Who Owns FX? Disney's Ownership of FX Networks Explained

The Walt Disney Company owns FX. FX Networks is a subsidiary of Disney Entertainment, which Disney acquired when it purchased 21st Century Fox in March 2019 for $66 billion. This means FX has no ownership connection to Fox Corporation, the separate company that owns Fox Broadcasting and Fox News.

Current Ownership of FX Networks

The Walt Disney Company Owns FX

FX Networks, LLC operates as a subsidiary of Disney Entertainment Television. The ownership chain runs: FX Networks → Disney Entertainment → The Walt Disney Company.

Disney itself is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol DIS. So while "Disney owns FX" is the simple answer, technically Disney's shareholders own FX through their ownership of Disney stock.

What FX Networks Includes

FX Networks isn't just the FX channel you see in your cable lineup. The company operates several properties:

• FX - The main cable channel known for shows like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and American Horror Story

• FXX - A comedy-focused sister channel launched in 2013, targeting younger audiences

• FXM - A movie channel, formerly called Fox Movie Channel

• FX Productions - The in-house production company that creates FX content

• FX on Hulu - A streaming hub providing next-day access to FX programming

All of these fall under the FX Networks umbrella, which Disney owns completely.

Who Runs FX Networks

John Landgraf serves as CEO of FX Networks and FX Productions. He's been with the company since 2004, when he joined as president of entertainment under Fox ownership. After proving successful at increasing FX's original programming from two shows to eleven in about two years, he was promoted to president and general manager in 2005, then elevated to CEO in 2013.

Landgraf stayed on after Disney acquired FX. He's based in Los Angeles and is known in the industry for coining the term "Peak TV" to describe the explosion of scripted content production.

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How Disney Acquired FX

The 21st Century Fox Acquisition

Disney completed its purchase of 21st Century Fox on March 20, 2019. The deal cost

$66 billion and represented one of the largest media acquisitions in history.

FX Networks came as part of that package. Disney wasn't specifically buying FX—it was buying a massive portfolio of entertainment assets that happened to include FX, along with properties like National Geographic, film studios, and international broadcast networks.

FX's Original Ownership

FX started life under very different ownership. Fox Broadcasting Company established the fX unit in November 1993 and launched the channel on June 1, 1994.

Originally, FX was part of News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch's media empire. When News Corp split off its publishing businesses, the entertainment assets (including FX) became part of 21st Century Fox.

FX remained with 21st Century Fox until Disney made its acquisition offer in 2017, which closed in 2019.

What Happened to Fox

Here's where it gets confusing for most people. Rupert Murdoch sold most of 21st Century Fox's assets to Disney, but he didn't sell everything.

Murdoch kept Fox Broadcasting (the over-the-air broadcast network) and Fox News, folding them into a new company called Fox Corporation. So after the 2019 deal:

• The Walt Disney Company got FX, National Geographic, film studios, and various international assets

• Fox Corporation (Murdoch's company) kept Fox Broadcasting, Fox News, Fox Sports, and some other properties

These are completely separate companies now. Fox Corporation has zero ownership stake in FX. Disney has zero ownership stake in Fox Broadcasting or Fox News.

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Understanding Disney's Ownership Structure

Disney as a Public Company

The Walt Disney Company trades publicly, meaning anyone can buy Disney stock and become a partial owner. As of December 2023, Disney had roughly 1.85 billion Class A shares outstanding.

Disney owns about 19 million shares of its own stock (treasury shares). The remaining 1.82 billion shares trade freely among institutional investors, mutual funds, pension funds, and individual investors.

Major Disney Shareholders

Because Disney is publicly traded, its ownership is spread across thousands of entities and individuals. The largest shareholders as of late 2023 include:

• Vanguard Group - 8.43% (the largest institutional holder)

• BlackRock - 6.68%

• State Street Corporation - 4.17%

• Morgan Stanley - 2.62%

These are investment firms managing money on behalf of their clients—pension funds, retirement accounts, mutual funds, and individual investors. None of them control Disney, but collectively they represent significant voting power.

Insider Ownership

Disney insiders—executives and board members—own only about 0.07% of the company. That's less than one-tenth of one percent.

CEO Bob Iger holds the most shares among insiders, though even his stake represents a tiny fraction of the total. Board members typically hold small positions, often in the tens of thousands of shares rather than millions.

Why FX Still Has "Fox" in the Name

Historical Branding

FX originally stood for "Fox Extended" when it launched in 1994. Over 25 years, the brand built significant recognition and equity in that three-letter combination.

By the time Disney acquired it, FX had established itself as a prestige cable network known for edgy, high-quality programming. The name carried value.

Disney's Decision to Keep the Name

Disney chose not to rebrand FX after acquisition. This isn't unusual—companies often retain established brand names after purchases because changing them costs money and risks confusing customers.

Think about how Disney kept the Marvel brand, the Lucasfilm brand, and the Pixar brand after those acquisitions. Same logic applies to FX.

No Connection to Current Fox Corporation

This trips people up constantly. FX has "Fox" in the name but is owned by Disney, not Fox Corporation.

Fox Corporation owns Fox Broadcasting and Fox News. Those are the properties Rupert Murdoch kept. FX went to Disney and has operated under Disney ownership since 2019.

There's zero business relationship between FX Networks and Fox Corporation beyond sharing studio space (FX still operates from the Fox Studios lot in Los Angeles, which is a physical location, not an ownership indicator).

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FX Networks History Timeline

Fox Ownership Era (1994-2019)

1993-1994: Fox Broadcasting established the fX unit in November 1993. The channel launched on June 1, 1994, broadcasting from an "apartment" in Manhattan's Flatiron District with live interactive programming.

2004: John Landgraf joined as president of entertainment. Within two years, he increased FX's original series count from two to eleven.

2007: FX Productions was formed as an in-house production company to take ownership stakes in FX programming.

2013: FXX launched as a comedy-focused sister channel. Landgraf was elevated to CEO of FX Networks and FX Productions. Fox Movie Channel rebranded to FXM.

2017: Disney announced its intention to acquire 21st Century Fox, including FX Networks.

Disney Ownership Era (2019-Present)

March 20, 2019: Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox closed. FX Networks became a Disney subsidiary.

2019: FX integrated into Disney's entertainment television operations. The company launched plans to move much of FX's content to Hulu.

March 2, 2020: FX on Hulu launched, providing a streaming hub for FX content and making episodes available the day after they air on cable.

2021: FX Networks integrated fully into Disney General Entertainment Content, the unit that also includes ABC, Hulu, Freeform, and National Geographic.

What Disney Ownership Means for FX

Streaming Integration

Disney's ownership fundamentally changed FX's distribution strategy. Under Fox, FX was primarily a cable network. Under Disney, it became part of a streaming-first ecosystem.

FX on Hulu gives subscribers next-day access to FX programming. Internationally, FX content appears on Disney+ and Star+ (Disney's streaming service for Latin America).

This shift reflects Disney's broader strategy of funneling content toward its streaming platforms rather than relying solely on traditional cable distribution.

Production and Programming

FX Productions continues operating as before, producing original content for the FX channels and Hulu. The creative team, led by Landgraf, remained intact after the acquisition.

Several long-running FX shows ended around 2023-2024, including Snowfall, Mayans MC, Reservation Dogs, Archer, and What We Do in the Shadows. Landgraf has publicly stated the challenge of finding new hits to replace these series.

Corporate Structure Changes

FX moved through a couple organizational shifts under Disney. Initially it became part of Disney Entertainment Television, then got folded into Disney General Entertainment Content in 2021.

This placed FX alongside ABC, Hulu, Freeform, and National Geographic—all part of Disney's general entertainment portfolio, as opposed to ESPN (sports) or Disney+ (family-focused streaming).

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Key Takeaways

The Walt Disney Company owns FX through its acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019. FX operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary with no connection to Fox Corporation.

Disney is publicly traded, so ownership is distributed among institutional and individual shareholders. John Landgraf continues as CEO. The FX brand name was retained despite Disney ownership for continuity and recognition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is FX owned by Fox?

No. The Walt Disney Company owns FX, not Fox Corporation. Disney acquired FX in 2019 when it purchased 21st Century Fox. Fox Corporation is a separate company that owns Fox Broadcasting and Fox News.

When did Disney buy FX?

Disney acquired FX on March 20, 2019, as part of its $66 billion purchase of 21st Century Fox.

Does Disney fully own FX?

Yes. FX Networks is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney, meaning Disney has 100% ownership. There are no partial owners or joint ventures.

Who owns Fox now?

Fox Corporation owns Fox Broadcasting and Fox News. This is a separate company from Disney, controlled by Rupert Murdoch and his family. FX is not part of Fox Corporation.

Why is FX still called FX if Disney owns it?

Disney kept the FX brand name for recognition and equity built over 25+ years. Changing established brand names is costly and risky, so Disney maintained it—similar to keeping Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilm brands after those acquisitions.