Fox Television Stations
A Fox Corporation-owned group of United States television stations and digital multicast services.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Fox Television Stations, LLC, commonly abbreviated FTS, is the station-group division of Fox Corporation. It owns and operates television stations in major United States markets, principally stations affiliated with the Fox broadcast network, while also managing a portfolio of independent, MyNetworkTV, and digital multicast operations. The group is distinct from the Fox network itself: the network supplies programming nationally, while Fox Television Stations owns or operates local broadcast outlets that carry that programming and produce local news, weather, sports, and community content. The group’s roots lie in News Corporation’s expansion into American television during the 1980s. In 1985, News Corporation agreed to acquire six major-market independent stations from Metromedia: WNEW-TV in New York, WTTG in Washington, D.C., KTTV in Los Angeles, KRIV in Houston, WFLD in Chicago, and KRLD-TV in Dallas. These stations formed the initial operational base for the Fox Broadcasting Company, which launched in 1986. A seventh property, Boston’s WXNE-TV, was acquired separately and became WFXT. The Metromedia stations also gave the later Fox organization a historical connection to the former DuMont Television Network because WNEW-TV and WTTG had been DuMont owned-and-operated stations and the former DuMont Tele-Centre became the Fox Television Center. FTS expanded significantly through affiliation agreements and acquisitions during the 1990s. The 1994 agreement between Fox and New World Communications caused a large group of established network affiliates to move to Fox, especially after Fox obtained National Football League rights for games involving the National Football Conference. Fox subsequently acquired New World in 1997, adding stations including KSAZ-TV, WTVT, WAGA-TV, WJBK, KTBC, KDFW, WDAF-TV, KTVI, WJW, and WITI. The combination gave Fox owned stations in strategically important markets and strengthened the value of its network programming in retransmission-consent negotiations with cable, satellite, and telecommunications distributors. The 2000 acquisition of the Chris-Craft/United television group added several stations formerly associated with UPN and created duopolies in markets such as New York, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. FTS also acquired or exchanged stations to build paired operations in other markets. When the WB and UPN merger created The CW in 2006, Fox’s former UPN outlets were not included in the new network. Fox therefore launched MyNetworkTV as a programming and affiliation service for nine of those stations. FTS later sold a number of smaller-market stations, including several former New World properties, to Local TV in a transaction completed in 2008. Beyond conventional Fox affiliates, the group has developed a broader local-media portfolio. It has participated in local-news-sharing arrangements, including an early Philadelphia service with NBC-owned stations, and has placed digital multicast networks on its stations. FTS owns LiveNOW from Fox and Fox Soul, oversees MyNetworkTV, and holds a half-interest in the Movies! digital network with Weigel Broadcasting. Its stations have also carried or partnered with multicast services such as Buzzr and Heroes & Icons. The company continued pursuing ownership in National Football League markets during the 2010s. It acquired Charlotte stations WJZY and WMYT-TV in 2013, making WJZY a Fox owned-and-operated station, and exchanged Boston’s WFXT and Memphis’s WHBQ-TV for San Francisco Bay Area stations KTVU and KICU-TV in 2014. These transactions reflected the strategic value Fox placed on owning local stations in markets with NFC teams, where network sports rights could support audience, advertising, and distribution negotiations. Following the separation of News Corporation’s entertainment assets and the creation of 21st Century Fox in 2013, the station group ultimately became part of Fox Corporation after the 2019 sale of most 21st Century Fox entertainment a…
History
Fox Television Stations developed from News Corporation’s 1980s decision to enter the United States television-station business. News Corporation first acquired a 50 percent interest in the parent company of 20th Century Fox in 1985 and then agreed to purchase six independent stations from Metromedia. The stations were located in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, and Dallas. They became the foundation of the Fox Broadcasting Company, which began operating in 1986. Fox added Boston station WXNE-TV, later renamed WFXT, at the end of 1986. Regulatory restrictions concerning common ownership of a newspaper and television station complicated Fox’s control of WFXT; the station was temporarily placed in trust and later sold before Fox reacquired it in 1995. The group’s scale increased in the 1990s through both acquisitions and affiliation agreements. Fox’s purchase of National Football League rights, particularly for NFC games, made affiliation with Fox attractive to station owners and gave Fox a reason to seek ownership of stations in major football markets. The 1994 New World agreement moved a large number of established stations from other networks to Fox. Fox later purchased New World, with the 1997 closing transferring ten stations into the Fox owned-and-operated group. FTS also acquired stations independently, including WHBQ-TV in Memphis and WTXF-TV in Philadelphia, and used purchases and exchanges to adjust its market portfolio. The 2000 acquisition of Chris-Craft/United added stations associated with UPN and produced several same-market station combinations. FTS created or expanded duopolies in places including Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis, Dallas, Chicago, Orlando, Houston, and Washington, D.C. Some stations were exchanged because of ownership limits or because Fox wanted stronger combinations. In Minneapolis, Fox moved its affiliation from WFTC to the stronger-signal KMSP-TV in 2002, while WFTC became a UPN outlet. The creation of The CW in 2006 left nine Fox-owned former UPN outlets without a place in the new network. Fox responded by establishing MyNetworkTV, which began operation in September 2006 as a programming service using serialized entertainment and later other syndicated programming. FTS subsequently reduced its exposure to smaller markets, selling eight stations to Local TV in a transaction announced in 2007 and completed in 2008. The sold stations included former New World properties as well as stations in Denver, Salt Lake City, and Colorado’s Fort Collins area. During the late 2000s and 2010s, FTS broadened its role beyond ownership of Fox affiliates. It participated in shared local-news operations, beginning with Philadelphia, and placed several digital multicast services on its stations. It became involved with Movies!, a joint venture with Weigel Broadcasting, and served as a launch partner for Buzzr. It also carried Heroes & Icons on stations in major markets. These activities allowed the group to use broadcast spectrum for additional services while maintaining its core local-news and network-affiliate businesses. FTS pursued further expansion in markets considered strategically important because of professional football rights. It acquired the Charlotte stations WJZY and WMYT-TV in 2013, then acquired KTVU and KICU-TV in the San Francisco Bay Area in exchange for WFXT and WHBQ-TV in 2014. Fox also explored a possible Seattle acquisition and briefly sought to acquire KBCB, but the KBCB application was dismissed by the Federal Communications Commission. In 2013, the corporate restructuring associated with the separation of News Corporation’s publishing and entertainment assets moved 20th Television out of FTS management. After the 2019 transaction in which The Walt Disney Company acquired most of 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets, Fox Television Stations became part of Fox Corporation. The active group now combines local broadcast stations with digital news and entertainment services, MyNetworkTV oversight, and participation in multicast networks.
- 2019
Fox Television Stations becomes part of Fox Corporation
[1]Following the sale of most former 21st Century Fox assets to Disney, FTS became part of the newly formed Fox Corporation.
- 2014
FTS acquires KTVU and KICU-TV
[1]The San Francisco Bay Area transaction added a major-market duopoly while WFXT and WHBQ-TV moved to Cox Media Group.
- 2013
FTS acquires WJZY and WMYT-TV
[1]The Charlotte transaction expanded Fox’s ownership presence in an NFL market.
- 2008
Local TV station sale closes
[1]Eight smaller-market stations announced for sale in 2007 transferred to Local TV.
- 2006
MyNetworkTV launches
[1]FTS introduced the service for Fox-owned outlets that were not selected as charter affiliates of The CW.
- 2001
Chris-Craft transaction creates new station combinations
[1]The completed acquisition added former UPN stations and created duopolies in several markets.
- 1997
New World Communications becomes part of Fox
[1]Ten New World stations became Fox owned-and-operated stations, substantially expanding FTS in major markets.
- 1994
Fox and New World sign a major affiliation agreement
[1]The agreement moved numerous established network affiliates to Fox and helped reshape American broadcast affiliations.
- 1990
KSTU joins the Fox-owned station portfolio
[1]The Salt Lake City station became Fox’s first network-owned station in Utah.
- 1986
Fox Broadcasting Company begins operation
[1]The initial Metromedia stations became the first major owned-and-operated outlets associated with the Fox network.
Products and positioning
A large-market, sports-oriented local television station group that combines Fox network distribution with local news, advertising, digital video, and multicast-network operations.
Broadcast television
Fox owned-and-operated television stations
FTS owns and operates local television stations in major United States markets. These stations carry Fox network programming and produce local news, weather, public-affairs, sports, and community material. Their local advertising and distribution relationships are central to the group’s business model.
Digital news
LiveNOW from Fox
LiveNOW from Fox is a digital news service associated with Fox Television Stations. It extends the group’s local and national video-news capabilities beyond linear station broadcasts through live and on-demand digital programming.
Digital and multicast television
Fox Soul
Fox Soul is a Fox-owned digital video and television service focused on programming for Black audiences, including entertainment, discussion, culture, and lifestyle content.
Syndication and broadcast programming · 2006
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a programming service overseen by FTS. It was created in 2006 for former Fox-owned UPN affiliates left outside the initial CW affiliation arrangements and supplies syndicated programming to affiliated stations.
Digital multicast network · 2013
Movies!
Movies! is a digital multicast television network jointly operated with Weigel Broadcasting. FTS distributes the service on subchannels of participating stations and holds a half-interest in the network.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015Buzzr multicast-network launch partnership
United States
FTS became a charter launch partner for Buzzr, a digital multicast network built around classic game-show programming.
Outcome. Buzzr launched in June 2015 on participating digital subchannels.
- 2009Philadelphia Local News Service
Philadelphia
FTS and NBC Owned Television Stations established a shared local-news operation in Philadelphia after a testing period. The arrangement allowed participating stations to share selected news-gathering resources while retaining separate branded newscasts.
Outcome. The model was later extended to additional markets involving Fox and NBC-owned stations.
Brand decisions
2014
Exchange Boston and Memphis stations for KTVU and KICU-TVM&ABackground
The San Francisco Bay Area was another major NFL market where Fox sought direct station ownership.
Action taken
FTS exchanged WFXT in Boston and WHBQ-TV in Memphis with Cox Media Group for KTVU and KICU-TV.
Aftermath
The transaction closed in October 2014 and gave FTS a San Francisco Bay Area duopoly.
2013
Acquire WJZY and WMYT-TVM&ABackground
Fox sought stronger ownership positions in NFL markets, partly to support advertising and retransmission-consent negotiations.
Action taken
FTS purchased the Charlotte duopoly of CW affiliate WJZY and MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYT-TV.
Aftermath
WJZY became a Fox owned-and-operated station in July 2013.
2006
Launch MyNetworkTVProduct launchBackground
Fox-owned former UPN stations were not included in the planned merger of UPN and The WB into The CW.
Action taken
FTS announced MyNetworkTV as a new programming service for nine non-Fox outlets.
Aftermath
The service began operations in September 2006 and remained part of the group’s programming portfolio.
1994
Enter the New World affiliation agreementStrategyBackground
Fox’s acquisition of National Football League rights increased the value of affiliates in markets with NFC teams and created an incentive to secure established stations.
Action taken
Fox and New World Communications agreed that a large group of New World stations would switch to Fox.
Aftermath
The agreement triggered widespread network-affiliation changes and preceded Fox’s acquisition of New World.
1985
Acquire the Metromedia television stationsM&ABackground
News Corporation needed a station base to support its planned entry into the United States broadcast-network business.
Action taken
It agreed to purchase six independent stations in major markets from Metromedia.
Aftermath
The stations became the initial owned-and-operated foundation of the Fox Broadcasting Company and later Fox Television Stations.
Transaction value. $2.55 billion announced purchase price (1985 announcement)
Recent events
Fox Television Stations launches Fox Soul[2]
Reported:
Fox Television Stations launched Fox Soul, a free live and interactive streaming channel aimed at Black viewers, with original and locally produced programming.
- Unconfirmed
Fox Television Stations acquires syndication rights to Schitt’s Creek[3]
Reported:
Fox Television Stations acquired the syndication rights to the comedy series Schitt’s Creek for U.S. broadcast markets.
- Unconfirmed
Fox Television Stations acquires syndication rights to Schitt’s Creek[4]
Reported:
Fox Television Stations acquired the syndication rights to the Pop TV comedy series Schitt’s Creek. The series was set to begin airing in U.S. broadcast markets in fall 2020.
Sources5 sources
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