Jacqui Feeney.
Jacqui Feeney is stepping down after five years as managing director of Fox Networks Group (FNG) Australia following the axing of two of its flagship channels, FX and Nat Geo People.
Foxtel pulled the plug on those channels as well as Discovery’s Eurosport News at the end of February as part of an ongoing consolidation, reducing the number of linear channels as subscribers migrate increasingly to streaming.
Tim Jones, who continues to lead National Geographic Expeditions travel business across Asia Pacific and the Middle East, will succeed Feeney as GM of FNG in July.
Her exit is part of a restructure of the FNG Australia business which the company said “will support and grow the existing successful National Geographic business while also providing new opportunities and growth areas.”
After FX closed most of its shows including Legion, The Americans, American Horror Story: Cult and Feud moved to Showcase while Lucifer went to Fox8.
FNG’s portfolio is among the 21st Century Fox assets including the 20th Century Fox movie studio, 20th Century Fox Television’s studio and FX which are being acquired by the Walt Disney Co.
That $US52.4 billion deal is expected to close by the end of the northern summer next year.
Rohit D’Silva, FNG’s MD of South East Asia, Hong Kong and Australia, said: “Jacqui has been a great champion of both the Fox and National Geographic brands and we are very grateful for her leadership over the last five years.
“With the recent industry changes, Tim is the ideal candidate to build on Jacqui’s momentum. Tim understands both the Australian market and the National Geographic business; he has a breadth of experience and a strategic mindset, making him the perfect leader at this exciting time of transformation.”
Feeney said: “I am proud of what we’ve achieved as a terrific team, including our local commissions, digital focus, the global first launch of the Nat Geo App, and the business and brands we have developed and nurtured in that time. I am committed to oversee the business transition before heading off in a new direction.”
Prior to joining FNG, Feeney held numerous positions at Foxtel including director of Presto and Foxtel on demand and head of content partnerships. Earlier in her career she was CEO of World Movies and she worked at Screen NSW, ABC TV and the BBC London.