FX on Hulu
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Fate | Acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2019; consolidated into Disney General Entertainment Content in 2021 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | United States, United Kingdom, Ireland |
Key people | John Landgraf (CEO) |
| Products | FX, FXX, FX Movie Channel, FX Productions, FXNOW streaming service |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company (Disney Entertainment Television division) |
| Parent | Disney General Entertainment Content |
FX Networks, LLC, widely recognized as FX Networks, is a U.S.-based media enterprise established in 1994, primarily focusing on the channels FX, FXX, and FX Movie Channel. It also includes its production division, FX Productions. Operating as a subsidiary under Disney Entertainment Television, FX Networks falls within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. Initially part of News Corporation and subsequently 21st Century Fox following a publishing spin-off, FX Networks transitioned to Disney ownership after the acquisition of 21st Century Fox on March 20, 2019. In 2021, FX Networks was consolidated into Disney General Entertainment Content.
History
The Fox Broadcasting Company introduced its cable unit fX in November 1993 with Anne Sweeney serving as president. Early key appointments featured Chuck Saftler and Mark Sonnenberg leading programming efforts. The fX cable channel officially launched on June 1, 1994. Soon after, FX came under the direction of Fox Television chair and CEO Chase Carey. By mid-1994, a companion movie channel was announced and debuted as fXM: Movies from Fox on October 31, 1994; it was rebranded to Fox Movie Channel in 2000. Following Sweeney’s move to Disney in 1996, Sonnenberg took over leadership until 1998 when Peter Liguori succeeded him.
The channel serving the UK and Ireland began as FX289 in January 2004, rebranded to FX in April 2005, and later adopted the Fox name in January 2013.
In 2004, John Landgraf joined FX Networks as president of entertainment and was promoted to president and general manager a year later. Under his guidance, original programming expanded considerably, leading to the formation of an internal production company. FX Productions was launched in August 2007 to oversee FX’s content stakes. Landgraf advanced to CEO of both FX Networks and FX Productions in June 2013, also managing the FXNow digital platform.
On March 28, 2013, FX introduced FXX, a channel dedicated to comedy targeting younger adults aged 18–34, contrasting with FX’s broader audience of adults aged 25–54. This launch aligned with the introduction of the "Fearless" brand identity across all FX Networks. Concurrently, Fox Movie Channel reverted to the FXM branding.
In June 2017, actress Olivia de Havilland filed a lawsuit against FX Networks over unauthorized use of her image; this case was dismissed on First Amendment grounds in March 2018.
Broadening its international footprint, FX reached an agreement with the BBC in October 2018 granting UK broadcast rights for upcoming and select existing FX original scripted series.
On December 14, 2017, the Walt Disney Company declared its intent to acquire assets from 21st Century Fox including FX Networks; this transaction finalized on March 20, 2019. Landgraf expressed measured optimism regarding integration with Disney.
Comcast launched the FX+ streaming platform in 2017 but discontinued it on August 20, 2019; several series subsequently premiered on Hulu. Beginning March 2, 2020, selected FX content migrated to Hulu under the "FX on Hulu" banner.
In April 2025, Disney revealed plans to exit the Fox Studio Lot located in Century City by year-end. Following lease expiration, FX Networks along with other studios will relocate to Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.
FX
FX, which debuted on June 1, 1994, distinguished itself by delivering original content that met the high standards of premium cable, featuring mature themes and quality in writing, directing, and acting. The channel also showcased reruns of theatrical films and classic sitcoms. Broadcasting from a Manhattan-based "apartment" set, FX was among the pioneers in interactive television, offering live daily programming alongside rebroadcasts of vintage series such as Batman, Wonder Woman, and The Green Hornet. Its branding conveyed a casual and approachable vibe through the use of a lowercase "f" combined with a stylized "X", subtly nodding to its heritage with 20th Century Fox.
FX fostered audience engagement by embracing early internet technologies, utilizing e-mail and online platforms to gather viewer feedback. Many programs responded promptly to audience messages, with the show Backchat dedicated entirely to interacting with viewer mail.
FX Movie Channel
FX Movie Channel (FXM) launched on October 31, 1994, initially named FXM: Movies from Fox (originally "Fox Movie Studio"), concentrating on films from the 20th Century Fox archives dating from the 1930s through the 1970s, alongside titles from other studios. It became an independent brand on March 1, 2000, adopting the name Fox Movie Channel.
Starting January 1, 2012, its schedule was divided into two 12-hour segments: a commercial-free block airing classic Fox films from 3:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET, and an expanded FXM segment featuring more contemporary movies from Fox and other studios.
On March 27, 2013, Fox Entertainment Group announced a comprehensive rebranding under the FXM identity. By September 2013, the channel embraced the FX Movie Channel name; meanwhile, the classic film block retained the Fox Movie Channel title until June 9, 2014, when it was renamed FXM Retro, continuing to operate without commercials.
FXX
Designed primarily for men aged 18 to 34, FXX is a general entertainment basic cable channel that launched on September 2, 2013, replacing the sports-centric Fox Soccer. Its programming centers on comedy series—both original and acquired—alongside selected films and some drama offerings, providing a contrast to FX’s drama-heavy lineup.
At its inception, first-run episodes of FX original comedies such as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell were shifted to FXX. Initially, many cable providers included FXX within premium sports packages due to previous carriage agreements linked to Fox Soccer; however, this issue has largely been resolved, resulting in FX and FXX frequently being placed next to each other in channel lineups.
FXNOW
FXNOW is a digital streaming service available across desktop browsers, mobile applications, and devices including iOS, Android, Windows 10 platforms, Xbox One/360 consoles, Samsung smart TVs, and Roku players. It allows subscribers of participating pay TV providers to access:
- Episodes of original series from FX and FXX available the morning following their broadcast.
- Acquired programming—most notably the first 552 episodes of The Simpsons (which later transitioned to Disney+)—as well as an expanding catalog exceeding 200 films.
- Exclusive behind-the-scenes features accessible through TV Everywhere authentication.
- Live streaming of FX network channels.
In 2018, FX/FXX content was briefly incorporated into the FOXNOW app alongside other Fox programming; this integration ended in March 2019 after Disney completed its acquisition of FX Networks. The standalone FXNOW mobile app was discontinued in September 2024 along with other Disney-owned network apps to encourage users to transition toward Disney+ and Hulu platforms.
Since its launch in January 2014, FXNOW has provided ad-supported streaming free of charge for subscribers affiliated with participating pay TV services.
FX+
In September 2018, Fox introduced FX+, a streaming platform that provided all original series from FX and FXX without advertisements. Initially launched in the U.S. during fall 2017 exclusively for Xfinity subscribers, the service later expanded its availability to customers of Armstrong and Cox through set-top boxes and video-on-demand offerings. In July 2019, Disney declared that FX+ would cease operations on August 21, 2019, following its near-complete acquisition of Hulu and the subsequent transition of FX content to Hulu’s service, rendering FX+’s ad-free offering redundant due to Hulu’s own commercial-free subscription tier.
FX on Hulu
The FX content section on Hulu (known as FX on Hulu until December 2021) is a dedicated streaming area featuring programming from FX Networks, which operates under Disney General Entertainment Content within the Walt Disney Company. Launched on March 2, 2020, this hub offers FX shows at no additional cost to Hulu subscribers. It includes original content created by FX specifically for Hulu alongside both current and archived series from FX and FXX cable channels.
In November 2019, four titles—Devs, Mrs. America, A Teacher, and The Old Man—were relocated from Hulu’s main library to this dedicated hub. The initial launch featured 40 titles spanning current and past programming, with four original series debuting first on FX before becoming available for streaming on Hulu. The second phase commenced on April 15 with the addition of Mrs. America and other new original series.
By December 2021, Disney retired the "FX on Hulu" branding, renaming the hub simply as "FX" and expanding the FX brand internationally through Disney+. Outside the United States, FX programming was presented under the "Star Originals" banner within the Star content hub until that hub was rebranded as Hulu in October 2025.
Programming
The Weekly / The New York Times Presents, frequently categorized as an "FX on Hulu" production, was co-commissioned by both FX and Hulu prior to the launch of the FX on Hulu hub. This series features logos from both services, unlike other FX on Hulu programs that display only the FX branding.
FX Entertainment
FX Entertainment functions as the division within FX Networks responsible for overseeing original content creation under the FX brand, including the operations of FX Productions. Formed in May 2019 amid an executive reorganization following Disney's acquisition of FX Networks, it centralizes the approach to original programming. On June 10, 2019, Disney revealed a joint casting unit serving both FX Entertainment and Disney Television Studios, aimed at optimizing talent recruitment.
FX Productions
FX Productions (abbreviated as FXP) acts as the internal production entity of FX Networks, developing series for FX, FXX, and FX on Hulu. Its production portfolio extends beyond these channels to include projects for TBS (such as Miracle Workers), Epix (Perpetual Grace, LTD), Amazon Prime Video (One Mississippi), and Fox (notably season 1 of Wayward Pines and The Cool Kids).
International Distribution
Before the introduction of Disney+’s Star content hub, various programs from FX and FX on Hulu were licensed to external broadcasters.[1]
Across regions including Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, FX’s programming is accessible through the Hulu section on Disney+, branded as "Hulu Originals." Previously, these offerings were streamed via Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ Hotstar throughout Southeast Asia until their integration under Disney+. In India, titles are released through JioHotstar.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Within Canada, most original FX shows premiere exclusively on local versions of FX and FXX, reflecting a longstanding collaboration between FX Networks and Rogers Sports and Media.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name All FX on Hulu productions are available under the Star hub on Disney+, which was later renamed to feature Hulu content. Some FX titles were not accessible on Disney+ in Australia due to a prior output agreement with Binge and its parent company Foxtel, an arrangement that concluded in April 2022.
See also
External links
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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- Pages with reference errors
- Articles with short description
- FX Networks
- Television networks in the United States
- 1994 establishments in New York City
- Companies based in California
- Peabody Award winners
- Disney television networks
- Disney acquisitions
- Former Liberty Media subsidiaries
- Cable network groups in the United States