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| FX | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Launched | June 1, 1994 |
| Owned by | News Corporation |
| Slogan | There is no box |
| Formerly called | fX, FX: Fox Gone Cable |
| Website | fxnetwork.com |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
 DirecTV |
Channel 248 |
| Dish Network |
Channel 136 |
 SKY Italia |
Channel 113 |
 SKY Brazil |
Channel 47 |
| NET Digital |
Channel 54 |
 now TV |
Channel 524 |
FX (for Fox eXtended Networks) 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 quartet of The Shield, Nip/Tuck, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Rescue Me. Series introduced in 2007 include Dirt, The Riches, and Damages. The network mainly consists of programming originally aired on FOX in the 1990s and 2000s.
Contents |
Programming
History
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 "X" was upper-case and 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. fX's first venture into live sports was in gaining the live broadcast rights to the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, purchased from Fox, who at the time had the NHL rights. In response to this, Sports Illustrated described the deal as "giving [the rights] to an unproven cable-box channel that fills its airtime with reruns of Vega$." fX also aired some Major League Baseball Division Series games in 1996.
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.
Post-"Fox Gone Cable" Years (2002-present)
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.[3][4] 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. FX continues to air dramatic original programming such as Dirt starring Courteney Cox, The Riches starring Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver, and Damages starring Glenn Close and Ted Danson. As of 2007, the channel was available in 90.6 million U.S. homes. In 2008, the network will launch 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. 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 [5]. The song that is used in the promo commercial is "You Give Me Something" by James Morrison.[6]
International
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 2004, it was renamed W. as a way to make this focus more apparent.
Hong Kong
FX is available on Now TV's Channel 524 in Hong Kong
Italy
FX launched a FX station in Spring of 2006 on SKY Italia satellite package and has reruns of TV shows such as CHiPs.
Latin America
The FX Network Latin America, launched for 22 countries, is intended almost entirely for the male audience, as a counterpart of Fox Life, created for the female viewers. Also in mid to late 2005, FX launched the channel "FX Brasil" in Brazil.
Singapore
FX was launched on StarHub Cable Vision's Channel 87, on February 1, 2007 at 6:00 A.M. (Singapore Time).
Philippines
FX was soon to launched on Global Destiny Cable on summer 2008. This channel along with other STAR TV channels, including Fox Crime are simultaneous launch, still the same cable network.
Vietnam
FX was launched on Vietbao CATV's on October 29, 2007 at 12:00 A.M. (Vietnam Time).
Poland
FX will be launched at the end of 2007.
Portugal
FX launched on the TV Cabo satellite and cable platform in 26th of September 2007, along with FOX Crime.
Romania
FX will be launched in 2008.
Turkey
FX will be launched in February, 2008.
Spain
FX currently airs as a youth block on FOX España on Saturdays from 23.30 CET.
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.
See also
References
- ^ http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.09/streetcred.html?pg=14
- ^ Schneider, Michael; Martin, Denise. The two faces of Fox. Variety: March 28, 2005
- ^ http://www.onemillionmoms.com/IssueDetail.asp?id=289
- ^ 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
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