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Foxtel confirms May launch date for next generation streaming service BINGE

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HBO programming including Succession will be a key selling point for new streaming service Binge (image – HBO)

Foxtel has confirmed its highly anticipated new streaming service will launch next week.

From Monday May 25, the new dedicated entertainment streaming service, will be available to the public featuring over 10,000 hours of content, including local and international drama and movies.

While Foxtel is yet to officially confirm the name of the new streaming product, the company has recently registered name and logo trademarks under the Binge brand.

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Foxtel has spent the past 18 months renegotiating content deals with its studio partners to secure SVOD rights for the new service which will compete directly against streaming rivals including Netflix, Stan, Amazon and Disney+

Most recently Foxtel has signed a new supply deal with Warner Bros allowing Binge to feature highly popular content from HBO, and the soon to launch HBO Max. The deal will also see classic titles such as Friends and The Big Bang Theory move from Stan to Binge.

Binge will also feature exclusive content from studios including Sony, NBCU, FX and the BBC.

The new service has been built by the same team, and using the technology platform as the dedicated sports product, Kayo.

Full details of the new service including pricing packages and content will be announced at an event this Friday however its expected Binge will be approx. $15 per month, with discounted packages available for News Corp subscribers.

The recently trademarked logo for Binge

Confirming the launch date, Foxtel Group Chief Executive Officer Patrick Delany said:

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“We have been beta-testing the service for a few weeks and we are sure Australians will love everything about it. It brings an exciting new brand to younger streaming audiences with a very different and compelling product experience, and a distinctly curated mix of the best drama and movies from the world’s best entertainment brands.

“The launch will be another milestone in the Foxtel Group’s strategy to transform ourselves and bring our unparalleled catalogue of entertainment and sports to even more viewers in Australia. Our goal is to consolidate our position as Australia’s preeminent subscription television and streaming provider.

“The foundation of our business is our Foxtel subscription television service which provides 2.5 million loyal customers with the complete premium experience – the best of TV and on demand all in one place.

“Foxtel is built around our advanced iQ3/4 set top boxes which bring together, all in one place, an unrivalled range of the world’s best drama, lifestyle, movies and sport, free to air television together with apps such as Netflix, ABC iview and SBS On Demand. Foxtel offers over 100 live channels and our complete range of premium on demand content and box sets, with Ultra HD and the ability to record.

“Our growth engine is in streaming. It includes Kayo Sports which has grown rapidly and is expected to resume subscriber growth when live sports restarts later this month with COVID- 19 restrictions easing.

“Our new entertainment streaming service, which launches next Monday, provides a different curation of the Foxtel Group’s entertainment content focussed on mobile devices and the streaming generation who want to share on the big screen. It is distinctly branded and aimed at part of the Australian market who either don’t want to pay for our premium product or who have decided Foxtel is not for them.

“Across the depth and breadth of the Foxtel Group’s sport, news, lifestyle and general entertainment content is Foxtel media which sells advertising and sponsorship executions. The Foxtel Group’s iQ3/4s and the growth in on demand and streaming content adds to our data capability and provides Foxtel Media with more forward-looking advertising assets than ever before.

“At the same time, we are making progress in right-sizing and modernising our cost base. For example, through continuing centralisation and technologies that allow us to drive greater automation and digitisation in the business. These changes have been painful at times but necessary to ensure we are ahead of the curve on costs to weather the significant impacts of COVID-19 and be better placed to compete in the future.”

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Kevin Perry
Kevin Perryhttps://tvblackbox.com.au/author-kevin-perry/
Senior Editor and Co-Owner of the TV Blackbox website, Kevin Perry is an experienced media commentator focused on TV Production, Consumer Tech, SVOD & Sports Broadcasting. Media enquiries please Call or Text 0428-275-111
Comments

2 COMMENTS

  1. “Highly anticipated” LOL! How many streaming TV apps does Foxtel need to launch? Why does it keep launching apps and then abandoning them and not addressing customer requests and bugs? Netflix, on the other hand, has had the one app all along and has just continually improved – and customers love that.

    • Heya Dan – I think you misunderstand the nature of Foxtel’s offerings compared to Netflix’s. Netflix have one app with one library; with Kayo and Binge Foxtel are splitting their library into sport-only (Kayo) and drama-only (Binge). That’s pretty significant. While I appreciate the Netflix library is significantly different to Foxtel the latter does have exclusive content to back their value proposition. Binge has been circling for 18+ months and it is highly anticipated because it will bring unique content at a price point competitive to the other streamers. Foxtel Now, Kayo, and Binge are three different apps accessing different parts of the same library for a company that is trying to transform its model. Netflix has only had ‘one’ app because it’s only had one library and business model since it went into streaming. They are very different beasts. Also: thanks for stopping by to read and commenting!

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