Fernando Szew Talks FEG, Distribution Opportunities

Fernando Szew, the CEO of FOX Entertainment Global (FEG) and MarVista Entertainment, discussed the company’s expanding slate and the global business’s renewed focus on “the lost art of distribution” at NATPE this morning.

Szew noted that FEG arrived at a time when many content suppliers were prioritizing their own direct-to-consumer services. “We are an independent network that does not have a paywall behind it.” FOX Corporation-owned AVOD platform Tubi “is one of the places we can platform the content downstream, but we’re free to trade, we’re agnostic, and that’s why we came out with open arms to trade with others. Content has to be multiplatform to find its audience. It can’t just live in one place. Some content can, but you’re seeing more and more that content has to travel to find its right audience, geographically and within the different ways that audiences find content.”

On the common thread underpinning the FEG slate, Szew noted, “FOX has always been an entrepreneurial company, even at scale. There’s a boldness to it. How can we be different and break the mold? We’re supported to do that. It’s entrenched in the DNA of the company.”

The company’s true-crime slate from TMZ is faring well internationally, as well as its lineup of animated comedies and its extensive TV movie catalog. “It’s a little bit of everything, which is why having that diverse slate and a big portfolio is very helpful for us.” Szew also stressed the importance of the partnership with Gordon Ramsay.

Referencing the company’s deal with Bell Media, announced in October, Szew stated: “The Canadian market is one of super great creativity that resonates with the world. It’s not always traveled well in the U.S. We saw there was a way to create a consistency in that. This is the culmination of that vision with having a premier broadcaster and partner in Bell and its streaming service Crave and now bringing FOX to the table, rounding that off with FOX Entertainment Global as a way to monetize, to bring in partners from potentially other territories, either from a co-production perspective or as a prebuys. Bell jumped at the opportunity because they also have a need to create shows that will not only sustain themselves but also be monetized.”

FEG is looking to replicate that model in other territories, Szew said. “The goal is to find like-minded companies that we can play with. We have that independence, we’re not a global streaming service. By necessity, and because we see the opportunity, we need to and want to trade and get involved with content early with good partners.”

On major Hollywood distributors now returning to license their shows outside of their own services, Szew said: “I think it’s reviving the lost art of distribution. Being able to have shows that find an audience later, at a different stage, through a second or third window or live in a multiplatform world enhances the potential for the content to resonate with the audience.”