David Hill Chairman, CEO, Fox Sports

 News Corporation today announced that DIRECTV Entertainment Group President David Hill has resigned his post at the nation’s leading multi-channel television service provider and is returning fulltime to his position as Chairman and CEO, FOX Sports.

Hill was named to the newly created DIRECTV position in March 2005, while concurrently holding his title at FOX Sports in a non-executive role. His full executive status at the network has been reinstated effective immediately, and he reports directly to News Corp. President & COO Peter Chernin. Hill will remain involved with DIRECTV as an advisor in select key entertainment and content initiatives.

Hill’s full-time return to FOX Sports, the nation’s top-rated network for sports 10 consecutive years, comes as the sports division undertakes its most challenging programming year ever. In addition to NASCAR, MLB and NFL regular-season schedules over the next 12 months, FOX Sports broadcasts most of the nation’s major sports events including the Super Bowl, World Series, 50th Daytona 500, Bowl Championship Series, MLB All-Star Game, American League Championship Series, NFL Pro Bowl and NFC Championship Game.

“David has demonstrated exceptional managerial skill and creativity throughout his career at News Corp.,” said Mr. Chernin. “Two years ago, he directed his vast expertise and energy at improving DIRECTV's programming, and he leaves that organization structurally and creatively in terrific shape. Given the unprecedented schedule of major events FOX Sports has in the next year, the time is perfect for him to resume his full-time leadership once again.”

As president of DIRECTV Entertainment, Hill had oversight of programming, the development of programming packages and the marketing and promotion of DIRECTV to consumers. He was also responsible for the integration of new technologies and the development of programming services that enhanced the DIRECTV viewing experience. Corporately, Hill restructured much of the pre-existing organization, and his creative influence was greatly felt in new sports and entertainment offerings.

"David's accomplishments at DIRECTV were many during his two years as head of our Entertainment group," said Chase Carey, president and CEO, DIRECTV, Inc. "His unique vision and unflinching focus on putting the customer first have clearly helped set DIRECTV apart as a leader in the multi-channel video industry. We look forward to continuing our relationship with David as a consultant and we thank him for the considerable contribution he made as a member of the DIRECTV management team."

During his tenure at DIRECTV, NFL Sunday Ticket SuperFan and NASCAR HotPass enhanced viewing experiences were launched. He engineered an agreement with XM satellite radio for DIRECTV to carry a wide variety of its music channels, and he established The 101, a channel dedicated to exclusive music content, including concerts, shows like CD USA and documentaries. Hill also created Songs of Praise, a seasonal program devoted to choral selections from many of the country’s renowned church choirs airing around the Christmas and Easter holidays.

Hill joined the Fox Broadcasting Company in December 1993 and was charged with creating FOX Sports from the ground up, which he did in eight months. He had been working for News Corporation in Britain, where he helped start BSkyB, Eurosport, and Sky Sports, and was transferred to Los Angeles and FBC when Fox obtained the rights to the National Football League. Since those early days with just one sport, FOX Sports developed into a year-round sports programming powerhouse carrying the NFL, NASCAR, MLB and the BCS.

In 1996, working with News Corp executive Chase Carey, Hill set up what became Fox Sports Net, now the nation’s leading outlet for locally produced sports. While retaining his sports responsibilities, Hill took over the struggling Fox Television Network and served as Chairman and CEO of FBC from 1997 to 1999, overseeing programming, marketing, advertising sales and business affairs.

Under Hill’s stewardship, the FOX Network witnessed its best 18-49 ratings since becoming a seven night a week network, launching such shows as Ally McBeal, That 70’s Show, King of the Hill and Family Guy, which drew FOX to an unprecedented No. 2 position. He is also credited with creating the network reality genre with such top-rated shows as When Animals Attack, Magic’s Biggest Secret’s Revealed, Opening the Lost Tombs of Egypt and Signs of God.

Returning to sports late 1999, he and Chase Carey negotiated the NASCAR contract which brought America’s fastest-growing sport to FOX. At that time, again working with Carey, Hill created SPEED Channel, which grew from 27 million homes under its original title of Speedvision, to 70 million homes today.

News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) had total assets as of December 31, 2006 of approximately US$59 billion and total annual revenues of approximately US$27 billion. News Corporation is a diversified entertainment company with operations in eight industry segments: filmed entertainment; television; cable network programming; direct broadcast satellite television; magazines and inserts; newspapers; book publishing; and other. The activities of News Corporation are conducted principally in the United States, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, Asia and the Pacific Basin. For more information about News Corporation, please visit www.newscorp.com.

FOX Sports - As America’s top-rated network for sports for the 10th-straight year (1997-2006), FOX Sports boasts rights agreements with each of the nation’s highest-rated sports. FOX Sports is the exclusive national over-the-air television rights holder of the Cotton Bowl; Major League Baseball, including the All-Star Game, alternating League Championship Series and World Series (2007-2013); the National Football League’s NFC package, including the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowls XLII and XLV (2006-2011); and NASCAR’s NEXTEL Cup racing from February through May, including the Daytona 500 (2007-2014); and college football’s prestigious Bowl Championship Series through 2010. Since its inception in 1994, FOX Sports has earned 68 Emmy Awards for production excellence. David Hill and Ed Goren are the Executive Producers of FOX Sports.

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