In February 2023, the Foxtel Group announced a new multi-year with Warner Bros. Discovery spanning content from HBO, Max Originals, Warner Bros. and Discovery.
The renewed deal includes exclusive content rights across both Foxtel and Binge.
The agreement include current and future seasons of HBO’s titles including House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, Succession and The White Lotus, returning seasons of HBO Originals including Euphoria, True Detective: Night Country, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty and Perry Mason, Max Originals including And Just Like That…, The Sex Lives of College Girls and Peacemaker.
It also includes Warner Bros. series including The Flash, East New York and The Winchesters and movies including Dune 2, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, Barbie, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings franchises and DC Universe titles.
Upcoming HBO Originals include The Idol, White House Plumbers, The Sympathizer with Robert Downey Jr. and The Palace with Kate Winslet, Max Originals Love & Death, Dune: The Sisterhood, The Batman spinoff The Penguin and Duster series by J.J. Abrams. Foxtel channels are Discovery, Discovery Turbo, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, CNN International, Cartoon Network and Boomerang.
Foxtel Group CEO, Patrick Delany, said: “This landmark partnership cements our position as the partner of choice to the world’s largest entertainment studios. We are delighted Warner Bros. Discovery chose us as we continue our long-standing partnership together with optionality at its core. 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.”
The deal comes amid speculation of rumours of HBO launching a streaming platform such as HBO Max in Australia in the near future.
Foxtel Group Chief Content and Commercial Officer, Amanda Laing told TV Tonight, “The beauty of this deal is that it provides our partnership with optionality. What that really means is that our partnership continues, no matter what options Warner Bros / Discovery wish to pursue in Australia.
“We’ve been able to achieve that because we have such a unique group of assets in Australia. We can do things in this market that nobody else can do. We can offer partnership and deal structures that others can’t because we have multiple platforms, and we have different ways to monetise content, to find subscribers and to grow.”
As the ‘Home of HBO’ in Australia, securing the deal was crucial for the Pay TV provider given the lure of its drama brands.
“Episodes one to four of The Last of Us delivered a cumulative audience of more than 1.1 million viewers per episode. That is a huge number. It is growing week on week. Season Two premiere of The White Lotus, was a 550% increase on the Season One premiere,” said Laing.
“In the old days was a drama would premiere and then each episode actually might have fewer viewers. But in fact, we’re seeing the opposite effect. Some people might not tune in until the episode 4 has dropped.
“The viewing grows week on week with these great dramas.”
Warner Bros. Discovery President and Managing Director, Western Pacific, James Gibbons, also welcomed the deal.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
