Foxtel-Netflix deal creates a premium TV hub

Foxtel is repositioning itself as a one-stop premium TV and streaming hub by upgrading its platform and adding Netflix and SBS content.

Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany. Picture: Britta Campion

Foxtel is repositioning itself as a one-stop premium television and streaming hub by upgrading its platform and adding Netflix and SBS content.

Foxtel subscribers will be able to access Netflix and SBS’s shows and movies through their iQ set-top boxes, bringing together the vast array of television shows, movies, documentaries and sports on its new-look platform.

The company is looking to strengthen its position following the explosion of streaming players, including US giant Netflix and Nine Entertainment’s Stan.

Foxtel chief executive Patrick Delany unveiled the content deal with Netflix yesterday, plus a surprise tie-up with SBS, aimed at keeping existing customers happy and luring new ones. He said the Netflix deal “puts two entertainment powerhouses together”, providing Foxtel customers with access to the US group’s content, alongside its original programs and shows from HBO, FX, the BBC and others. SBS on Demand will also be available on Foxtel’s iQ3 and iQ4 set-top boxes.

“The bedrock of our company is that we put the best content from all around the world in one place,” Mr Delany said. “People like live TV, it’s fine, but you should also be able to watch everything on demand, and it should be the best of on-demand and so why draw the line with Foxtel and our partners? Why not pull in streaming partners?”

He said the changes were important, given the fierce industry competition and new entrants, including Disney+.

Foxtel’s announcement follows a similar move by Sky TV in Britain, which last November started offering subscribers an integrated service that puts Netflix films and television series alongside its own shows in a new streaming-style show selector.

The move is part of a rollout of a new interface of Foxtel’s iQ3 and iQ4 set-top boxes, which gives subscribers the ability to easily search through the broadcaster’s on-demand programming library. Foxtel customers will need a Netflix subscription to access the streaming service.

“With our new user interface, accessing Foxtel’s 16,000 hours of TV and on-demand content is as simple for customers as one-click on the home button of their existing remote control,” Mr Delany said. “So whether customers crave Wentworth or Orange is the New Black; Lambs of God or Stranger Things; Big Little Lies or The Crown, they will find it, and more, on Foxtel.” As part of the platform upgrade, Foxtel is offering new and existing customers a $58 package, consisting of all its drama and sports content, plus six months free subscription to Netflix on a 12-month contract.

An existing Netflix subscriber will be able to launch the streaming service on Foxtel with the touch of one button on Foxtel’s new remote. Foxtel, majority-owned by News Corp Australia, publisher of The Australian, said the new interface would be available on its iQ3 and iQ4 set-top boxes, via software updates.