British businessman
Peter Rice (born 1966) is a British media executive. He is the former Chairman of
Disney General Entertainment Content for
The Walt Disney Company and former President of
21st Century Fox , where he worked from 1989-2019.
[1]
Early life
Rice was born in the United Kingdom in 1966 and raised in
Britain .
[2] He earned a degree from the
University of Nottingham in 1989.
[2]
Career
Fox
Rice began his career at
Twentieth Century Fox in 1989, working for
Tom Sherak , then head of U.S. distribution and marketing for Fox Filmed Entertainment.
[3] In 2000, Rice became President of
Fox Searchlight Pictures , beginning in 2000.
[4] From 2007 to 2008, he simultaneously oversaw
Fox Atomic , which created comedy and genre films, including
Turistas and
28 Weeks Later . Fox Atomic was closed in 2009, after Rice moved to Fox's television business.
[5]
[6]
Rice became Chairman and CEO of Fox Networks Group in 2012, supervising
Fox Broadcasting Company ,
20th Century Fox Television ,
FX Networks ,
Fox Sports (encompassing Fox’s national sports channels,
FS1 and
FS2 and its
22 regional sports networks ) and National Geographic Partners (which includes the
National Geographic channels and brands).
[7]
[8]
Rice was appointed President of
21st Century Fox in 2017.
[9]
[10] Rice continued to serve as Chairman and CEO of
Fox Networks Group , which included all of Fox’s TV assets, with the exception of Fox News, which was run separately.
[11] He was also the Chairman of the Board of
National Geographic Partners and Fox's lead executive on the Board of Directors for
Hulu .
[12]
[13]
[14]
Disney
Rice joined
The Walt Disney Company in 2017 following its
purchase of many of the assets of 21st Century Fox .
[15]
[16] Upon joining, Rice became the Chairman of
Walt Disney Television (all of Disney's non-sports television businesses).
[17]
[15]
[16] In this role, Rice oversaw
ABC Entertainment,
ABC News ,
ABC Owned Television Stations ,
Disney Branded Television ,
Disney Television Studios ,
Freeform ,
FX ,
Hulu Originals,
National Geographic , and
Onyx Collective .
[18]
[19]
As Chairman of Walt Disney Television, Rice oversaw the production of over 300 shows and 4,000 hours of television per year across Disney’s family of networks and streaming platforms
Disney+ and
Hulu .
[20] Disney earned 147
Primetime Emmy Award nominations in 2022 and 146 in 2021.
[21]
[22] While with Disney, Rice served as Chairman of the Board of
A&E Networks and continued to serve as Chairman of the Board of
National Geographic Partners .
[23]
On June 9, 2022, Rice was fired from The Walt Disney Company.
[24]
A24
On June 1, 2023, Rice made a nonexclusive deal with the independent entertainment company
A24 .
[25]
Personal life
Rice lives in Los Angeles with his family. He has two children. He serves on the Board of Directors of
Southern California Public Radio
[26] and the Board of Governors of the
Motion Picture & Television Fund .
[27]
References
^ Wyatt, Edward (7 April 2009).
"Fox's Low-Key New Boss Is Looking Beyond 'Idol' " . The New York Times.
Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2009 .
^
a
b
"Inside Hollywood with Peter Rice" .
Archived from the original on 2018-10-16. Retrieved 2016-11-01 .
^
"Fox's Peter Rice Recalls How He Learned the Biz From Tom Sherak" . Yahoo Movies.
Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved 2016-11-01 .
^ Ricj, Joshua (March 12, 2009).
"Fox Broadcasting executive shakeup: Peter Ligouri out, Peter Rice in" .
Entertainment Weekly .
Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2020 .
^
"Fox shutting down youth-focused film unit" . Reuters.
Archived from the original on 2017-08-25. Retrieved 2017-07-02 .
^ Andreeva, Nellie (12 March 2009).
"Trio replaces Chernin at News Corp" . The Hollywood Reporter.
Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2009 .
^ Szalai, George (March 26, 2014).
"Fox Networks Group CEO Peter Rice Gets Contract Extension" .
The Hollywood Reporter .
Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2020 .
^ Crupi, Anthony (July 23, 2012).
"Peter Rice Named Head of Fox Networks Group" .
Adweek .
Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2017 .
^ Ng, David (6 September 2017).
"21st Century Fox promotes Peter Rice to president" .
Los Angeles Times .
Archived from the original on 8 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020 .
^ Flint, Joe (6 September 2017).
"Peter Rice Promoted to President at 21st Century Fox" . The Wall Street Journal.
Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2017 .
^
"Peter Rice Elevated to Head of Fox Networks Group" . The Hollywood Reporter .
Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2020-02-18 .
^ Hipes, Patrick (6 September 2017).
"Peter Rice Promoted to President Of 21st Century Fox" .
Deadline Hollywood .
Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2020 .
^ Maglio, Tony (6 September 2017).
"Peter Rice Promoted to 21st Century Fox President" .
TheWrap .
Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017 .
^ Frommer, Dan (12 February 2018).
"Fox didn't overpay for its new NFL rights, says Fox exec Peter Rice" . Vox.
Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2018 .
^
a
b
"Members Hub" . 30 October 2019.
Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2019 .
^
a
b
"Disney Completes Its $71.3 Billion Purchase of Fox, Massively Transforming the Industry" .
Archived from the original on 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2019-03-22 .
^
"The Walt Disney Company Announces New Organizational Structure for its Media Networks Business, Conditional Upon Closing of 21st Century Fox Acquisition" . The Walt Disney Company . October 8, 2018.
Archived from the original on November 11, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2018 .
^ Faughnder, Ryan (18 October 2018).
"After 30 years in Murdoch's empire, Peter Rice faces new challenges in Disney's kingdom" . Los Angeles Times.
Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018 .
^ Koblin, John (8 October 2018).
"Disney's TV Division Makes Room for Fox Executives" .
Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2018 .
^ Koblin, John (8 October 2018).
"Disney's TV Division Makes Room for Fox Executives" . The New York Times.
Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2018 .
^
"The Walt Disney Company Gets 147 Primetime Emmy® Award Nominations in 2022!" . ABC.com . ABC.com.
Archived from the original on 13 September 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022 .
^ Goldberg, Lesley (13 July 2021).
"Emmys: Disney Leads All Combined Nominations as HBO (Thanks to HBO Max) Tops Netflix" . The Hollywood Reporter.
Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021 .
^
"Peter Rice Chairman, Walt Disney Television, and Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks The Walt Disney Company" (PDF) . The Walt Disney Company . The Walt Disney Company.
Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2019 .
^ Barnes, Brooks; Koblin, John (2022-06-09).
"Disney fires Peter Rice, its top TV content executive" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 .
Archived from the original on 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2023-04-25 .
^ Masters, Kim; Goldberg, Lesley; Galuppo, Mia (June 1, 2023).
"Peter Rice's Next Act: Film, TV Producing Deal With A24 (Exclusive)" . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved February 1, 2024 .
^
"KPCC Board of Trustees" . KPCC .
Archived from the original on 2023-04-12. Retrieved 2023-04-12 .
^
"MPTF Foundation Board of Governors" .
Motion Picture & Television Fund .
Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2017 .