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But theres a catch.
The same goes for the buzzy Cate Blanchett miniseriesMrs.
America,announced in October 2018as an FX original but now set to stream exclusively via Hulu in April.
Its a bit of a bum deal for FXs cable viewers but its also the future.
The linear ratings that used to power cable and broadcast networks are in free fall.
The first step was the launch ofDisney+, which serves family audiences.
Tell me how you got to FX on Hulu.
He was pretty clear about what he wanted to do, and why he wanted to do it.
But frankly, I dont think there was a lot of conflict or a lot of debate about this.
There isnt a brand on Netflix other than Netflix.
There isnt a brand on Amazon other than Amazon.
They do all of those things.
They have their own consumer brand, Hulu, thats very strong.
So, literally the same instinct crossed in midstream.
We sent them cupcakes, they sent us donuts.
Lets talk about how this will all work in terms of programming.
Several of your shows will air on FX first, and then stream the next day on Hulu.
America,will only be on FX on Hulu.
Americadebut on linear first, too?
Whats the advantage of taking shows like it out of the cable ecosystem?A few things.
It is already behind a paywall called the [cable] system.
People are paying good money for that.
However, we didnt want to create a situation where there were effectively two FX brands.
Thats Hulu, right?
Theres no methodology for unifying that entire 18 years of output on a linear channel.
We needed to give a shot to get as much as possible to Hulu.
Hulu felt that some exclusivity was really important for them in terms of customer acquisition.
But frankly, this wasnt really ever significantly debated.
The intent right now is, wheneverAtlantais done, replace it.
Were premieringBreedersandDaveon the linear channels this week.
Were not abandoning our core business or our existing partners at all.
But we dont have any way of doubling down or increasing our investment through that methodology.
Is this whats happening?
Youre putting your best shows on Hulu now.I dont think anybody intends to hasten its decline.
I just dont think thats accurate.
The other thing you said is that the best programming will be on Hulu I dont agree with that.
We still have a very healthy and a very sizable linear channels business.
We have three channels: FX, FXX and FXM.
But we cant make them any better, and we have a desire to make the brand better.
You said the strongest channels that the cable business can sustain.
But I can tell you that were in fewer homes now than we were five years ago.
I cant predict the future, but I can cite the past.
FX is in 84 million homes.
FXX is in 81.
But its a fairly long way off.
Thats not FXs job.
You need a very, very big entity to do that.
But Walt Disney Company, as its been currently constructed, is absolutely a big enough entity.
Its conditioned to do it better than any other entity on earth.
And then FX can focus on what it specializes in.
It doesnt have to worry about the larger problem.
Thats no longer our problem.
Before you launched FX on Hulu, you tried something similar on your own with FX Plus.
We track the health of the brand, and we also ask questions about all of our competitors.
SinceThe Shieldpremiered in 2002, weve been making branded original programming.
You cant reaggregate all of that work on a linear channel.
I sent 30 bottles of Champagne to executives at Hulu this last holiday season.
They have brought an enormous amount to the table that we could have never brought to this process.
Whats your programming budget going to look like two years from now?
Is it going to be substantially more?
Relatively the same?Substantially more, I think.
This year, were making more than weve ever made, and that trend will continue.
What we tried to do is scale the quality of the FX brand as best we could.
We will learn things, and maybe make shows that we wouldnt have made.
Were very open to what they have to teach us about their audience.
Look, I tend to think that the beacon is really the brand.
