|
 According to THR FOX has been
hit with a $178.7 million judgment by an arbitrator over its profit
participation dispute with the producers of Bones. The ruling slammed senior Fox
executives for giving unconvincing and laughable testimony. The judge believed
the studio had a "cavalier attitude toward its wrongdoing" and the network
engaged in "reprehensible conduct." The suit was filed over FOX selling the
rights to the series to Hulu, which is as of this moment, is partially owned by
Fox. By doing to Fox undercut the amount of money that could have been made by
Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz, Barry Josephson and Cathy Reichs. It’s called
‘self-dealing.’ The studios undercharge their corporate partners for the
broadcast rights, which mean the show makes less money and key talent and
producers get less than they would have if the rerun rights were sold elsewhere.
In fact, the same Fox rep signed both sides of the Fox-Hulu agreement for the
first season of the series. The ruling came down before the Disney/FOX deal was
final. Disney is already trying to get a larger share of Hulu. And ironically,
Disney will be getting two of the three Fox executives involved in the dispute.
21st Century Fox is trying to lower the punitive damages of $128.5 million by
saying the arbitrator couldn’t make such a ruling but doesn’t dispute the actual
damages of $50.2 million. This isn’t the first time FOX has been sued over show
profits since Chris Carter sued them and won over the amount of money made by
The X-Files. |
