FOX ENTERTAINMENT AND HARTBEAT FORM IP DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION PARTNERSHIP

FOX Entertainment Studios Secures First Look at Film and Television Projects Originating from Hartbeat's CODEBLACK, ESSENCE and REVOLT Labels

Holywater Tech to Build Codeblack-Branded Destination on My Drama, the Platform's First Dedicated Branded Channel

LOS ANGELES, CA - October 13, 2026 - FOX Entertainment and Hartbeat today announced a multi-faceted partnership that leverages new, original vertical series as a development pipeline for film and television content. Under the agreement, FOX Entertainment Studios will have a first look at feature film and television series projects developed from vertical series released under the CODEBLACK, ESSENCE and REVOLT brands. FOX Entertainment Global will distribute the vertical series worldwide following each title's initial platform run.

The pipeline launches with a slate of 25 live-action titles, spanning thriller, drama, and faith-based storytelling. The series will premiere on a new CODEBLACK-branded destination on My Drama, the vertical video platform from FOX's strategic partner Holywater Tech. Built by Holywater Tech, it is the first dedicated branded channel on My Drama, and users will be able to subscribe to it on its own or access it as part of the broader My Drama service.

With a combined social following exceeding 20 million, CODEBLACK, ESSENCE and REVOLT bring established, engaged audiences to the partnership. These brands will program the My Drama channel with original verticals and direct their communities to the new content, giving each new series a built-in audience from day one.

The CODEBLACK, ESSENCE and REVOLT vertical series are designed as the first stage of intellectual property development. Stories that connect with audiences in the vertical format will advance into film and television development, with FOX Entertainment Studios holding the first look at those projects. The structure gives CODEBLACK and FOX a way to test stories, characters, and worlds with real audiences before committing them to longer formats, and gives proven titles a path to FOX's network, streaming, and international platforms.

"Hartbeat has a powerful creative voice and an exceptional instinct for stories that connect with audiences," said Hannah Pillemer, Head of Scripted, FOX Entertainment Studios. "This partnership gives us an opportunity to identify bold ideas in the vertical space, see what resonates in real time, and give those stories a path to grow into film and television. This strategic, audience-driven approach to developing IP fits naturally with how we're growing FOX Entertainment Studios."

"My vision has always been to bring the biggest cultural brands serving our audience together in one destination, and the partnership with ESSENCE and REVOLT makes that real," said Jeff Clanagan, founder of CODEBLACK and President and Chief Distribution Officer of Hartbeat. "CODEBLACK, ESSENCE and REVOLT have spent decades earning this audience's trust. Now that audience has one home for stories made for them, in the format where they already spend their time. Holywater Tech brings the technology and platform expertise to deliver that experience the way this audience expects it. Vertical is where those stories start, not where they stop. The culture builds the audience, the audience chooses the stories, and with FOX the stories that win become film and television for the world."

"We're excited to launch My Drama's first dedicated branded channel with CODEBLACK, creating a new way to introduce its incredible content to even broader audiences in the vertical space while giving its established fan base a destination built specifically for them," said Anatolii Kasianov and Bogdan Nesvit, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of Holywater Tech. "It's an exciting next step for My Drama as we continue to expand the platform and create new ways for brands and creators to connect directly with audiences."

The partnership pairs CODEBLACK's record of building film and television businesses for underserved audiences, and the cultural reach of the ESSENCE and REVOLT brand, with FOX Entertainment's studio operations, worldwide sales organization and growing vertical video ecosystem. It also extends vertical storytelling beyond its traditional concentration in romance, opening the format to multicultural, faith-based and genre-driven series built as the starting point for larger franchises.

About Hartbeat

Hartbeat is a global, multi-platform media company creating entertainment at the intersection of comedy and culture. The company develops, produces, distributes, and markets film, television, digital, audio, and branded content with the world's leading studios, platforms, and brands. Hartbeat's multi-platform footprint includes content from the CODEBLACK, ESSENCE, and REVOLT labels. Hartbeat is led by Chairman and Co-Founder Kevin Hart and Co-Founder, President and Chief Distribution Officer Jeff Clanagan.

About FOX Entertainment

With a legacy spanning nearly 40 years, FOX Entertainment is one of the world's most recognizable media brands and a leading global creator of multi-genre content across broadcast, streaming, digital, and emerging platforms. Known for its independent, innovative spirit, and bold storytelling, the company is committed to reaching audiences where they are through a platform- and format-agnostic approach to developing, testing, and scaling intellectual property worldwide.

FOX Entertainment consists of three core business units. The FOX Television Network, which encompasses its flagship linear platform and streaming partnerships with Hulu and FOX One, is home to hit series including The Simpsons, The Masked Singer, Doc, Memory of a Killer, Fear Factor: House of Fear, The Floor, and Hell's Kitchen. FOX Entertainment Studios operates the in-house scripted and unscripted studios behind series such as Animal Control, Best Medicine, The Faithful: Women of the Bible and The Way Home, as well as Bento Box Entertainment with animated hits such as Hazbin Hotel and Krapopolis; Studio Ramsay Global with Next Level Chef, Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service, Being Gordon Ramsay, and Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars; entertainment studio TMZ; and the independent film label Tideline. FOX Entertainment Global is the company's worldwide content sales and distribution arm.

As part of its evolution into a modern next-gen studio, FOX Entertainment is expanding its digital storytelling ecosystem with investments across vertical video through Holywater Tech and its My Drama platform, Chain's experiential storytelling, a two-way content pipeline with HarperCollins Publishing, and creator-led formats through FOX Creator Studios. Through these strategic initiatives, the company is investing earlier in emerging ideas and new forms of audience engagement, while maintaining the ability to grow successful concepts into premium franchises across broadcast, streaming, and global platforms.

About Holywater Tech

Holywater Tech is an AI-first tech company reshaping entertainment by pairing creators' imagination with AI efficiency to bring stories to life and deliver them to global audiences. Its content platforms reach over 100 million users and include: My Drama, the #1 vertical streaming app among American and European companies; My Passion, the #1 independent digital book publishing platform among American and European companies; and My Muse, a leading platform for vertical series produced with the support of generative AI.

-FOX-