Foxtel Group has signed a new multi-year deal with Warner Bros Discovery, which will see the prized HBO and Max Originals content stay with the media group in Australia.
Foxtel is 65% by News Corp and 35% by Telstra. Additionally, Foxtel and Binge subscribers will keep their access to other Warner Bros and Discovery programming.
L-R: Patrick Delany and Amanda Laing
There have been talks about HBO launching its own subscription service in Australia. As reported by Nine’s news masthead The Sydney Morning Herald in October 2022, Foxtel Group’s CEO Patrick Delany flagged the possibility at a conference in Singapore.
However, the new “multi-year” deal will see Foxtel keep the exclusive rights to HBO content in Australia for another few years.
The agreement comes after Foxtel inked a new multi-year deal with US content house NBCUniversal last year.
Delany stressed that the partnership has “optionality at its core”. He said: “This landmark partnership cements our position as the partner of choice to the world’s largest entertainment studios.
“A unique business model like ours that covers multiple platforms and brands means we can partner for the long term and together we will continue to entertain millions of Australians every day for years to come.”
Warner Bros Discovery president and managing director, Western Pacific, James Gibbons, added: “Foxtel Group are a long-term, historic partner for Warner Bros Discovery in Australia, and we are thrilled to deepen this strong collaboration with a renewed agreement that reflects the scale and opportunity of Foxtel Group’s growing suite of products and customer base.
“As we look to drive strategic growth of our business across all platforms locally, this deal also provides optionality for future collaboration, including for our future streaming service, that will ultimately offer Australians greater access to the world-class storytelling and much-loved brands Warner Bros Discovery is renowned for.”
Foxtel Group chief content and commercial officer, Amanda Laing said: “The future is now even brighter for both our companies as a result of this deal as it ensures the continued evolution of both businesses in Australia, with our unique combination of assets and our strong subscriber base providing scale and reach.
“The incredible breadth of content that Warner Bros Discovery have become famous for continues to break viewing records with our subscribers. We are also excited that our distribution of this much-loved content will extend to our new streaming aggregation product in the future.”
The agreement includes:
- Current and future seasons of HBO’s series including House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, Succession and The White Lotus
- Returning seasons of HBO Original series including Euphoria, True Detective: Night Country, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty and Perry Mason
- Returning seasons of Max Original series including And Just Like That…, The Sex Lives of College Girls and Peacemaker
- New HBO Original series including The Idol, White House Plumbers, The Sympathizer with Robert Downey Jr. and The Palace with Kate Winslet
- New Max Original series including Love & Death, Dune: The Sisterhood, The Batman spinoff The Penguin and Duster series by J.J. Abrams
- Warner Bros. Television series including The Flash, East New York and The Winchesters
- Blockbuster movies including Dune 2, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, Barbie, and a vast film library including the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings films, as well as DC Universe
- A range of channels across Foxtel Group platforms, including Discovery, Discovery Turbo, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, CNN International, Cartoon Network and Boomerang