Its name may be an abbreviation for “special effects,” but Rogers Media has built its specialty service FX Canada with some decidedly low-tech tactics: Quality programming, aggressive promotion… and some spirited back-and-forth with a longtime rival.
Last week’s announcement that Bell is now carrying FX on its Fibe and Bell Satellite services is “the final piece” in the three-year-old specialty service’s emergence, said Hayden Mindell, vice-president of television programming and content at Rogers Media.
The addition of Bell to its existing distribution partners means that FX is now carried by every major broadcast distribution undertaking (BDU) in the country, boosting the number of households in which it is available from 4.2 million to 5 million.
Mindell said discussions with Bell regarding FX had been on-and-off for as long as 18 months. “I can’t tell you how many times we were close and then not there,” he said. “The fact that we are distributed is a huge relief.”
The new carriage deal provides additional reach for FX, which has grown its primetime audience in the adults 25-54 demo by 19% this year and by 176% over the past two years. Its full-day ratings are also up, 14% and 125% respectively, while research suggests that time spent with the brand has increased 22% – largely because of the addition of the younger-skewing FXX brand in April.
Mindell attributed the ratings increase to extensive cross-promotion of FX programs across Rogers properties such as City and Sportsnet, as well as the influx of several buzz-worthy U.S. shows, including The Americans, the Billy Bob Thornton series Fargo, and summer hit The Strain.
The latter garnered an all-time FX Canada high of 210,000 viewers 2+ for its July 13 premiere, and has exceeded audience estimates among adults 25-54 and adults 18-49 by 60% and 68% respectively, in its Sunday 10 p.m. timeslot.
Mindell said FX’s continued rise also dovetails with changing audience expectations and a willingness to embrace programming that might once have been considered challenging.
“People’s expectations of television have changed fairly dramatically over the last 10 years,” he said. “They expect more from television, and in some ways it has taken over the role of cinema.”
He said other critically acclaimed FX shows such as Louie are also finding an audience, a trend he expects to continue as it and other titles are exclusively added to Rogers’ upcoming streaming video-on-demand service shomi when it launches in partnership with Shaw next month.
Planned new additions to the FX schedule include the scripted drama American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, as well as a new Billy Crystal comedy series called The Comedians – in which the funnyman plays a veteran comedian on a sketch comedy show whose reign is threatened by an edgy up-and-comer.
Another new comedy on the slate for 2015, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, stars Denis Leary as a failed former rock star trying to resurrect his career in his 50s. They will be complemented by new seasons of several established shows including The Americans and two 2014 newcomers, Tyrant and Fargo.
Rogers is running extensive FX promos during its NHL telecasts, and hopes to attract more male 18-49 audiences to the service by featuring an NHL matchup of U.S. teams every Saturday throughout the regular season as part of its wide-ranging coverage of Canada’s national sport.
“I think it draws new audiences to FX that otherwise wouldn’t have it on their radar,” said Mindell. “It’s huge for us to bring a demographic we don’t always reach to the channel, and then once they’re there let them know about some other shows. Hockey is massive, so any subset of that would be substantial.”
While hockey helps FX meet its conditions of license for Canadian content, Mindell said the company hopes to introduce original scripted content to the lineup within the next 18 months.
