Peter Rice (executive)
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]
Peter Rice
Early life[edit]
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[edit]
Fox[edit]
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[edit]
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]
Personal life[edit]
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]