This Month
BBC-owned Britbox renews big bet on the British niche viewer
Britbox is relaunching after five years in Australia after the BBC took full ownership of the British content platform.
May
Melbourne entrepreneur builds $3b gaming empire out of solitaire app
Meet the Aussie game designer who’s built a global company by making simple online games better than anyone else.
Supercars broadcast deal enters the final lap
Sources say Foxtel is in the driver’s seat to renew its existing arrangement with the motorsports league.
April
Wall St’s false signal; Anzac booing outrage; Musk’s reign unravels
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
DAZN is already reviewing the future of Foxtel’s big Hubbl bet
The London-based sports streamer acquired the local broadcaster this month. It has begun by assessing what was meant to be the company’s new flagship product.
Inside the fortune Kerry Stokes (quietly) made in China
The businessman is best known for his investments in television and newspapers. But a decades-long approach to backing the Asian powerhouse is paying dividends.
DAZN to take control of Foxtel as $3.4b deal goes through
The chief executive of the global sports streaming service is in Australia to sign off on the company’s biggest acquisition yet.
Netflix rival Max rolls out in Australia with bold profit prediction
Warner Bros Discovery international CEO JB Perrette says the streamer will have “millions” of Australian subscribers and turn a profit in two to three years.
March
Grand Prix hits new highs in survival countdown
Fans are flocking to Melbourne’s Albert Park for F1 practice sessions and the final qualifying round that will determine where each driver starts on Sunday.
February
Foxtel’s Binge to lose top-tier HBO shows from next month
International entertainment giant Warner Bros Discovery has announced the date its own Max streaming service will arrive in Australia.
The Australian at the heart of Saudi’s billion-dollar push to dominate global sport
Danny Townsend ran Sydney FC and then the A-League. Now he’s in the box seat to observe Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to dominate world sport. Will his gamble pay off?
Saudi government buys stake in Foxtel’s new owner, DAZN
The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it ultimately gives the Gulf kingdom an influential voice in the Australian broadcast market.
News Corp offers a glimpse into Sky News earnings in bumper result
Chief executive Robert Thompson said the election of Donald Trump had increased business confidence and lifted “the yoke of the woke”.
January
Foxtel’s new owner Len Blavatnik makes a $10b bet on big sport
The Soviet Union-born businessman made his first billion in the oil industry before reinventing himself as a music mogul. Can he pull off his third act?
Netflix refines its sports plan as Jake Paul helps wow investors
The streaming service says acquiring the rights to stream full seasons of sport makes no economic sense, despite success with the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing match.
EPL broadcaster Optus considers selling sports streaming to Nine
The telecoms group has been assessing a possible sale of the broadcast platform it has built since 2016, when it swooped on the Premier League rights.
Foxtel’s $3.4b sale a bet on a billionaire, not a deal of the decade
There’s much more to the pay TV and streaming provider’s ownership change than the headline price. Now Saudi Arabia is involved.
Saudi Arabia nears deal to take big stake in Foxtel’s new owner DAZN
The investment would value the British sports streaming business, in which News Corp will have a six per cent holding, at more than $16 billion.
Former Foxtel chief executive Peter Tonagh to join Nine board
The businessman has recently left the ABC board, where he was deputy chairman. His appointment comes amid a broader overhaul of the media group’s management.
Amanda Laing firms for mega Nine broadcast job amid restructure
The former Foxtel executive left the News Corp-run pay television business last year. She could soon oversee Nine’s television, radio and Stan.