David Hill Stepping Down from 21st Century Fox

NEW YORK: David Hill, a veteran of 21st Century Fox, is exiting his role as the company's senior executive VP to launch a new production venture, Hilly.

21st Century Fox will back Hill's new outfit, which will focus on live production, creating reality shows, providing production expertise to organizations and digital investment. Hill joined News Corporation from Australia's Nine Network in 1988. He is credited with helping to create Eurosport, Sky Television and Sky Sports in the U.K. Having moved to Los Angeles in 1993, Hill created FOX Sports, the Regional Sports Network, ran the Fox Network, served as president of entertainment at DIRECTV, and was chairman of the National Geographic Channels, as well as executive producer of the last two seasons of the show American Idol. He will continue working on the final season of American Idol.

“David is a dynamic and imaginative leader who has changed the experience of nearly all major sports on three continents,” said Rupert Murdoch, the chairman and CEO of 21st Century Fox. “Whether it was launching Sky Television, the Fox Network, FOX Sports, or the Regional Sports Networks, we owe him an enormous debt for his nearly thirty years of contributions.”

“For nearly 30 years, David has defined excellence in sports television in the same way Roone Arledge did in the 1970s and 1980s,” added Chase Carey, the president and COO of 21st Century Fox. “David is a true leader, visionary and once-in-a-lifetime force of nature.”

“It has been an intensely satisfying creative period. Working for Rupert Murdoch, Chase Carey and Peter Chernin is as good as it gets,” said Hill. “And especially being part of the incredible growth of the Fox Network and ancillary businesses. To be involved with something that John Madden described as ‘Fox Sport’ way back when, to what has become a domestic and global powerhouse is intensely gratifying.”

Hill added: "Building FOX Sports from the ground up was something which will always live with me—but more particularly all the incredible men and women in front of, and behind the cameras who made Rupert and Chase's dream become a reality, and turned an idea into what has become a world leader in sports production excellence. I am especially proud of Eric Shanks’ leadership in taking the reins at Fox Sports and, with a very steady hand, expanding the business in a terrific way.”
    
“Of all the fun parts, the proudest was running the Fox Network in the late ‘90s. When I was given responsibility, it lagged in a pitiful fourth place. Working with Peter Roth, Mike Darnell, and a group of fearless television warriors, we took it to number two by .1 behind NBC by 1999.”

Hill continued: “I believe the future of the broadcast networks lies in big, spectacular live events. As I’ve spent most of my life producing those, I think I can give some added value. In a funny way, this is like finishing my apprenticeship!”