Fox Entertainment Chair Reilly Is Out

Two tough seasons at Fox have pushed it to make one major move: Kevin Reilly, chairman of Fox Entertainment, is departing the network after seven seasons.

Reilly will leave the network at the end of June; no replacement has been named. Senior executives will report to Peter Rice, chairman/chief executive officer of Fox Networks Group.

Fox came in at second place for the just-completed 2013-2014 season, earning a 2.5 Nielsen live-plus-same-day program rating -- with ample benefit from the Super Bowl in February -- virtually the same number it pulled in a year ago.

NBC was the No. 1 broadcast network with a 2.7 average 18-49 viewer prime-time rating for the 2013-2014 season. The year before, CBS was the top 18-49 viewer network with an 2.9 average prime-time rating.

Reilly came to Fox in 2007 as president of Fox Entertainment after a three-year stint as president of NBC Entertainment. He was named chairman of Fox Entertainment in 2012. Before NBC, he was a president of entertainment of FX, a Fox cable network.

Reilly presided over a major run for Fox -- benefitting greatly from “American Idol” -- where the network was No. 1 in the key 18-49 viewer demographic for eight straight seasons, through the 2011-2012 broadcast year. Additional help in the period came from strong shows such as “House,” “Glee,” and “Bones.”

But with those shows seeing declines -- as well as “Idol,” where the big singing competition show ran several nights a week during the season -- Fox witnessed its overall fortunes slipping.

"21st Century Fox is a great company that has provided me with choice seats at the head table of pop culture over two very rewarding stints, both at FBC and FX, and I am grateful to have benefited from the leadership of Peter Rice, Chase Carey and Rupert Murdoch,” Reilly stated Thursday.

Rice said in a statement: “Kevin and I have been discussing his desire for a new challenge for some time, so while everyone at the network will miss his enthusiasm for adventurous television, we all respect his decision and agreed that after the upfront presentation was the right time.”

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2 comments about "Fox Entertainment Chair Reilly Is Out".
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  1. Don Seaman from Wayne Lifestyle Magazine, May 29, 2014 at 4 p.m.

    I've said it before, but I'll say it again - that’s unfortunate news. Kevin’s a solid network exec and has been a great representative for Fox throughout his time there. I hope he finds himself in the mix elsewhere, soon. TV is better with him than without him.

  2. Jill Kennedy from Manka Bros., May 30, 2014 at 2:30 a.m.

    Kevin Reilly is already receiving job offers:
    http://mankabros.com/blogs/chairman/2014/05/29/manka-bros-would-like-to-offer-kevin-reilly-a-job/

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