The Fox Broadcasting Company is an American commercial free-to-air television network owned and operated by the Fox Corporation. [1]
Though it was officially launched on October 9, 1986, [2] Fox began its official primetime setup on April 5, 1987, with the series Married... with Children and The Tracey Ullman Show airing that night. [3] [4] [5]
As of October 2012, Fox maintains 19.5 hours of network programming per week. The animated comedy series The Simpsons is one of Fox's most popular shows, [4] becoming the network's first series to rank among the top 30-highest-rated shows of a television season after its original debut, [6] and is the longest running sitcom, as well as animated series, of all time, contributing to the channel's success. [3] According to Lanford Beard of Entertainment Weekly , "The Simpsons have transformed Fox from a small, ignored network into a global network that cannot be ignored." [3] The science fiction television series The X-Files also contributed to the network's success, which led to two spin-offs Millennium and The Lone Gunmen . [7] [8] Fox began airing in high-definition on September 12, 2004, with a series of National Football League (NFL) American football games. Fox had a programming block for children titled Fox Kids, which ran from September 8, 1990 to September 7, 2002. [9]
Unlike the "three larger networks", which aired primetime programming from 8 to 11 p.m. (EST) Mondays to Saturdays and 7 to 11 p.m. (EST) Sundays, Fox has traditionally avoided programming in the 10 p.m. (EST) time interval, leaving that hour to affiliates to program locally (primarily with local newscasts). [10]
On April 21, 2012, Fox celebrated its 25th-anniversary, with a two-hour television special featuring people related to Fox and its shows. It presented Fox's programs 24 , American Idol , Cops , Family Guy , Married... with Children, The Simpsons, and The X-Files, among other programs. [3] The network's adult cartoons are listed under the Animation Domination banner, which is a Sunday night programming block. [11] [12] Fox is a full member of the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). [13] [14]