Tom who? News Corp.’s Chase Carey praises movie studio management

News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey had nothing but nice things to say about the media giant’s movie unit just days after ousting Tom Rothman from his position as co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment.

“Our film business has had a fabulous run for years, really been a leader and certainly the team there have been essentially the ones who have driven that,” Carey said Thursday at the annual Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference in New York. Carey added that “we feel very proud about what the film management team has done.”

The high praise of the studio is sure to raise eyebrows around town given Rothman’s exit. Jim Gianopulos, who was Rothman’s co-chairman remains in place with sole oversight of the studio.

Without mentioning Rothman’s name, Carey seemed to allude to the executive shift at the studio in his remarks.

“Change is part of what I think is for both individuals and companies a good thing and I think it provides opportunities, it provides freshness,” Carey said. He went on to say, “We feel very excited about the team that essentially is the one that’s going to take us forward.”

However, Carey did not elaborate on why Rothman is no longer with the company, particularly if the studio has been functioning so well.

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