ALH and Foxtel reach agreement for Gold Coast sports bars
Up to 19 sports bars across the Gold Coast, who were soon to be without Foxtel following a disagreement between two major companies, have been saved.
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PUBS owned by hospitality company ALH Group, who were going to lose their Foxtel subscription, have been saved by a last minute deal between the organisations.
A leaked email from the ALH Group managing director Bruce Mathieson Jnr earlier this month revealed venues owned by the company were going to have their Foxtel subscriptions removed.
However, Foxtel has told the Bulletin the organisations have negotiated a deal.
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A spokesperson from Foxtel told the Bulletin the agreement has been sorted, "which is good for everyone, including pubs and patrons".
The deal wasn't looking promising when Mr Mathieson sent his email to venue operators in early March, telling them: “Unfortunately we have been unable to agree terms with Foxtel.
“Despite the market changes with COVID and more sports content providers, we have not been able to negotiate a suitable commercial outcome.”
The email goes on to detail that metro Foxtel outlets would be turned off from Monday, March 8 and regional hotels using the old Austar outlets from March 11, with Foxtel scheduled to pick up Fox boxes from next week.
ALH own 19 pubs and taverns on the Gold Coast including The Surfers Paradise Beer Garden, Dog and Parrot in Robina, the Broadbeach Tavern, Biggera Waters’ Dublin Docks, the Parkwood Tavern and the Burleigh Heads Hotel.
A Foxtel spokesperson said at the time: “Foxtel is in open negotiation with ALH, and we hope to continue providing the service its patrons love watching at the pub.
“This includes Main Event with UFC 259 this Sunday and the league and footy seasons which are just around the corner.
“We advise everyone heading out to pubs and clubs to check the Fox Sports Venue Finder at foxsports.com.au to avoid any disappointment.”
Mr Mathieson and ALH were contacted but did not want to comment following the leaked email.
Multiple ALH venues on the Gold Coast confirmed their Foxtel subscriptions were being taken away. However, none of them wanted to provide further comment.
The Robina Pavilion, owned by family-run firm Fitzgibbon Hotels and Leisure Group, was one of the few sports bars not affected by the fallout.
General manager Damien Stephen said COVID-19 probably played a significant part in the decision-making.
“I understand where they (ALH) are coming from. Post COVID everyone is looking at how they can refine things and reduce costs.
“The trick is to do that in a way that won’t impact your service and why customers would choose to attend a venue.
“We are lucky to be owned by family firm Fitzgibbon Hotels, which allowed us to keep our staff on during COVID with JobKeeper, who helped prepare the hotel for when we were allowed to open.
“We’ve been able to build a loyal local crowd who’ve continued to come to the hotel and we’ve been doing well since reopening.
“We’ll continue to broadcast live sports through Foxtel and welcome any new patrons.”
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