealers. It is from The Shield executive producer, Kurt Stutter and is set to premiere in September, coinciding with The Shield's final season, which premieres on September 2.
On May 19, 2008, FX president John Landgraff signed a contract to be head of the network for at least three more years. He intends to expand the lineup to include more comedies in addition to their award-winning dramas as well as the launch of a new website. He also announced that FX would start airing Two and a Half Men starting next year and that they have enough episodes of It's Always Sunny In Philidelpha to start syndicating it.
On June 8, 2008, Courteney Cox announced herself that FX has chosen not to renew Dirt for a third season and that it had been canceled. There is still no word on The Riches coming back or not. But many believe that because ratings were lower than Dirt, it will not see a third season, as well.
[edit] International
 |
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008) |
[edit] Australia
In 1995, fX launched in Australia, featuring classic TV series (often branded as "Golden Years of Television")
fXM was a nightly block of classic 20th Century Fox films, hosted by Bill Collins (often branded as "Bill Collins' Golden Years of Hollywood"). In late 1998 fX became FX, a channel aimed at women, featuring shows such as The View and Donny and Marie. In late 2000, FX was again rebranded, officially becoming "Australia's first TV channel for women". In 2003, it was renamed W. as a way to make this focus more apparent.
[edit] Hong Kong
FX is available on Now TV's Channel 524 in Hong Kong
[edit] Italy
FX launched an FX station in Spring of 2006 on Sky Italia satellite package and has reruns of TV shows such as CHiPs, Baywatch, A-Team, Magnum, P.I., Walker Texas Ranger, Mr. Bean, Benny Hill, Barbershop, COPS, World's Wildest Police Videos, and many TV shows from Playboy TV such as Sexy Camera.
[edit] Latin America
The FX Network for Latin America, is intended almost entirely for the male audience, as a counterpart of Fox Life, created for the female viewers.
[edit] Singapore
FX was launched on StarHub Cable Vision's Channel 87, on February 1, 2007 at 6:00 A.M. (Singapore Time).
[edit] Philippines
FX is scheduled to be launched on Global Destiny Cable in summer 2008. This channel, along with other STAR TV channels, including Fox Crime, are to be simultaneously launched.
[edit] Vietnam
FX was launched on Vietbao CATV's on October 29, 2007 at 12:00 A.M. (Vietnam Time) Channel 33.
[edit] Poland
FX will be launched in 2008.
[edit] Portugal
FX launched on the TV Cabo satellite and cable platform in 26th of September 2007, along with FOX Crime.
[edit] Romania
FX will be launched in 2008.
[edit] Turkey
FX was launched on April 14, 2008[8] on D-Smart digital platform.
[edit] Spain
FX currently airs as a youth block on FOX España on Saturdays from 23.30 CET.
[edit] UK & Ireland
In autumn 2005, Fox International Channels (UK) Ltd applied for a broadcasting slot in the Swedish digital terrestrial television network for a service called "FX" [1]. This could hint a launch of the channel in Sweden or Scandinavia. When the recommendations were revealed in November 21, FX was not one of the ten recommended channels. As of November 2005, no further information has been revealed. An HD version of the channel will be launched in the UK and Ireland on the 28th of April 2008 and will run from 7am-2am and be commercial free.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ 3.09: Street Cred
- ^ Schneider, Michael; Martin, Denise. The two faces of Fox. Variety: March 28, 2005
- ^ 8
- ^ One Million Moms.com - Issue details
- ^ Albiniak, Paige. PTC aims at FX's The Shield. Broadcasting & Cable: April 9, 2002
- ^ Box? We Don’t Need No Box
- ^ Becker, Anne. FX Brands Itself with Slogan 'There Is No Box'. Broadcasting & Cable: December 11, 2007
- ^ FX Turkiye Web Site: FX / Erkeksen - News Section
8. NASCAR.com: FX credits NASCAR for growth. April 11, 2002.
