The Fox Entertainment Group (FEG) was an American entertainment company specialized in filmed entertainment owned by 21st Century Fox. Following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the group's assets were dispersed to various Disney units. The film studios 20th Century Fox (now known as 20th Century Studios), Fox Searchlight Pictures (now known as Searchlight Pictures) and Fox 2000 Pictures were transferred to Walt Disney Studios, while Fox Star Studios (now known as Star Studios) was transferred to Disney India.
Its former owner, 21st Century Fox, previously known as News Corporation, had acquired all the stock of Fox Entertainment Group in 2005. In 2013, News Corporation was renamed 21st Century Fox, and its publishing assets were spun off into the newly formed News Corp as part of a corporate reorganization.
FEG was indirectly named after William Fox, who created Fox Film. This would eventually merge with Twentieth Century Pictures to become 20th Century Fox (now known as 20th Century Studios).
Contents
History
Fox Entertainment Group was formed in the 1980s after the purchase of the Metromedia-owned independent stations by the 20th Century Fox film studio, at the time jointly owned by Australian-American media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, and Denver billionaire Marvin Davis. These stations would later become the foundation of the Fox television network (launched in October 1986), which would become the foundation of the company (named after the TV network) itself. Not long after the Metromedia deal was made, Murdoch purchased Davis's shares and News Corp assumed full control of the film studio, which was then placed within Fox Entertainment Group.
In 1995, Saban entered into a joint venture with the Fox children's television network to form Fox Kids Worldwide. In 1997 it was renamed Fox Family Worldwide. On July 23, 2001, Saban announced that Fox Family Worldwide (now ABC Family Worldwide Inc.) would be sold to Disney. On October 24, 2001, the sale was completed.
On March 20, 1998, Fox Entertainment Group (under the management of Rupert Murdoch) purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers from Peter O'Malley on $311-million of dollars. On January 20, 2004, Fox Entertainment Group sold the Dodgers to Frank McCourt.
On August 14, 1998, Fox launched an initial public offering as a publicly traded company, trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE,) while Fox Entertainment Group's address has been moved from Los Angeles to New York City. The company has traded on the NYSE since its launch under ticker symbol FOX until its acquisition in 2005 by News Corporation.
In January 2005, shortly after News Corporation reincorporation in the United States, News Corp announced that it was offering $5.9 billion to buy out the remaining 18% of shares in Fox that News Corporation did not already own. The maneuver delisted Fox from the New York Stock Exchange; Fox Entertainment Group traded on the NYSE under the ticker FOX.
In 2012, Rupert Murdoch announced that News Corporation would be split into two publishing and media-oriented companies: a new News Corporation, and 21st Century Fox, which operated the Fox Entertainment Group and 20th Century Fox and other studios. Murdoch considered the name of the new company a way to maintain the 20th Century Fox's heritage as the group advances into the future.
Units
Transferred to The Walt Disney Studios
20th Century Fox, renamed 20th Century Studios
20th Century Fox Animation, renamed 20th Century Animation
Blue Sky Studios, closed on April 10, 2021
20th Century Fox Games, renamed 20th Century Games
Fox Family, renamed 20th Century Family
Fox Family Entertainment, renamed 20th Century Family Entertainment
New Regency Productions (20%, joint venture with Regency Enterprises)
Fox Searchlight Pictures, renamed Searchlight Pictures
Fox 2000 Pictures, dissolved on May 14, 2021
20th Century Fox Consumer Products, folded into Disney Experiences
Fox Music, folded into Disney Music Group
Zero Day Fox, renamed 20th Digital Studio before dissolving on October 9, 2023
Boom! Studios (minority stake)
Fox Studios Australia, renamed Disney Studios Australia
Fox Stage Productions, folded into Disney Theatrical Group
Transferred to Walt Disney Television
20th Century Fox Television, renamed 20th Television
Fox 21 Television Studios, renamed Touchstone Television before merging with 20th Television on December 1, 2020
Fox Television Animation, renamed 20th Television Animation
Transferred to Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International
Fox Star Studios, renamed Star Studios
Hulu (30%)
Hulu Documentary Films
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, renamed 20th Century Home Entertainment and eventually became nothing more than a label of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment in 2020
Fox-Paramount Home Entertainment (joint venture with Paramount Home Media Distribution)
Transferred to Disney Parks, Experiences and Products
FoxNext, closed on January 23, 2020 and sold to Scopely
Aftershock Studios
20th Century Fox World (license to Resort World by Genting Group)
Sold
Fox Family Worldwide – sold to The Walt Disney Company in July 2001 before being reunited 18 years later in 2019.
BVS Entertainment library
Fox Kids/Fox Children's Productions/Fox Family library
Marvel Films Animation/New World Animation library
DePatie–Freleng Enterprises/Marvel Productions library
Dr. Seuss animated TV specials (rights currently owned by Warner Bros. Discovery under the Dr. Seuss Foundation)
Power Rangers (rights currently owned by HASBRO)
Digimon (rights currently owned by Toei Animation)
Dragon Ball Z (general English dubbing and broadcasting rights currently owned by Sony Pictures under Crunchyroll, LLC excluding The Tree of Might, Battle of Gods, Resurrection 'F' and Broly are currently owned by Disney Studios via Buena Vista International and 20th Century Studios)
SIP Animation
FitTV - sold to Discovery Communications (now Warner Bros. Discovery) on September 1, 2001
Defunct
Fox Reality Channel (2005–2010)
Fox Sports Houston (2009–2012)