New York Times Makes Foray Into TV News With FX Documentary Show

(Bloomberg) -- New York Times Co. is making its first major foray into television news, striking a deal for a weekly documentary series that will air on FX and Hulu later this year.

Episodes of “The Weekly” will debut on FX, the cable channel owned by 21st Century Fox Inc., and then become available for streaming on the Hulu service.

The half-hour program will feature one or two of the Times’ biggest stories each week and promises to show reporters chasing news and conducting interviews. The show is modeled on “The Daily,” a popular Times podcast hosted by Michael Barbaro.

The move also marks FX’s first entry into weekly news programming. The network has committed to a minimum of 30 episodes.

New York Times executives see new storytelling tools like TV as a gateway to audiences who may be coaxed into signing up for the newspaper.

The publisher recently announced a Netflix Inc. program based on its popular medical column, “Diagnosis,” and is in talks to develop a show based on a recent Times series called “Overlooked,” about famous women and minorities who didn’t get obituaries.

A Showtime docuseries that depicts a year in the life of Times reporters was screened last month at the Tribeca Film Festival.

To contact the reporter on this story: Gerry Smith in New York at gsmith233@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Timothy Annett

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