FX Rebrands Hulu Tab Amid Global Expansion 

FX CEO John Landgraf has preached for years about the importance of brands and content curation. And now, his Disney-owned cable network is doubling down on the FX brand as part of a global expansion.

FX announced Monday that its two-year-old hub on Hulu, known as “FX on Hulu,” will be rebranded as just “FX” with the network’s logo now appearing above the titles on all of its programming. The change, which begins this month, includes new scripted originals as well as library titles developed by Landgraf and company.

The FX brand will also be used internationally as programming makes its way to Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in other territories that aren’t age gated because of their adult content.

“We realized a decade ago that FX would soon no longer be primarily a location, but a rather branded mark of quality that would travel across multiple distribution platforms,” Landgraf said in a release announcing the news Monday. “For 20 years, we have worked tirelessly to make the FX mark synonymous to the consumer with original programming that is distinctive and excellent as well as entertaining. This change furthers the natural evolution of FX and we are grateful to the company and our partners at DMED for their belief and investment in FX branded programming. We are confident that the FX brand, wherever the consumer finds it, will continue to deliver the highest quality programs any service has to offer.”

The brand emphasis arrives as FX continues to increase its output of scripted originals, with the brand expected to double its programming roster next year to grow to 30 shows, with 25 of them scripted. FX Productions, the internal studio overseen by Landgraf, will further collaborate with other areas of the Disney fold including Dana Walden’s Disney Television Studios, which encompasses 20^th Television, ABC Signature, the recently launched Onyx Collective and Searchlight. FX began working with other Disney-backed studios in January 2020 when True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto inked an overall deal with both FXP and the former Fox 21 as conglomerates seek top talent to develop for multiple platforms. As part of its efforts to serve as a content supplier for Disney’s various networks and streamers, FXP will no longer serve as a content supplier outside buyers.

“With more than a billion hours of FX programming viewed on Hulu since the launch of the FX hub, we’ve further cemented Hulu as the home for stories that impact culture, inspire conversation, and connect with viewers in meaningful ways and we’re excited to see the brand evolve to connect with international audiences on Disney+ and Star+,” said Rebecca Campbell, chairman of Disney’s direct to consumer and international. “FX’s award-winning adult programming is vital to our services both domestically and internationally and we want to shine a brighter light on the brand within our excellent and rapidly growing portfolio of general entertainment programming for adult audiences.”

The “FX on Hulu” hub helped bring FX into the streaming era as the formerly Fox-owned cable network did not have a direct-to-consumer platform of its own. The hub features next-day originals of most FX programming as well as a vast library of 170 seasons and 1,800 episodes. Since the programming hub was announced, nearly all of FX’s scripted originals have launched on the FX on Hulu platform as Disney, like others, puts streaming at the forefront of its business.

As scores of Landgraf’s counterparts decamped linear network roles for streaming jobs (see Jennifer Salke, Bela Bajaria, Kevin Reilly and Bob Greenblatt, to name a few), the exec known as the “Mayor of Television” has resisted. Instead, he has opted to remain at FX amid years of rumors that his services were eyed for streaming jobs.