Fox TV Bosses Diss Netflix Shows for Short-Lived Buzz: 'In and Out of the Conversation Very Quickly'

Fox Television Group CEOs and co-chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman aren’t convinced that upstarts like Netflix and Apple are the best fit for content creators looking to sign overall deals.

The executives were among the featured speakers at TheWrap’s annual TheGrill media conference on Monday, where talk turned to Shonda Rhimes recently leaving her longtime home at ABC for a hefty multi-year deal with Netflix.

Walden pointed out that the TV producers who have overall deals with Fox, including Ryan Murphy and Seth MacFarlane, benefit from their shows potentially landing at the platform that would be the best fit, with Walden citing Murphy recently placing shows at Fox, FX and Netflix.

On the other hand, all of Rhimes’ new shows will launch on Netflix.

Also Read: TheGrill 2017: Why VR Is Hard to Monetize

“It’s a content dump,” Walden said of Netflix. “They do support a lot of their shows, but you’re in and out of the conversation very quickly. That’s not what Ryan Murphy has built an entire career on. He likes being close to the pulse of certainly this country, and in many of his shows, a global conversation. And it’s a conversation that goes out over time and keeps an audience captivated and talking on social media until its completion.”

She said that her company’s model for content distribution allows for more sustained “watercooler buzz” than Netflix shows can build.

Also Read: Why Shonda Rhimes Jumped Ship From ABC to Netflix

“My only point about Shonda is, she’s now again richly rewarded, as she should be, but at a place where all of her shows will be at Netflix,” Walden continued.

“If she comes up with a show that could explode on FX or on Fox, that’s not a possibility for her anymore — she’s locked into one mode of distribution. I can point to a lot of our creators who want to be more prolific than that and want to be more a part of the conversation.”

The Scene at TheGrill 2017: TheWrap's Media Leadership Conference

Co-Chairmen and CEO's of Fox Television Group Gary Newman and Dana Walden, and John Singleton.
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TheWrap's annual TheGrill media conference took place at the Montage Beverly Hills on Oct. 2 and Oct. 3.
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TheWrap's CEO and editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman greets attendees at the 8th annual TheGrill conference.
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Audience members listen to panels on the first day of TheGrill.
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Sky Moore, partner at Greenberg Glusker, Cindy Lin, CEO of Infotainment China, and President of DMG Entertainment, Chris Fenton at TheWrap's annual TheGrill conference.
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David Grinberg, partner at Sidley Austin LLP, speaks onstage at TheWrap's 8th Annual TheGrill.
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Stanley Rosen, professor of political science at USC, speaks with Sharon Waxman on stage.
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Catherine Zhang of Youku Tudou and Colin Brady of CAA discuss streaming in China with TheWrap's Matt Pressberg.
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Vicki Beck and Jan Pinkava speak with Sharon Waxman on stage.
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The Montage in Beverly Hills.
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Attendees gather around the lunch buffet at TheGrill on Monday.
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Stanley Rosen, Matt Pressberg and Cindy Lin at TheGrill.
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Ted Schilowitz of Paramount Pictures speaks at TheGrill.
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Attendees gather at The Montage for TheWrap's annual TheGrill conference.
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Sharon Waxman with Albie Hecht.
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Sharon Waxman with speakers at TheGrill.
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Kathleen Grace and Robert Goldberg speak on a panel during TheGrill.
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Audience members of TheGrill conference converse during a break.
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Virtual Reality panel at TheGrill.
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Managing director and media and technology analyst at BTIG Rich Greenfield discusses the future of media with Sharon Waxman.
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Gary Newman and Dana Walden speak with Sharon Waxman on stage.
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Michael Bloom, Robert Goldberg, Kathleen Grace, Alec Shankman and Chris M. Williams speak about multimedia platforms at TheGrill.
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ILMxLAB's Vicki Beck and Google Spotlight Stories' Jan Pinkava talk about VR at TheGrill.
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Director John Singleton before his panel at the end of TheGrill's first day.
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Audience members talk during a break at TheGrill.
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Director of International Content Cooperation of Youku Tudou Inc., Catherine Zhang, attends TheGrill.
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Founding Partner of MacInnes Scott, John MacInnes, attends TheWrap's media conference on Monday.
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UCLA's Elizabeth Joye Buda and Kate Pierce attend TheWrap's TheGrill.
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The audience watches a panel at TheWrap's media and technology conference, TheGrill.
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TheWrap's film reporter Matt Pressberg on a panel with Co-Founder and EVP of WEVR, Anthony Batt, Founding Partner of MacInnes Scott, John MacInnes and Paramount Pictures' Ted Schilowitz.
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TheWrap's Tim Molloy speaks with "Boyz N The Hood" director John Singleton
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Cocktail party on the terrace of The Montage in Beverly Hills
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Sharon Waxman and TheWrap team
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Invar CEO Elizabeth Koshi, John Singleton, and ICM's Crystal Mais at TheGrill
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Raymond Reed and Sabrina Taylor
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Attendees at TheGrill cocktail party.
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Weather Channel's Dave Shull discusses climate change with Sharon Waxman.
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Producers Nina Jacobson and Darren Throop with Sharon Waxman
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Adi Sideman at TheGrill
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Tobias Quesser at TheGrill
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Franklin Leonard discusses diversity at TheGrill
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M and A panel at TheGrill
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Paramount distribution head Megan Colligan and Lionsgate Marketing SVP Thai Randolph
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TheGrill's Innovators Panel
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TheGrill's Innovators Panel
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DreamWorks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and Sharon Waxman
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mitu President Beatriz Acevado
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