Business description of FOX-CORPORATION from last 10-k form

PART I

ITEM 1.BUSINESS

Background

Fox Corporation, a Delaware corporation, is a news, sports and entertainment company, which manages and reports its businesses in the following segments:

Unless otherwise indicated, references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019 (“fiscal 2019”) to “FOX”, the “Company”, “we” or “us” mean Fox Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries.

FOX became a standalone publicly traded company on March 19, 2019, when Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. (now known as TFCF Corporation) (“21CF”) distributed, on a pro rata basis, all the issued and outstanding common stock of the Company to 21CF stockholders. Following the distribution, the Company’s class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “class A common stock”) and class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “class B common stock” and, together with the class A common stock, the “common stock”) began trading independently on The Nasdaq Global Select Market. We refer to the foregoing as the “Transaction”.

In connection with the Transaction, the Company was formed with a focused portfolio of domestic media assets in live news and sports and original entertainment programming, including leading brands FOX News Media, FOX Sports, FOX Entertainment and FOX Television Stations. The remaining 21CF assets were acquired by The Walt Disney Company (“Disney”) through a series of transactions contemplated by the amended and restated merger agreement (the “21CF Disney Merger Agreement”) among 21CF, Disney and certain Disney subsidiaries, pursuant to which 21CF became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney (the “Disney Merger”).

The Company is party to several agreements that govern certain aspects of the Company’s relationship with 21CF and Disney following the Transaction, including a separation and distribution agreement, a tax matters agreement, a transition services agreement, as well as agreements relating to intellectual property licenses, employee matters, commercial arrangements and a studio lot lease. See Note 1, “Description of Business and Basis of Presentation”, to the consolidated and combined financial statements included in this Annual Report for further information about these agreements.

The Company’s fiscal year ends on June 30 of each year. The Company was incorporated in 2018 under the laws of the State of Delaware. At June 30, 2019, the Company had approximately 7,700 full-time employees. The Company’s principal executive offices are located at 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036 and its telephone number is (212) 852-7000. The Company’s website is www.foxcorporation.com. The Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are available, free of charge, through the Company’s website as soon as reasonably practicable after the material is electronically filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. All statements other than statements of historical or current fact are “forward-looking statements” for purposes of federal and state securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include, among others, the words “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “outlook” or any other similar words. Although the Company’s management believes that the expectations reflected in any of the Company’s forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in any forward-looking statements. The Company’s future financial condition and results of operations, as well as any forward-looking statements, are subject to change and to inherent risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause the Company’s actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from those estimates or projections contained in the Company’s forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, government regulation, economic, strategic, political and social conditions. For more detailed information about these factors, see Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements.”

Forward-looking statements in this Annual Report speak only as of the date hereof. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or release any revisions to any forward-looking statement made herein or to report any events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in our expectations, except as required by law.

Business Overview

Fox Corporation produces and delivers compelling news, sports and entertainment content through its iconic brands, including FOX News Media, FOX Sports, FOX Entertainment and FOX Television Stations. The Company, with a simple structure focused on two principal reporting segments, differentiates itself in a crowded media and entertainment marketplace through the leadership positions of the Company’s brands, premium programming with a focus on live and “appointment-based” content that brings communities together, a significant presence in major markets and the broad distribution of the Company’s content across traditional and digital platforms.

Our Competitive Strengths

Premium brands that resonate deeply with viewers.

Under the banner of the FOX name, we produce and distribute content through some of the world’s leading and most valued brands. Our long track record of challenging the status quo emboldens us to continue making innovative decisions, disrupting competitors and forming deeper relationships with audiences. FOX News is among the most influential and recognized news brands in the world, recently ranked the “most trusted” American television news brand in the U.S., according to an independent survey conducted by Brand Keys. FOX Sports has earned a reputation for bold sports programming and, with its far-reaching presence in virtually every U.S. household, is the premier destination for live sporting events and sports commentary. The FOX Network primetime lineup has consistently delivered the 18 to 49 year-old audience coveted by advertisers and is home to The Masked Singer, the top new entertainment series on broadcast television for the 2018-2019 broadcast season. These brands and others in our portfolio, including our local station affiliates broadcasting under the FOX brand, hold cultural significance with consumers and commercial importance for distributors and advertisers. The quality of our programming and the strength of our brands maximize the value of our content through a combination of distribution and affiliate fees and advertising sales.

Leadership positions across strategically significant programming platforms.

FOX airs a strong slate of entertainment programming and enjoys a leadership position across our core live news and sports programming businesses. As linear television viewership declines across the industry, “appointment-based” programming that is the FOX hallmark remains resilient, especially in live news and sports. FOX News has been the number one national cable news network for 70 consecutive quarters and is the top-rated national cable news network in primetime and total viewing across key demographics as of June 2019. FOX Sports programs Thursday night and Sunday National Football League (“NFL”) football, the Major League Baseball (“MLB”) All-Star Game and World Series and other marquee events, including the Super Bowl and Fédération International de Football Association (“FIFA”) World Cup. FOX Sports and FOX Entertainment together deliver approximately 15 hours of high-quality, primetime programming each week on the FOX Network, including the hit series The Masked Singer. The FOX Television Stations produce nearly 1,000 hours of local news coverage each week. Taken together, we believe our leadership positions will support strong

affiliate fee revenue growth and sustained advertising revenue, while enabling us to nimbly respond to the challenges relating to rapidly evolving technologies and changes in consumer behavior that traditional media companies are facing.

Significant presence and relevance in major domestic markets.

The FOX portfolio combines the range of national cable and broadcast networks with the power of tailored local television. FOX News and FOX Business are available in over 80 million U.S. households and the FOX Network is available in essentially all U.S. households. Additionally, our 28 owned and operated full power broadcast television stations cover 17 Nielsen-designated market areas (“DMAs”), including nine of the 10 largest, balancing content of national interest with programming of note to local communities. The breadth and depth of our footprint allows us to produce and distribute our content in a cost-effective manner and share best business practices and models across regions. It also enables us to engage audiences, develop deeper consumer relationships and create more compelling product offerings.

Attractive financial profile, including multiple revenue streams, strong balance sheet and tax asset benefit.

We have achieved strong revenue growth and profitability in a complex industry environment over the past several years, led by affiliate fee increases. Additionally, our strong balance sheet provides us with the financial flexibility to continue to invest across our businesses, allocate resources toward investments in growth initiatives, take advantage of strategic opportunities, including potential acquisitions across the range of media categories in which we operate, and return capital to our stockholders. We also benefit from a tax asset that resulted from the step-up in the tax basis of our assets following the Transaction, which will provide an annual cash tax benefit for many years.

Goals and Strategies

Maintain leading positions in live news, live sports and quality entertainment.

We have long been a leader in news, sports and entertainment programming. We believe that building on our leading market positions is essential to our success. We are investing in our most attractive growth opportunities by allocating capital to our news, sports and original entertainment programming, which we believe have distinct competitive advantages. For example, fiscal 2019 saw the launch of FOX Nation, an over-the-top streaming service to deliver premium content to our most dedicated FOX News customers. At FOX Sports, we extended our exclusive rights to broadcast certain premier MLB content, including the World Series and All-Star Game, through the 2028 MLB season. FOX Sports also established a long-term partnership with The Stars Group Inc. to extend the FOX Sports brand through the launch of FOX Bet, a suite of products that will allow audiences to participate in free-to-play games and, in markets where it is legal, wager on sporting events. FOX Entertainment is investing in more co-production arrangements and will own a stake in nearly all new series airing on the FOX Network during the 2019-2020 broadcast season. We believe continuing to provide compelling news, sports and entertainment programming across platforms will increase audience engagement and drive growth across our distribution, affiliate and advertising relationships.

Increase revenue growth through the continued delivery of high quality, premium and valuable content.

With a focused portfolio of assets, we create and produce high quality programming that delivers value for our viewers and our distribution, affiliate and advertising partners. We intend to receive appropriate value for our content, particularly through distribution and affiliate fees. Additionally, we expect our enhanced ability to acquire independent programming through co-production arrangements will facilitate growth by enabling us to directly manage the economics and programming decisions of our broadcast network and stations group. We also believe our unique ability to deliver “appointment-based” viewing and audiences at scale, along with innovative advertising platforms, delivers substantial value to our advertising customers, and the unique nature of our “appointment-based” content positions us to maintain and even grow audiences during a time of increasing consumer fragmentation.

Leverage brands to expand our online distribution offerings, increasing complementary sources of revenues.

The strength of our brands allows us to leverage effective platforms for the digital distribution of our content. Nearly all of our networks are offered in all major digital MVPD services, and we plan to continue enhancing our digital offerings with over-the-top distributors, including streaming via web sites, smartphone and tablet applications, and online and on-demand streaming videos. We also intend to continue cultivating direct interactions between FOX brands and consumers outside traditional linear television. During fiscal 2019, FOX Sports launched a new multi-platform pay-per-view championship boxing service and FOX News launched FOX Nation, an over-the-top streaming service, delivering

premium content complementary to FOX News programming directly to consumers. We intend to identify similarly innovative new products and services across our business to increase revenues and profitability in the future.

Segments

The Cable Network Programming segment produces and licenses news, business news and sports content for distribution primarily through MVPDs primarily in the U.S. The businesses in this segment include FOX News Media (which is comprised of FOX News and FOX Business) and our primary cable sports programming networks FS1, FS2 and Big Ten Network.

The following table lists the Company’s significant cable networks and the number of subscribers as estimated by Nielsen Media Research (“Nielsen”):