'Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey' to Premiere Simultaneously on 220 Channels in 181 Countries

02.13.2014

Fox's "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" will premiere simultaneously across 10 U.S. networks on Sunday, March 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Networks scheduled to air the show include Fox, National Geographic Channel, FX, FXX, FXM, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo and Fox Life in the U.S. as well as 220 Fox International and National Geographic Channels in 181 countries. The show's overall footprint will be more than half a billion homes.Â

"Cosmos is the kind of rich, epic storytelling that we hope will not only be phenomenal entertainment, but also ignite curiosity and move a generation to take a deeper interest in science and the larger world from which we come," said Peter Rice, chairman and CEO, Fox Networks Group, in a statement.

The global simulcast will be sponsored by Samsung Galaxy and Chrysler.

After the premiere, the series will air on Fox on Sundays and NatGeo on Mondays.

Cosmos is a remake of 's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, which aired on PBS more than thirty years ago. Seth MacFarlane is executive producing the 13-episode series, along with two of Sagan's original co-creators: writer/executive producer and co-writer Steve Sofer. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts.

"Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" is produced by Cosmos Studios, the Ithaca, NY-based company Druyan co-founded in 2000, and , MacFarlane's company. Druyan, MacFarlane, Cosmos Studios President Mitchell Cannold and Brannon Braga  (the "" franchise, "24") executive-produce the series. Jason Clark ("Ted," "42") co-executive produces.Â

Brief Take: More and more, Fox is using the power of its global platform to launch shows.Â