Fox News Set to Expand Beyond Cable, Says CEO Suzanne Scott

By Brian Steinberg

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Fox News is known for its flagship property, the Fox News Channel, but in months to come executives intend to expand its halo, the unit’s top executive said in remarks to investors Thursday.

“Fox news is an important part of the company’s DNA,” Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott said to an assembly gathered for an “Investor Day” held by Fox Corp., its first big public meeting after selling a large chunk of assets to Walt Disney. “We are truly agnostic to the form in which our content is consumed.”

Scott noted that Fox News content reached more than “200 million people each month, with over half coming from platforms outside of our linear cable networks,” and emphasized recent investment in Fox News digital properties, as well as the recent launch of Fox Nation, the company’s subscription-based streaming-video service. “Our audiences are ravenous for our content everywhere and anywhere we can provide it,” Scott said.

commands a devoted audience that makes it the most-watched cable-news network in the U.S. But keeping its momentum is paramount for the newly-reconfigured company, which will depend on the advertising and affiliate revenue generated by the Fox News business. ““Revenue from non-linear platforms has more than doubled in the last four years,” Scott told investors, noting that the company is investing in a “brand refresh” for its Fox Business Network operations that will also include a revamp of digital.

Scott said the Fox News audience has stayed with the network through various White House administrations, and grown no matter whether a Republican or Democrat was in office. The company reaches “passionate, engaged, loyal audiences across every platform,” she said.