This Month
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.
December 2024
ASX rebounds; News Corp sells Foxtel; Packer’s $400m Toorak project
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
News Corp sells Foxtel to British sports streaming giant in $3.4b deal
The multibillion-dollar deal will dramatically alter the local media landscape and create a rich competitor for sports broadcast deals.
DAZN chief executive lands in Sydney as Foxtel buyout talks progress
Shay Segev’s visit comes at the same time as Rupert Murdoch has returned to the country for the first time in six years and as News Corp assesses bids for Foxtel.
Bledisloe win every two years: Waugh’s lofty plan for Rugby Australia
The governing body wants to win the British and Irish Lions tour, Olympic medals and the Bledisloe Cup every two years under an ambitious new four-year strategy.
Foxtel’s UK suitor calls in Bank of America for advice
The group, backed by billionaire Len Blavatnik, is understood to be working with BofA’s telecommunications and media team.
November 2024
Billionaire-backed British sports streamer turns Foxtel suitor
DAZN has been trying to build a global platform, aggressively expanding including in Australia. News Corp’s cable TV business could be its next target.
Most non-Murdoch News Corp investors backed failed share collapse
A bid to end the family’s ‘outsized influence’ on the company has been “convincingly” defeated, News Corp says. Most other shareholders backed it, early results suggest.
V8 Supercars taps advisers for $200m-plus TV deal
Sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations said the motor racing organisation has already met with Nine and incumbents Seven and Foxtel about a new deal.
October 2024
Financial manoeuvring shows Foxtel machinations as News considers sale
The Murdoch family-controlled media empire put its cable and streaming business in Australia on the auction block after receiving “third-party interest”.