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Longtime TV exec Chuck Saftler, who helped build FX into the powerhouse it is — having joined the company in 1993, prior to its before its June 1994 launch date — is departing the company after 32 years. The well-regarded
Saftler most recently served as head of acquisitions for Disney networks including ABC, Freeform, FX and Nat Geo.
Before that, he headed business operations for ABC, Freeform and FX Networks, while leading library and acquisitions for the group’s networks. He was also FX Networks president of programming strategy.
“After more than 32 years with Disney, I have made the decision to step down from my role as I consider a new professional chapter,” Saftler wrote in a memo to staffers on Thursday. “It’s hard to put into words what these three decades have meant to me. I had the extraordinary opportunity to help build FX from its earliest days and then to take on new leadership roles across Disney Entertainment Television. I’m incredibly proud of what we built, the stories we told and, most of all, the people I had the privilege of doing it with.”
Saftler first helped launch FX when it was focused on live, original programming under the “TV made fresh daily” banner. Soon, the network shifted gears and focused on acquisitions of popular dramas like “The X-Files,” and then turned to the original programming arena. Meanwhile, Saftler built up the network’s acquired film and TV libraries. He also helped launch the Fox Movie Channel, where he was general manager.
During the 2000s, Saftler focused much of his attention on buying the network window to theatrical features, as well as off-network series. In 2013, he struck a landmark $750 million cable syndication and VOD deal to bring “The Simpsons” library to FXX — while also building out a platform for viewers to find “Every Simpsons Ever.” That deal eventually led to the franchise finding a home on Disney+.
Before FX, Saftler was an executive with KTLA Los Angeles. Earlier in his career, as an exec with Columbia Pictures TV, he helped devise the blueprint for the TV syndication of “Seinfeld” and “Married … With Children.”
Deadline was first with the news.
