'Empire,' 'Scream Queens' Get Global Rollout

Fox International Channels has announced that Empire and Scream Queens will air on its international channels within a day of the U.S. broadcast on Fox.

The move is part of a trend by major studios to move international airings of their shows closer to the U.S. launch of new series to cut down on piracy and to boost audiences.

As a result of the agreement, Scream Queens will launch outside the U.S. on the FIC channels on September 23 while Empire will get its international debut on September 24. Fox has used the global day and date release model previously with such series as The Walking Dead.

“Hollywood is waking up to how instrumental it is to harness the collective voices of outspoken international fans, especially for water-cooler shows like Empire and Scream Queens,” said Hernan Lopez, president and CEO of FIC. “We can’t wait to roll-out these incredibly exciting series to fans around the world. The viewers we serve every day are driving the success of a show in its premiere window, and all the way through its lifecycle.”