The Mouse House has brought to an end one of the best-known names in the entertainment industry, 20th Century Fox.
For decades, we’ve watched television shows accompanied by the 20th Century Fox Television logo with the familiar trumpet fanfare. It came at the end of every episode of The Simpsons, Modern Family and the original Batman series. Now, after Disney completed a $71.3bn (£54.7bn) deal to buy the bulk of Rupert Murdoch’s Fox media assets, Walt Disney has rebranded one of its TV studios as 20th Television.
Disney’s recently acquired 20th Century Fox TV studio is the latest to have the “Fox” name dropped, with the company announcing today that it’ll be rebranding the studio, as part of a larger rebrand for all of Disney’s TV studios.
New logos and end cards will appear on TV shows. Existing episodes on streaming and digital libraries will continue to bear the original logo
Disney has also renamed its other television studios, including changing ABC Studios and ABC Signature Studios to ABC Signature while Fox 21 Television Studios will become Touchstone Television, according to BBC news.
Removing “Fox” out of its acquired brands was a requirement of the deal that saw Disney gain control of 21st Century Fox’s assets last year, according to Variety. The goal is to avoid confusion between the Disney-owned parts of the former company and the “New Fox,” which includes Fox Sports, Fox Business, and the contentious Fox News, as well as ownership of the broadcast Fox TV channel.
“Our new studio names and logos mark a new day for ABC Signature, 20th Television and Touchstone Television while honouring their rich histories and the creative power of The Walt Disney Company.”
Craig Hunegs, president of Disney television studios