Fox UK Channel to close

[Thom77]

Looks like Fox UK channel won't be part of our Now TV Entertainment Membership for much longer.

https://www.geektown.co.uk/2021/05/17/disney-to-close-the-fox-uk-channel-with-content-moving-to-disn...

[Saint1976]

@Thom77 heard rumours of this last year when Disney launched.

With the exception of the NCIS franchise everything they're showing are shows that ran for 1 season in 2016/17.

[Thom77]

@Saint1976 

Yep, looked like this was on the cards for quite a while and they've certainly been doing their best to kill it off slowly with some of its recent offerings!!!!!!!!!!

I wonder what the future has in store for the few shows I do watch on Fox and what links in ownership they may have to Disney?????  Looks like The Walking Dead is off to Star on Disney+, but what about the likes of NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans or Bull (as examples).....not sure how they are or aren't linked to Disney and whether they could end up somewhere else (other than Star).

I can't really see me chasing shows all over the shop on different platforms.....might just need to be waiting for those future DVDs!!!!!!!!

[gavs82008]

@Thom77 

All the NCIS shows and Bull are owned by ViacomCBS and on Paramount+ in the US.

Whereas in the UK ViacomCBS owns My5/ Channel 5 and co. My hope is at some point later this year or early next year we will see Paramount+ launching in the UK.

It’s a possibility of the shows mentioned above appearing on My5, but I reckon they’ll move over to Sky One.

[Thom77]

@gavs82008 

It's good to know that Disney don't quite yet own everything!!!!!

A few years ago I'd have loved stuff to come to Channel 5, but the way they treat their US shows puts me right off ever bothering with them again for anything new........so I'm fingers crossed the NCIS stuff and Bull might end up on Sky One????

Paramount+  would no doubt be another interesting addition to the streaming World.....and I'm sure I spotted a story Today about AT&T and Discovery coming together in some way with another streaming service????  Plenty of choice for everyones viewing pleasure!!!!

[gavs82008]

@Thom77 

Couldn't agree more, how they handled shows like Person of Interest, Gotham and Helix to name a few is just outright horrific. 

Really do hope that Paramount+ launches here and replaces My5. Then puts all their shows the day after airing in the US.

Had also noticed that news, can only assume that HBO Max and Discovery+ will merge at some point. 

[Thom77]

@gavs82008 

Oh, this Channel 5 chat is really bringing back the bad memories.......I'd even managed to forget about the mess that was Gotham season three, the season that seemed to disappear in to the ether never to be seen unless you got the DVD!!!!!

I even remember Channel 5 bringing the first two seasons of Breaking Bad to UK terrestrial on 5USA....then dropping it......and doing similar things with terrestrial rights to The Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, Justified, etc, etc.  Much of my DVD collection is the later seasons of shows that first appeared on Channel 5 and then got dropped.

[gavs82008]

@Thom77 

Haha I know bud, their handling of US shows is nothing short of pathetic.

That being said, if ViacomCBS launch Paramount+ and put shows the day after airing then I will forgive them! 

Viacom merged with CBS in 2019, at least all
the damage to channel 5 US content was pre ViacomCBS days and only Viacom to blame. Fingers crossed under ViacomCBS ruling things will be very different. This of course assuming said shows will be on “My5”.

[Anonymous User]

But more streaming services simply means more subscription costs. Thanks to Disney+ I can no longer watch The Walking Dead unless I'm prepared to pay another sub 

[gavs82008]

@Anonymous User 

The thing with streaming services you don’t have to keep them for the full 12 months, in fact you don’t need to have all of them permanently. 

Generally I’ve managed to get great deals with my subscription services so I’ve managed to get most of the services I need to watch 99% of my content 

[Enapace]

@gavs82008 

Agreed but i do think the entertainment pass is now less value for money with them losing both Discovery and Fox not Now fault I know but adding just the Kids channels in there is not a good addition unless you have Kids at all. Plus increasing the price of Boost it's not a good move to make when they are not giving anything extra. It's obvious they have had to decrease price of the cinema pass with them losing the rights to Disney and Fox films. 

[gavs82008]

@Enapace 

Agreed, it is dropping in value to justify the full price £9.99. If it were up to me both cinema and entertainment memberships were combined at a price of £9.99.

[starman73]

both cinema and entertainment memberships were combined at a price of £9.99.

pre-covid, the pricing was more justified as Sky Cinema had more of the top 100 box office movies, but nowadays Prime, Netflix and Disney + are not only on a par, but arguably superior.  Prime for £79/annum not only has movie & entertainment, it has sport, a music service with 2 million tracks (plus free auto rip) and free delivery.   Now just for movies & entertainment is just under £240/annum.   Now and Sky have to accept movies are not worth what they used to be.  Virgin charge £21/month to add movies.  Hard to believe anyone is mad enough to pay that.

[Anonymous User]

I really do think that NowTv should have e-mailed people like myself to let them know about the closing of Fox UK.

The reason being is that when I brought the Entertainment package a few years ago, it was on the basis that I could watch shows on the Fox channel.   

I found out that the Fox channel is not available last night when going to watch a NCIS show and then google searched on the fact of the Fox UK TV channel closing and that any of the shows from the channel are now viewable through the Disney + channel.  

I suspect that we will also see the same happen with the National Geographic UK channels in the near future as I believe they are also owned by Disney.   

If it was not for the fact that you cannot get a Skystore app on Amazon Firestick, I would do away with my NowTV boxes and rather than be paying the £9.99 a month for the Entertainment package, be paying the £7.99 a month with Disney + for better entertainment.    

[gavs82008]

@Anonymous User 

NCIS is NOT owned by Disney, it’s owned and distributed by CBS. 

Unless Disney do a deal it won’t be on Disney+.

[Anonymous User]

There is other shows which I believe are owned by CBS, that are to be shown on teh Star channel which is viewable via the Disney+ app.   

You have shows such as Bones, which is made I believe by 20th Century Fox.  But is only viewable on the Disney+ Star channel.   

You also have show like 'The Walking Dead' that where shown on the Fox UK channel, but again that is not to be shown on the Disney+ Star channel.  

You may find that CBS makes the likes of the NCIS shows, but it might be that Disney acts as distributor for the shows.  If that is the case, then they are likely to end up on the Star channel as well.   

It will be interesting to see what happens with any future NCIS: Los Angeles season, Magnum Pi seasons as to whether it will be shown on Sky one as it is now or will be shown on the Star channel?   

You have to remember that Disney owns 21st Century Fox.   As per the page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21st_Century_Fox:

21st Century Fox's assets included the Fox Entertainment Group—owners of the 20th Century Fox film studio (the company's partial namesake), the Fox television network, and a majority stake in National Geographic Partners—the commercial media arm of the National Geographic Society, among other assets. It also had significant foreign operations, including the prominent Indian television channel operator Star India. The company ranked No. 109 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.

[gavs82008]

@Anonymous User 

Walking Dead is distributed internationally by FOX networks group which is owned by Disney.

Its also been confirmed that the latest season is going to be on Disney+ each Monday.

https://whatsondisneyplus.com/whats-new-on-disney-the-walking-dead-the-golden-girls-uk-ireland/

Also seasons 1-10 were added on Friday, see below picture.

 

Personally I would rather all CBS content be left for the potential launch of Paramount+ which is most likely early 2022.

[SweetBlitz]

…would do away with my NowTV boxes and rather than be paying the £9.99 a month for the Entertainment package, be paying the £7.99 a month with Disney + for better entertainment.    

You can get Disney + on Now TV box without getting Now Entertainment.

[Anonymous User]

that makes no sense at all , to pay for two or three packages 

[gavs82008]

@Anonymous User 

It makes perfect sense 90% of the content on FOX was owned by Disney. Why would they want you to subscribe to another product if they can have the content on Disney+.

The only real question is what will happen to non Disney owned shows like NCIS and Bull which are owned and distributed by CBS. Will they appear on Sky One or ViacomCBS owned Channel 5 and co?

Normally CBS sells their shows to the highest bidder. However with ViacomCBS launching Paramount+, is also very likely they will launch it here replacing My5.

[Anonymous User]

Absolutely. When there is enough on Disney+ or Netflix I will pay for a month or two and binge watch a few series. I would wait for every episode to drop on the service, not paying monthly to watch one episode each week.

And I will only run one sub at a time, otherwise just too expensive and only so may programmes o can fit in each month.

No wonder Sky are doing same as Netflix and making more of their own series and films. Years from now when every studio has their own streaming platform. There I'll be so many it would cost a small fortune to have them all. Long gone are the days when you just paid for a TV licence