NBCUniversal Poaches Seth MacFarlane From FOX

Seth MacFarlane

Seth MacFarlane, the creator of “Family Guy,” “American Dad!,” “Ted” and “The Orville” is leaving his longtime home at 20th Century Fox Television, which bet on MacFarlane when he was just a recent college graduate trying his hand at animation, reports The LA Times.

On Friday, NBCUniversal said it was going into business with MacFarlane with a multiyear production deal for new TV shows. MacFarlane, however, will be free to shop film projects to other studios while his signature TV show “Family Guy” will continue to run on Fox.

Financial terms were not disclosed. However, the NBCUniversal deal is valued at slightly less than $200 million, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly. Incentives were built into the contract that could boost that amount.

The deal comes less than a year after Walt Disney Co. took control of the Fox movie and television studios, and as NBCUniversal tries to bolster its programming for the NBC broadcast network, its cable channels and an ad-supported streaming service called Peacock that debuts in April.

MacFarlane, 46, who has branched out by recording music and as the star of his productions, becomes the latest top TV show producer to sign a lucrative deal.