• by Wayne Friedman , January 13, 2010

Days after leaking restructuring moves at Fox Network Group to a handful of publications, News Corp. has issued confirmation.

Peter Rice, chairman of entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Group, will now be chairman of entertainment for the Fox Networks Group, overseeing Fox Broadcasting and FX Networks' FX and Fox Movie Channel.

All sports networks and properties will also be under one roof -- headed by David Hill, chairman/CEO of Fox Sports. This includes not just Fox programming on the main Fox Broadcasting network, but the company's 19 regional sports networks, Fox Soccer Channel, Speed, Fox Sports en Espanol, and Fuel TV as well as the company's joint venture sports businesses Stats, LLC. and Big Ten Network.

Both Rice and Hill will continue to report to Tony Vinciquerra, chairman/CEO of Fox Networks Group.

John Landgraf, president and general manager of FX Networks, will now report to Rice.

Reporting to Hill will be Randy Freer, president of Fox Sports Networks; David Nathanson, EVP/GM of Fox Soccer Channel; Hunter Nickell, president of Speed; Dermot McQuarrie and Raul De Quesada, senior vice president and co-assistant general managers, Fox Sports en Espanol; and CJ Olivares, senior vice president and general manager, FUEL TV.

The odd man out appears to be Rich Battista, who was president of Fox National Cable Networks. He is in discussions about a new position within the company.

Peter Rice became chairman of entertainment of Fox Broadcasting Company in March 2009. Previously, he was president of Fox Searchlight, where he championed movies such as "Slumdog Millionaire," "The Wrestler," "Little Miss Sunshine," "Sideways" and "Juno."

David Hill has been chairman/CEO of Fox Sports Television Group since 1999. Before that, he was chairman and CEO of Fox Broadcasting Company from 1997 to 1999. Hill arrived in the U.S. back in 1993 to become the first president of Fox Sports just after Fox grabbed its first NFL rights deal.