David Hill was named president and chief operating officer of Fox Television in July 1996, adding to his duties as president of Fox Sports, a position he had assumed in 1993. Hill has been charged by Rupert Murdoch with expanding all the Fox television units, including the Fox TV stations, the Fox Network, 20th Century Fox TV production and all cable activities, which include sports and news channels, FX and the newly-purchased The Family Channel. Under Hill, Fox's sports division went head to head with the three major networks, spending millions to acquire rights to cover NFL Football, baseball games, including the World's Series, and NHL Hockey and the Stanley Cup play-offs. He also has served as CEO of the Fox Sports/Prime Sports/Liberty/TCI joint venture. In September 1997, Hill was promoted to chairman and CEO of Fox Broadcasting Co., overseeing distribution, programming, children's and sports divisions an advertising, sales and marketing and business affairs. Under a corporate restructuring that followed his nearly three-year tenure at the head of Fox Broadcasting, he was appointed to the newly created post of chairman and CEO of Fox Sports Television in June 1999 Prior to creating Fox Sports, Hill worked in Great Britain, heading Sky Sports, the only all-sports channel serving the UK. The executive had begun his career as a newspaper journalist in Sydney, Australia, before joining the Australian Broadcasting Company in Melbourne as chief-of-staff in its newsroom at age 22. He was later an on-air reporter and anchor at Australia's Channel 7 Network, where he also hosted the Aussie "Today". In 1987, Hill went to Great Britain, where he joined Murdoch's News Corporation in launching the Sky Channel, the UK's first satellite TV station.
Profession(s):
executive, journalist
Sometimes Credited As:
1999 Appointed as chairman and CEO of Fox Sports Television Group, overseeing all Newscorp, and Fox sports operations (June)
1997 Promoted to chairman and CEO of Fox Broadcasting Co. (September)
1996 Appointed president and COO of Fox Television in July
1993 Named president, Fox Sports (December)
1991 Became head of Sky Sports
1988 Left Australia to work for News Corporation in Great Britain; helped launched Sky Television
1977 Named vice president , Sports for Nine Network, Australia
Worked as journalist in Sydney, Australia
Joined Australian Broadcasting Company at age 22
Was reporter and anchor for Chanel 7 Network in Australia; hosted the morning program "Today"
