Disney Television Studios has launched a major rebrand of its three studios, 20th Century Fox Television, Fox 21 TV Studios and ABC Studios / ABC Signature. The move comes nearly 18 months after Disney’s $ 71.3 billion purchase of major 21st Century Fox assets and seven months after the Disney-owned movie companies – 20th Century Fox Studios and Fox Searchlight Pictures – “Fox” fell to 20th Century in January. Studios and Searchlight to become Images.
ABC Studios and its cable / streaming subsidiary ABC Signature, led by President Jonnie Davis, will merge into one studio called ABC Signature. Fox 21 Television Studios, led by President Bert Salke, will be renamed Touchstone Television. 20th Century Fox Television, led by President Carolyn Cassidy, will become 20th Television. Because they are all part of Disney TV Studios, the divisions also all cast “studios” of their monikers.
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Fox’s removal was agreed when the deal between Disney and 21st Century Fox was negotiated to avoid market confusion. While twentieth-century television revived Fox TV by simply hitting “Fox” was simple, the name of Fox 21 TV Studios posed a conundrum, leading to the delay of the entire rebrand. The solution came in the form of Touchstone Television, bringing back a legacy Disney television brand that retired in 2007. While the name of Fox 21 is gone, the new Touchstone TV logo keeps its signature typewriter font for continuity.
The new graphic logos (see above) and “motion end cards” (see below) will be rolled out in new episodes of Disney Television Studios programming ahead. The changes are effective immediately, although the new names and logos may not be fully integrated until the end of the year. Library titles and episodes sent out before the rebrand will not change.
“Our new studio names and logos mark a new day for ABC Signature, 20th Television and Touchstone Television, honoring the rich history and creative power of The Walt Disney Company,” said Craig Hunegs, President of Disney Television Studios. Dana [Walden] and I could not be more pleased with the first year of our three studios together as part of Disney Television Studios and we believe that with our powerhouse talent comforter and exceptional studio teams the best is yet to come. “
The three units of Disney Television Studios recently earned 47 Emmy Award nominations, including a nod to Outstanding Limited Series for Small fires everywhere, as well as acting nominations for Kerry Washington, Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Billy Porter, Sterling K. Brown, Ron Cephas Jones and Phylicia Rashad; director nods to Lesli Linka Glatter (Homeland) and Gail Mancuso (Modern family); and Outstanding Animated Series nods for Bob’s Burgers en The Simpsons, among others.
Disney Television Studios is currently producing the no. 1 script series on 10 networks / platforms: Grey’s Anatomy/ ABC, This is us/ NBC, 9-1-1/ Foxes, American horror story/ FX, Queen of the South/ USA, American father/ TBS, Barkskins/ Nat Geo, Grown-ishFree form (adults 18-49, L + 7) and Small fires everywhere/ Hulu (first eight weeks). DTS also holds the no. 1 drama and comedy on ABC (Grey’s Anatomy (2.6) and Fox (9-1-1 (2.5).
Coming to the combined studio are new zones of fall and midseason Great air en Call your mom for ABC; Genie: Aretha for Nat Geo; Alarm Clock, Books of Blood, Dopesick, Mysterious Benedict Society en Only Murder in the building for Hulu; Big Shots, Mighty Ducks, Turner & Hooch en Just Beyond for Disney +; Imposition: American Crime Story en Old man for FX on Hulu; Filthy Rich en Next for Fox; en Hoops en Railed for Netflix.
