Fox televizija

Infobox Network
network_name = Fox televizija
network_
country = Serbia
network_type = Broadcast television network
available = National
owner = News Corporation (49.0%)
key_people = Dan Bates (CEO)
Manja Grčić (deputy CEO)
Aleksandar Popović (CFO)
launch_date = December 31, 2006
founder = News Corporation
past_names =
brand =
website = [http://www.foxtv.rs www.foxtv.rs]

Fox televizija is a Serbian commercial television network that was officialy launched on December 31, 2006.

It is is 49% owned by the News Corporation [http://www.apr.sr.gov.yu/RepsisPublicSite/Public/Enterprise/Founder.aspx?BusinessEntityId=1099322&RegistryCode=20136588&rnd=477546807] since Serbian laws don't allow foreign subjects to own 50% percent or more of a television network with a nationwide broadcasting license. [http://www.parlament.sr.gov.yu/content/cir/akta/akta_detalji.asp?Id=45&t=Z]

With headquarters located in the Belgrade municipality of Zemun, Fox televizija broadcasts 24 hours a day. According to AGB Nielsen Media Research for the calendar year 2007, among the Serbian channels with national coverage, Fox televizija holds fifth place in overall viewership (4.7% TV market share and 2.2 million average daily viewers tuning in for at least one minute) behind RTS1, Pink, B92, and RTS2. [http://www.mtsmondo.com/services/tv/tvStory.php?vest=90443]

In mid-July 2008 speculation appeared that News Corp is considering offers to sell all its Eastern European assets including Fox televizija. [http://www.reuters.com/article/innovationNews/idUSN1642813420080716]

History

Fox televizija was one of five commercial television networks in Serbia that won the national broadcasting license at a public tender organized by Serbian Broadcasting Agency in May 2006. In doing so, Fox's owner News Corp beat out stiff competition from German RTL Group that also wanted to start a Serbian operation.

Some three months later on September 6, 2006, Fox televizija started broadcasting a test signal consisting only of the superimposed Fox logo. Three days later on September 9, 2006 at precisely 8pm, they played their first actual moving picture programme - a nature show that lasted some 45 minutes - before reverting back to the Fox logo test signal. The exact same setup (test signal most of the day with a single taped programe at 8pm) continued over the following ten days or so. Their primetime lineup was then somewhat expanded with a few Latin telenovelas, an occasional feature film, and a weekly ULEB Cup basketball game featuring Serbian teams (the basketball bradcasts were their first in-house productions). During daytime hours, they played a test signal and music videos.

On December 22, 2006, Fox televizija aired its first news programme featuring live reports from Belgrade's Republic Square during the decorative tree lighting ceremonies.

Then at 7pm on December 31, Fox televizija finally launched officially with a live-to-air broadcast called "Fox stiže" as part of their newscast called "Fox Danas". Amongst other things the programme featured News Corp's chairman Rupert Murdoch wishing the citizens of Serbia happy new year 2007.

Current programming

Entertainment

Internationally created dramas, comedies, soaps and telenovelas currently broadcast by Fox televizija (as of September 2008):
Domestic comedies, dramas, and soapsnone
Quizzes and Reality Shows:
*"Da li ste pametniji od đaka petaka?" (Serbian version of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?")
*"Keš taksi" (Serbian version of "Cash Cab")
*"Ludi kamen" (Serbian version of "The Newlywed Game")
*"Fort Boyard" (Fort Bojar)
*"Survivor Srbija" (Serbian version of "Survivor")
Children shows:
*"Shaun the Sheep" (Ovčica Šon)
*"Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends" (Spajder-men i njegovi zadivljujući prijatelji)
Late-night talk shows:
*"Oralno doba"

ports

*Formula 1 (Formula 1)
*Adriatic League (Balkans regional basketball league)
*Primera División (top Spanish football league)
*World Wrestling Entertainment (Raw & Smackdown episodes)

News

*"Fox i prijatelji" (daily morning show at 7am, Serbian version of "Fox & Friends")
*"Vesti" (daily news bulletin at 11:45am, 3:30pm, 7pm, and 11pm)
*"Fox fokus" (weekly current events magazine at 10pm)
*"Recite narodu" (weekly political talk-show, Tuesdays at 8pm)

Lifestyle

*"300 čuda" (lifestyle magazine, Saturdays at 1pm)
*"Top Speed" (weekly automotive magazine, Sundays at midnight)
*"Life File" (women's magazine, Saturdays at 1pm)
*"Domaćin" (agricultural magazine, Saturdays at 8:30am)
*"Naj od naj" (general interest, Saturdays at 7:30pm)
*"e-TV" (IT magazine, Sundays at 9:00am)

Previously aired programming

Previously aired international shows by Fox televizija (some of them possibly returning):
Previously aired Quizzes and Reality Shows (some of them possibly returning):
*"The Amazing Race" (Trka oko sveta)
*"Pimp My Ride"
*"MTV Cribs"

Criticism & controversy

Fox televizija's entertainment programming is often criticized, especially when it comes to internationally-created shows on its schedule. With the exception of "One Tree Hill" and "Cold Case", it currently broadcasts none of the prime time U.S. network shows, focusing instead on Latin telenovelas and reruns of decade-old American shows. Probably due to this, Fox televizija's ratings are amongst the lowest of all Serbian television networks with nationwide broadcast licences.

Fox televizija created a minor controversy in early September 2007 when it decided to take its late-night programme, the "Marko Živić Show", off the air. Despite becoming fairly prominent over a short period (it premiered on April 24, 2007), the official statement released by Fox said the cancellation was "a temporary measure that came about through a desire to free up Fox televizija's fall schedule for more movies and series". However, some Serbian print outlets very much wondered why would a network that's struggling for viewership be taking its best rated programme off the air. [http://www.blic.co.yu/zabava.php?id=12115]

External links

* [http://www.foxtv.rs FOX Televizija]