Dart-throwing deals or three-dimensional chess? Let Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade explain.
“There’s been a lot of announcements recently, but I don’t think there’s been, like, some sudden change,” Wade says of the recent flurry of Fox deals. “It takes time to implement. It takes time to form a strategy and identify the right targets and then execute.
I think that’s where we are at the moment.” Wade notes that Fox’s relatively small size, brought about by the 2019 sale of most assets to Disney, allows for a level of nimbleness not available to much larger corporations. In media’s “scale-or-die” era, Fox essentially chose neither option. While other companies are doing due diligence on the viability of pursuing Warner Bros. Discovery, Fox is rolling the dice on a series of low-risk deals instead. Though these Fox Entertainment investments may seem disconnected, IP generation is the through-line. Adapt a YA book for Fox. Adapt a rom-com podcast story for Fox. Adapt a … pop-up food experience for Fox. Wade’s “dream scenario” is for any of these small investments to become “so big that you’re building products and services off that,” he says. The one with the largest upshot is likely Fox’s partnership with Holywater, aFox is “in a learning phase at the moment” as it pertains to vertical video, Wade says. “It feels like it has great potential, but I think there’s a long road ahead.” Along the way, Wade will have to convince Fox stars to make dramas he can dice up into 90-second bits and in an aspect ratio they typically reserve for FaceTime. And they have to do it for very cheap.in vertical video, and I think that’s fine, but they have to realize you cannot push the cost of these up too high,” Wade says. “Big Hollywood stars are used to making lots of money, and this is a lower margin business — even in success — and you have to be happy with that.”“If a creator has a burning ambition and a desire and a passion to tell stories through vertical, then I think it could be successful,” Wade says, “but I think they have to be understanding of the business and the realistic upsides of it.”for a reason. Verticals consist of many chapters, each of which must have “incredibly compelling endings,” the exec adds. “Drama is set up for that, true crime is — even unscripted is set up for that. Comedy doesn’t tend to have cliffhangers,” Wade says. “I think there is a version of comedy that works. Maybe it’s a skit show, though, I don’t know.”‘Dancing With the Stars’ Honors Prince as a Top Scoring Couple Exits Ahead of Next Week’s Finale: See the Scores, Who Went Home‘Grinch’ Turns 25: Taylor Momsen on “Otherworldly” Reunion With Jim Carrey and How the Film Led to Career ChangeThe Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Willy Wonka gets really, really big at the Cosm dome in InglewoodNow, Cosm, a unique space is moving into classic movies, expanded and blown up into 360-degree splendor. The newest offering is the original “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” with…
Read more »
Trump to host Saudi crown prince on pomp-filled, deal-making visitPresident Donald Trump will roll out the red carpet for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, with the Saudi de facto ruler seeking to further rehabilitate his global image.
Read more »
Insurance companies are trying to avoid big payouts by making AI saferAngela Yang is a culture and trends reporter for NBC News.
Read more »
The New ‘Project Hail Mary’ Trailer Shows What the Movie Is Really AboutRyan Gosling stars in the new sci-fi film from directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, out March 20, 2026.
Read more »
Members-Only Event: Insider Tips On Making The Forbes 30 Under 30 ListHave you dreamed of being on the Forbes Under 30 list? If so, don't miss this live discussion and audience Q&A Wednesday, December 3 at 12pm ET with our U30 editors Steven Bertoni, Alexandra York and Zoya Hasan.
Read more »
‘Star Wars: Rebels’ Writer Thinks Making Sabine a Jedi Was a MistakeWriter and executive producer Henry Gilroy says that Sabine's 'Ahsoka' arc was something considered—and dismissed—during 'Rebels'.
Read more »