KAYO sets new subscriber records as Australia in lockdown embraces streaming sport

With locked down Victorians eager to watch as much AFL as possible, Foxtel has confirmed a new record number of subscribers for its sports streaming business Kayo.

Kayo has grown its paid subscriber base to just over 600,000 customers in September, a rise from 542,000 in August.

With Australians eagerly embracing streaming technology, Foxtel is increasingly looking toward Kayo and its drama equivalent Binge as the future of the business.

Across the entire business (pay-tv and online), Foxtel currently has just under 2 million sports subscribers, a 25-year high.

The result marks a significant turnaround for Kayo. The sports streaming platform reported having 402k subscribers in November last year after the Rugby World Cup however, that figure dipped to just 370k in January of this year.

Industry insiders at the time blamed a lacklustre summer of Cricket for the drop-off in subscribers. Foxtel is currently sending $100 million per year to secure broadcast rights for cricket, but along with free-to-air partner Seven, is currently seeking to negotiate a reduction in rights fees.

Foxtel has already renegotiated its broadcast deals for AFL, NRL and A-League and is expected to announce a new agreement with Supercars this week.

Speaking at a media event yesterday, Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany said;

“We had no choice at the Foxtel Group but to double down on transformation, which meant more people (employees) out, finding new ways of being more efficient, moving towards digital and, of course, focusing with our partners, the big partners in the NRL, AFL and Supercars, to work out how we could get their seasons back on the field,” he said.

“Five months later, I suppose winners are grinners, and it feels fabulous. We have record sports subscribers. Never in the history of the Foxtel Group have we had more sports subscribers.”