Fox TV executive David Haslingden leaving company
David Haslingden, a top Fox television executive who got his start in Australia and served in far-flung operations of Rupert Murdoch’s empire for nearly 20 years, is leaving News Corp.
The company announced Haslingden’s departure on Wednesday, saying the lawyer-turned-television-executive was stepping down at the end of the year to “to return to his native Australia and spend more time with his family.”
Haslingden, as president of the Fox Networks Group, was Fox TV’s top business executive in Los Angeles, overseeing Fox Broadcasting, Fox’s regional sports channels, National Geographic channels and the Fox International Channels.
He had moved to Los Angeles to step into that influential position early last year, but kept a home in Australia, where his children are in school.
But the landscape in Los Angeles shifted dramatically for Haslingden last month when Fox programming executive Peter Rice was promoted to chairman and chief executive of the Fox Networks Group. Instead of reporting directly to News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey, as Haslingden had done for more than 18 months, Haslingden suddenly found himself working for Rice.
Haslingden was a key member of the team that built the Fox International Channels into a lucrative business that now boasts more than 350 television channels in more than 50 countries. He worked for News Corp. in Australia and Asia, and served as head of the Fox International Channels before moving to L.A.
“Since joining News Corp., David has been a driving force in the evolution of the pay-TV industry in every corner of the world,” Carey said in a statement. “His leadership in the international television marketplace has uniquely positioned Fox to succeed for years to come in what has quickly become one of our company’s fastest-growing business segments.”
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News Corp.’s Peter Rice gets bigger role in TV executive shuffle
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