Foxtel Poised To Launch Streaming Service in Australia
By Patrick Frater
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Foxtel, the Australian pay-TV operator, is to launch a new streaming service from next week, it confirmed on Monday.
The app will carry some 10,000 hours of content, with programming sourced from Sony, NBCU, FX and the BBC. It will also carry WarnerMedia content, following a deal announced earlier this month. Foxtel is jointly owned by News Corp and Telstra.
“We have been beta-testing the service for a few weeks and we are sure Australians will love everything about it. It brings an exciting new brand to younger streaming audiences with a very different and compelling product experience, and a distinctly curated mix of the best drama and movies from the world’s best entertainment brands,” Foxtel’s CEO Patrick Delany said in a press statement.
“The launch will be another milestone in the Foxtel Group’s strategy to transform ourselves and bring our unparalleled catalogue of entertainment and sports to even more viewers in Australia. Our goal is to consolidate our position as Australia’s preeminent subscription television and streaming provider.”
The name of the new service and its price point have not yet been revealed. These and other details will be announced later this week.
“It is distinctly branded and aimed at part of the Australian market who either don’t want to pay for our premium product or who have decided Foxtel is not for them,” Delany said.
Foxtel has been struggling to hold on to subscribers, due to in part to its high price. That price had been justified by an emphasis on live sports, but since the coronavirus lockdown, live sport has been largely wiped off the roster. Foxtel last month announced a wave of redundancies, with most job cuts falling at its sports division.
Netflix had 12.2 million subscribers in Australia as of March 2020, according to research firm Roy Morgan. Nine Entertainment’s Stan had 3.7 million, Disney Plus 1.8 million and Amazon Prime 1.5 million, according to Roy Morgan.
