Gary Newman is in negotiations with 21st Century Fox to remain with the company and lead Fox Broadcasting through an anticipated transition period.
Sources close to the executive have confirmed to Variety that Newman is in the final stages of talks to remain with so-called “New Fox” after the company’s mega-deal with the Walt Disney Co. is finalized. Disney’s acquisition of the bulk of Fox’s entertainment assets — including 21st Century Fox Television, the studio that Newman has run with longtime executive partner Dana Walden for nearly two decades — is expected to be completed next year.
Newman’s deal would mark the end of his longtime partnership with Walden, who, along with 21st Century Fox president Peter Rice, is expected to join Disney in a leadership role within the company’s linear TV division. Official announcements from Disney regarding Walden and Rice, and from Fox regarding Newman, are expected within the next week. Newman and Walden currently serve as co-heads of Fox Television Group, overseeing 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Broadcasting.
In his new role, Newman will guide Fox Broadcasting through a historic transition in which it will become the only major U.S. broadcaster not affiliated with a studio division. Since the Disney deal was set in January, Fox has moved to lock up rights to big-ticket sports packages such as the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” and WWE’s “Smackdown,” indicating a likely shift toward a programming strategy more heavily reliant on live events. Speaking to Variety in May ahead of Fox’s upfront, Newman said, ““Fox has every intention of remaining an entertainment broadcast network.” He also spoke to the network’s ability to use the NFL as a platform to promote its entertainment programming, adding, “We’re going to have a great promotional opportunity both at the top of the week with our football games on Sunday, and on Thursday where we will get another boost from ‘Thursday Night Football.”
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Under Walden and Newman, 20th Century Fox Television has developed a number of hits for networks and platforms within Fox and without, such as “Homeland” at Showtime, “American Horror Story” at FX, “Empire” at Fox Broadcasting, “This Is Us” at NBC, and “Modern Family” at ABC. At Fox Broadcasting, recent additions such as “9-1-1,” “Lethal Weapon,” and “Star” have become solid ratings performers.
Boosted by the broadcast debut of the new season of “Thursday Night Football,” Fox Broadcasting was the only network to grow its premiere-week ratings — up 60% from last season. The network also drew a greater than expected numbers Friday for the premiere of Tim Allen’s “Last Man Standing,” which Fox Broadcasting revived two seasons after the 20th Television show was canceled by ABC.
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