Editing Fox Broadcasting Company (section)

===1990s: Rise into mainstream success and beginnings of rivalry with the Big Three===
Fox survived where DuMont and other attempts to start a fourth network had failed because it programmed just under the number of hours defined by the FCC to legally be considered a network. This allowed Fox to make revenue in ways forbidden to the established networks (for instance, it did not have to adhere to the [[Financial Interest and Syndication Rules]] that were in effect at the time), since during its first years it was considered to be merely a large group of stations. By comparison, DuMont had been saddled by numerous regulatory barriers that hampered its potential to grow, most notably a ban on acquiring additional stations, during an era when the FCC had much tighter ownership limits for television stations (limiting broadcasters to a maximum of five stations nationwide) than it did when Fox launched. In addition, Murdoch was more than willing to open his wallet to get and keep programming and talent. DuMont, in contrast, operated on a shoestring budget and was unable to keep the programs and stars it had.<ref>{{cite book|title=Television's Greatest Year: 1954|first=R. D.|last=Heldenfels|publisher=Continuum|location=New York City|year=1994|pages=79–80|isbn=0-8264-0675-0}}</ref>

Most of the other startup networks that launched in later years (such as [[UPN]] and [[The WB]]) followed Fox's model as well. Furthermore, DuMont operated during a time when the FCC did not require television manufacturers to include UHF capability.<ref name="RTDNACSA">McDowell, W. [http://list.msu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0109b&L=aejmc&T=0&P=9926 Remembering the DuMont Network: A Case Study Approach]. College of Mass Communication and Media Arts, Southern Illinois University. Retrieved on December 28, 2006.</ref> To see DuMont's UHF stations, most people had to buy an expensive [[set-top box|converter]]. Even then, the signal quality was marginal at best compared to the signals of [[Very high frequency|VHF]] stations {{crossreference|(see also: {{section link|UHF television broadcasting|UHF vs VHF}}) }}. By the time Fox launched, cable allowed UHF stations to generally be on an equal footing with VHF stations.<ref name="NYTimes1986"/>

Although Fox was growing rapidly as a network and had established itself as a presence, it was still not considered a major competitor to the established "Big Three" broadcast networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC. From its launch, Fox had the advantage of offering programs intended to appeal toward a younger demographic – adults between 18 and 34 years of age – and that were edgier in content, whereas some programs that were carried by the "Big Three" networks attracted an older-skewing audience. Until the early 1990s, when Fox expanded its programming to additional nights and outside prime time, most Fox stations were still essentially formatted as independent stations – filling their schedules with mainly first-run and acquired programming, and, during prime time, running either syndicated programs or, more commonly, movies on nights when the network did not provide programming. Few Fox stations carried local newscasts during the network's early years, unlike the owned-and-operated stations and affiliates of its established rivals. Those that did were mostly based in larger markets (including some of the network's O&Os) and retained newscasts that had aired for decades.  Even then, these news operations were limited to one newscast per day, following the network's prime time lineup.

On September 6, 1990, Fox reached an agreement with [[Tele-Communications, Inc.|TCI]] (the nation's largest cable company at the time) in which TCI systems in markets that were not served by an over-the-air Fox affiliate at the time would become charter affiliates of a cable-only national feed of the network known as [[Foxnet]].<ref name="Fox TCI deal">{{cite news|title=Fox Network Gets Cable Affiliates in Deal With TCI|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-09-07-fi-566-story.html|first=John|last=Lippman|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=September 7, 1990|access-date=October 12, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=FOX Broadcasting Co. Strikes a Deal with Cable TV Giant TCI|first=Scott D.|last=Pierce|newspaper=[[Deseret News]]|date=September 12, 1990}}</ref> The cable-only network launched on June 6, 1991, bringing Fox programming to smaller markets that did not carry a default Fox affiliate at the time; it would manage to reach a total of 1.3&nbsp;million subscribers by 1992.<ref name="Foxnet Get Wet">{{cite web|title=Fox Net Ready To Get Wet With New Satellite Service|url=https://variety.com/1991/tv/features/fox-net-ready-to-get-wet-with-new-satellite-service-99126491/|first=Dennis|last=Wharton|periodical=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=May 6, 1991|access-date=April 24, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Fox Seeks Lucrative Romance With Cable|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-02-28-fi-3041-story.html|first=John|last=Lippman|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=February 28, 1992|access-date=October 12, 2015}}</ref>

As Fox gradually headed towards carrying a full week's worth of programming in prime time through the addition of programming on Thursday and Friday nights at the start of the [[1990–91 United States network television schedule|1990–91 season]], the network's added offerings included the scheduling of ''The Simpsons'' opposite veteran NBC sitcom ''[[The Cosby Show]]'' as part of Fox's initial Thursday night lineup that fall (along with future hit ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]'', which would become the network's longest-running drama, airing for ten seasons) after only a half-season of success on Sunday nights. The show performed well in its new Thursday slot, spending four seasons there and helping to launch ''[[Martin (TV series)|Martin]]'', another Fox comedy that became a hit when it debuted in August 1992. ''The Simpsons''  returned to Sunday nights in the fall of 1994, and has remained there ever since.

The sketch comedy series ''[[In Living Color]]'', which debuted in April 1990, created many memorable characters and launched the careers of future movie stars [[Jim Carrey]], [[Jamie Foxx]], [[Damon Wayans]], [[Marlon Wayans]], [[Keenen Ivory Wayans]], guest stars [[Chris Rock]] and [[Tim Meadows]], and both members of the show's dance troupe, the "Fly Girls", [[Rosie Perez]] and [[Jennifer Lopez]]. The series also gained international prominence after Fox aired a special live episode in January 1992 as an [[Super Bowl counterprogramming|alternative to the halftime show]] during [[Super Bowl XXVI]], which was broadcast on CBS, marking the start of Fox's rivalry with the "Big Three" networks while popularizing the [[Counterprogramming (television)|counterprogramming]] strategy against the [[Super Bowl]] telecast.

The early and mid-1990s saw the debuts of several soap opera-style prime time dramas aimed at younger audiences that became quick hits, which, in addition to ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', included its adult-focused spin-off ''[[Melrose Place]]'' (which initially had a mediocre ratings performance, before viewership rose significantly midway through its first season following [[Heather Locklear]]'s addition to the cast), its own short lived spin-off ''[[Models Inc.]]'', and family drama ''[[Party of Five]]''. The early and mid-1990s also saw the network launch several series aimed at a [[African Americans|black]] audience, which, in addition to ''Martin'', included the sitcom ''[[Living Single]]'' and [[police procedural]] ''[[New York Undercover]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stanley |first1=T.L. |title=Must-flee TV |journal=Mediaweek |date=8 April 1996 |volume=6 |issue=15 |page=9 |id={{ProQuest|213644280}} }}</ref>

====Luring the NFL and affiliation switches====
{{Main|1994–1996 United States broadcast television realignment}}

Despite having a few successful shows like the science fiction drama ''[[The X-Files]]'', Fox still lacked credibility among viewers.<ref name="kcs20190206">{{Cite news |last1=Hendricks |first1=Mike |last2=Vockrodt |first2=Steve |date=February 10, 2019 |title=Kansas City Chiefs' tax returns provide rare look inside the business of pro football |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kansas-city-star-kansas-city-chiefs/124797303/ 1B], 6B |work=The Kansas City Star |location=Kansas City, Missouri |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kansas-city-star-kansas-city-chiefs/124797333/ |access-date=May 16, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Even those working in television thought of Fox as "the one that has that cartoon show" (''The Simpsons''). More than 85% of affiliates in 1993 were UHF stations. Fox became a viable competitor to the older networks when it won broadcast television rights to the [[National Football League]] (NFL) away from [[NFL on CBS|CBS]]. In December 1993, Fox signed a contract with the NFL to televise games from the [[National Football Conference]] (NFC)—which had been airing its games on CBS since [[1956 NFL season|1956]]—starting with the [[1994 NFL season|1994 season]]. The initial four-year contract, which Fox bid $1.58&nbsp;billion to obtain—while CBS offered $295&nbsp;million per year to retain the rights<ref name="curtis20181213">{{Cite web |url=https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/12/13/18137938/nfl-fox-deal-rupert-murdoch-1993-john-madden-terry-bradshaw-howie-long-jimmy-johnson-cbs-nbc |title=The Great NFL Heist: How Fox Paid for and Changed Football Forever |last=Curtis |first=Bryan |date=2018-12-13 |website=The Ringer |access-date=2018-12-13}}</ref>—also included the exclusive U.S. television rights to [[Super Bowl XXXI]] in [[1996 NFL season|1997]].<ref name="FOXNFC">{{cite web|title=CBS, NBC Battle for AFC Rights // Fox Steals NFC Package|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4205316.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105135152/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4205316.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 5, 2012|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|date=December 18, 1993}}</ref> The network also lured [[Pat Summerall]], [[John Madden]], [[Dick Stockton]], [[Matt Millen]], [[James Brown (sportscaster)|James Brown]], [[Terry Bradshaw]], and behind-the-scenes production personnel, from [[CBS Sports]] to staff its NFL coverage.{{r|curtis20181213}}

Shortly afterward, News Corporation began striking affiliation deals with, and later purchasing, more television station groups. On May 23, 1994, Fox agreed to purchase a 20% stake in [[New World Pictures#New World Communications|New World Communications]], a television and film [[production company]] controlled by investor [[Ronald Perelman]] that had just recently entered into broadcasting through its 1993 purchase of seven stations owned by [[Storer Broadcasting|SCI Television]]. As a result of Fox acquiring a 20% minority interest in the company, New World signed an agreement to switch the affiliations of twelve stations (eight CBS affiliates, three ABC affiliates [ [[WBRC|two]] [[WGHP|of which]] were subsequently placed in a [[blind trust]] and then sold directly to Fox due to conflicts with FCC ownership rules ], and [[WDAF-TV|one NBC affiliate]]) that it had either already owned outright or was in the process of acquiring from [[Taft Broadcasting|Citicasters]] and [[Hearst Television|Argyle Communications]] at the time to Fox starting in September 1994 and continuing as existing affiliation contracts with their existing major network partners expired.<ref name=nytbusinessdigest>{{cite news|title=Fox Will Sign Up 12 New Stations; Takes 8 from CBS|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/24/us/fox-will-sign-up-12-new-stations-takes-8-from-cbs.html?pagewanted=4 |first=Bill|last=Carter|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 24, 1994|access-date=October 22, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Fox and the New World order |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1994/BC-1994-05-30.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725013818/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1994/BC-1994-05-30.pdf |archive-date=2020-07-25 |url-status=live |first=Geoffrey|last= Foisie |journal=[[Broadcasting & Cable]] |pages=6, 8 |date=May 30, 1994 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The FCC last week approved New World's plans to transfer WGHP-TV Greensboro, N.C., and WBRC-TV Birmingham, Ala., into a trust for eventual sale to Fox|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16799904.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016073449/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16799904.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 16, 2015|first=Kim|last=McAvoy|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|date=April 10, 1995|access-date=October 10, 2015}}</ref>

That summer, [[SF Broadcasting]], a joint venture between Fox and [[Savoy Pictures]] that was founded in March 1994, purchased four stations from Burnham Broadcasting ([[KHON-TV|three]] [[WALA-TV|NBC]] [[WLUK-TV|affiliates]] and [[WVUE-DT|one ABC affiliate]]);<ref>{{cite news|title=Company News; Fox Adds 3 Network-Affiliated Stations|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/27/business/company-news-fox-adds-3-network-affiliated-stations.html|first=Andy|last=Meisler|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 27, 1994}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Savoy partners to buy Fox affils|url=https://variety.com/1994/tv/news/savoy-partners-to-buy-fox-affils-119324/|first=Jim|last=Benson|periodical=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=March 17, 1994|access-date=June 27, 2015}}</ref> through a separate agreement, those stations would also switch to Fox between September 1995 and January 1996 as existing affiliation agreements lapsed. These two deals were not the first instances in which a longtime "Big Three" station affiliated with Fox: in Miami, the affiliation moved from [[WFOR-TV|WCIX (channel 6)]] to NBC affiliate [[WSVN]] in January 1989<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sonsky |first=Steve |date=October 13, 1988 |title=Channel 7, Fox near agreement |page=8D |newspaper=The Miami Herald |location=Miami, Florida |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74533686/channel-7-fox-near-agreement/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217034502/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74533686/channel-7-fox-near-agreement/ |archive-date=February 17, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> as the result of [[1989 South Florida television affiliation switch|a complicated six-station affiliation swap in two South Florida markets]] spurred by NBC's purchase of CBS affiliate [[WTVJ|WTVJ (channel 4)]] and CBS's purchase of WCIX.<ref name="Miam19890101p1A">{{Cite news |last=Sonsky |first=Steve |date=January 1, 1989 |title=3 million TV viewers affected |page=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74463579/3-million-tv-viewers-affected-p2/ 25A] |work=The Miami Herald |location=Miami, Florida |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74463186/3-million-tv-viewers-affected/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412212200/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74463186/3-million-tv-viewers-affected/ |archive-date=April 12, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> WSVN immediately attracted industry notice<ref name="SouthF19900101p 1">{{Cite news |last=Jicha |first=Tom |date=January 1, 1990 |title=TV switch was 1989's cliffhanger: Last year's shuffle defied predictions |pages=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122589744/tv-switch-was-1989s-cliffhanger-last/ 12A] |newspaper=South Florida Sun Sentinel |location=Fort Lauderdale, Florida |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122589689/tv-switch-was-1989s-cliffhanger-last/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410191546/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122589689/tv-switch-was-1989s-cliffhanger-last/ |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> for featuring a news-intensive tabloid format uncharacteristic of any Fox affiliate or independent station heretofore,<ref name="MiamiN19881207p23">{{Cite news |last=Jicha |first=Tom |date=December 7, 1988 |title=WSVN keeps word to be news-heavy as an independent |page=5C |newspaper=The Miami News |location=Miami, Florida |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74480227/wsvn-keeps-word-to-be-news-heavy-as-an/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217034506/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74480227/wsvn-keeps-word-to-be-news-heavy-as-an/ |archive-date=February 17, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="MiamiH19880902p23">{{Cite news |last=Sonsky |first=Steve |date=September 2, 1988 |title=Channel 7 plans news, news, news |pages=1B, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74517401/channel-7-plans-news-news-news-p2/ 4B] |newspaper=The Miami Herald |location=Miami, Florida |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74517197/channel-7-plans-news-news-news/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217034452/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74517197/channel-7-plans-news-news-news/ |archive-date=February 17, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> with then-Fox network president [[Lucie Salhany]] calling WSVN "the future of television" in May 1994.<ref name="StarTr19940623p 55">{{Cite news |last=Marin |first=Rick |date=June 23, 1994 |title=If it bleeds, it leads: Miami station's news is notorious |pages=1E, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94630765/if-it-bleeds-it-leads-miami-stations/ 3E] |newspaper=Star Tribune |agency=Newsweek |location=Minneapolis, Minnesota |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94630741/if-it-bleeds-it-leads-miami-stations/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410191543/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94630741/if-it-bleeds-it-leads-miami-stations/ |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> WSVN remains the largest Fox affiliate in terms of market size to have entirely eschewed any prominent on-air branding with the network name.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jacobson |first=Adam |date=July 27, 2020 |title=A TV News Pioneer Is Remembered, as Ed Ansin Dies |url=https://rbr.com/sunbeam-television-owner-ed-ansin-dies/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415125307/https://rbr.com/sunbeam-television-owner-ed-ansin-dies/ |archive-date=April 15, 2023 |access-date=April 15, 2023 |website=Radio & Television Business Report |language=en-US}}</ref>

The NFC contract, in fact, was the impetus for the affiliation deal with New World<ref name=nytbusinessdigest/> and SF Broadcasting's purchase of the Burnham stations, as Fox sought to improve local coverage of its new NFL package by aligning the network with stations that had more established histories and advertiser value than its charter affiliates. The deals spurred a series of affiliation realignments between all four U.S. television networks involving individual stations and various broadcasting groups such as those between CBS and [[Westinghouse Broadcasting|Group W]] (whose [[Westinghouse Electric (1886)|corporate parent]] later bought the network in August 1995), and ABC and the [[E. W. Scripps Company]] (which owned [[KNXV-TV|three]] [[KSHB-TV|Fox]] [[WFTS-TV|affiliates]] that switched to either ABC or NBC as a result of the New World deal) affecting 30 television markets between September 1994 and September 1996. The two deals also had the side benefit of increasing local news programming on the new Fox affiliates, mirroring the programming format adopted by WSVN upon that station's switch to the network (as well as expanding the number of news-producing stations in Fox's portfolio beyond mainly charter stations in certain large and mid-sized markets).

With significant market share for the first time ever and the rights to the NFL, Fox firmly established itself as the nation's fourth major network. Fox Television Stations would acquire New World outright on July 17, 1996, in a $2.48&nbsp;billion stock purchase, making the latter's twelve Fox affiliates owned-and-operated stations of the network;<ref>{{cite news|title=New World Vision : Murdoch's News Corp. to Buy Broadcast Group|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-07-18-fi-25271-story.html|first=Brian|last=Lowry|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=July 18, 1996|access-date=June 22, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The Media Business; Murdoch's News Corp. Buying New World|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/18/business/the-media-business-murdoch-s-news-corp-buying-new-world.html|agency=[[Reuters]]|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 18, 1996|access-date=October 9, 2015}}</ref> the deal was completed on January 22, 1997. Later, in August 2000, Fox bought several stations owned by Chris-Craft Industries and its subsidiaries [[BHC Communications]] and United Television for $5.5&nbsp;billion (most of these stations were UPN affiliates, although its Minneapolis station KMSP-TV would rejoin Fox in September 2002 as an owned-and-operated station).<ref>{{cite news|title=News Corp. to Buy Chris-Craft Parent for $5.5 Billion, Outbidding Viacom|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-aug-12-fi-3272-story.html|first=Sallie|last=Hofmeister|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=August 12, 2000|access-date=March 23, 2011}}</ref> These purchases, for a time, made Fox Television Stations the largest owner of television stations in the U.S. (a title that has since been assumed by the [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]], one of the network's largest affiliate groups).

====Evolving programming====
Fox completed its prime time expansion to all seven nights on January 19, [[1992–93 United States network television schedule|1993]], with the launch of two additional nights of programming on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (The method of gradually adding nights to the programming schedule that began with the network's April 1987 prime time launch was replicated by The WB and UPN when those networks debuted in January 1995), making it the fifth broadcast network (behind the Dumont network) to air programming on a nightly basis. September 1993 saw the heavy promotion and debut of a short-lived [[western (genre)|western]] series that incorporated science-fiction elements, ''[[The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.]]'' However, it was the supernatural investigative drama that debuted immediately following it on Friday nights, ''[[The X-Files]]'', that would find long-lasting success, and would become Fox's first series to crack Nielsen's year-end Top 20 most-watched network programs. After several other failed attempts at late night programming following the cancellation of ''The Late Show'' (most notably, the quick failure of ''[[The Chevy Chase Show]]'' in 1993), Fox finally found success in that time period with the debut of ''[[MADtv]]'' on October 14, 1995; the sketch comedy series became a solid competitor to NBC's ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' for over a decade and was Fox's most successful late night program as well as one of its most successful Saturday night shows, running for 14 seasons until 2009.

An attempt to make a larger effort to program Saturday nights by moving ''Married... with Children'' from its longtime Sunday slot and adding a new but short-lived sitcom (''[[Love and Marriage (1996 TV series)|Love and Marriage]]'') to the night at the beginning of the [[1996–97 United States network television schedule|1996–97 season]] backfired with the public, as it resulted in a brief cancellation of ''America's Most Wanted'' that was criticized by law enforcement and public officials, and was roundly rejected by viewers, which brought swift cancellation to the newer series.<ref>{{cite news|title=Day 'Most Wanted' was canceled|url=http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/day_most_wanted_was_canceled_yq6gF5snMkKkT48hBp41jO|first=Maxine|last=Shen|newspaper=[[New York Post]]|date=March 5, 2010|access-date=October 9, 2011}}</ref> ''Married...'' quickly returned to Sundays (before moving again to Mondays two months later); both it and ''Martin'' would end their runs at the end of that season. The Saturday schedule was revised in November 1996, to feature one new and one encore episode of ''Cops'', and the revived ''America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back''. ''Cops'' and ''AMW'' remained the anchors of Fox's Saturday lineup, making it the most stable night in American broadcast television for over 14 years; both shows eventually were among the few first-run programs remaining on Saturday evenings across the four major networks after decreasing prime time viewership – as more people opted to engage in leisure activities away from home rather than watch television on that night of the week led ABC, NBC and CBS to largely abandon first-run series on Saturdays (outside [[newsmagazine]]s, sports and [[burning off|burned off]] prime time shows that failed on other nights) in favor of reruns and movies by the mid-2000s. ''America's Most Wanted'' ended its 22-year run on Fox in June 2011, and was subsequently picked up by [[Lifetime (TV network)|Lifetime]] (before being cancelled for good in 2013);<ref>{{cite web|title=The Dramatic Re-Enactment: Transcript |url=http://www.onthemedia.org/2011/jun/03/dramatic-re-enactment/transcript/ |first=Bob |last=Garfield |website=On The Media |publisher=[[WNYC]]/New York Public Radio |date=June 3, 2011 |access-date=October 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406080341/http://www.onthemedia.org/2011/jun/03/dramatic-re-enactment/transcript/ |archive-date=April 6, 2012 }}</ref> ''Cops'', in turn, would move its first-run episodes to [[Paramount Network|Spike]] in 2013 after 23 seasons (ending its original run on Fox as the network's longest-running prime time program) and had been cancelled in 2020, leaving sports and repeats of reality and drama series as the only programs airing on Fox on Saturday evenings.<ref>{{cite web|title='Cops' moving from Fox to Spike TV|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/cops-moving-from-fox-to-spike-tv/2013/05/06/22a503e8-b693-11e2-92f3-f291801936b8_story.html|first=Lisa|last=de Moraes|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=May 6, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510204140/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-05-06/lifestyle/39061971_1_median-age-cops-spike|archive-date=May 10, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

During the [[1997–98 United States network television schedule|1997–98 season]], Fox had three shows in the Nielsen Top 20 (in terms of total viewers); ''The X-Files'' (which ranked 11th), ''[[King of the Hill]]'' (which ranked 15th) and ''The Simpsons'' (which ranked 18th), all of which aired on Sunday nights. Building around its flagship animated comedy ''The Simpsons'', Fox would experience relative success with animated sitcoms in prime time, beginning with the debut of the [[Mike Judge]]-produced ''King of the Hill'' in 1997. ''[[Family Guy]]'' (the first of three [[adult animation|adult-oriented animated series]] from [[Seth MacFarlane]] to air on the network) and ''[[Futurama]]'' (from ''Simpsons'' creator [[Matt Groening]]) would make their debuts in 1999; however, they were canceled in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Due to strong DVD sales and highly rated cable reruns on [[Cartoon Network]]'s [[Adult Swim]], Fox later decided to order new episodes of ''Family Guy'', which began airing in 2005. ''Futurama'' would be revived with four direct-to-DVD films between 2007 and 2009 and would return as a first-run series on [[Comedy Central]], where it ran from 2010 to 2013. Less successful efforts included ''[[The Critic]]'', starring ''Saturday Night Live'' alumnus [[Jon Lovitz]] (which Fox picked up in 1994 after it was cancelled by ABC, only for the series to be cancelled again after its second season), and ''[[The PJs]]'' (which moved to The WB in 2000, after Fox cancelled that series after its second season). Other notable shows that debuted in the late 1990s included the quirky [[David E. Kelley]]-produced live-action [[Comedy drama|dramedy]] ''[[Ally McBeal]]'', the short-lived game show ''[[Greed (game show)|Greed]]'', and the period comedy ''[[That '70s Show]]'', the latter of which became Fox's second-longest-running live-action sitcom, airing for eight seasons.

Throughout the 1990s and into the next decade, Fox launched a slate of cable channels beginning with the 1994 debuts of general entertainment network [[FX (TV channel)|FX]] and movie channel FXM: Movies from Fox (now [[FX Movie Channel]]), followed by the debut of [[Fox News Channel]] in August 1996. Its sports operations expanded with the acquisition of controlling interests in several [[regional sports network]]s (including the [[Prime Sports|Prime Network]] and [[SportsChannel]]) between 1996 and 2000 to form [[Fox Sports Networks|Fox Sports Net]] (which launched in November 1996), its 2000 purchase of Speedvision (later Speed Channel, which was replaced in the United States by [[Fox Sports 1]] in August 2013; however, it continues to exist in other North American and [[The Caribbean|Caribbean]] countries as [[Fox Sports Racing]]), and the launches of Fox Sports World (later [[Fox Soccer]], which was replaced by [[FXX]] in September 2013) and Fox Sports en Español (now [[Fox Deportes]]) in the early 2000s.