Latest news with #Foxtel
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Hannah Hollis' shock career move: Popular Aussie TV presenter announces sudden departure from Fox Sports after 10 years
Hannah Hollis has revealed her shock new career move, announcing she is stepping away from her presenter role at Fox Sports. The Aussie TV presenter, who has been working for the sports broadcaster for 10 years, will continue fronting lifestyle show Luxury Escapes, which is currently being produced by Foxtel. The 36-year-old's final broadcast will be on Sunday as she covers the Suncorp Super Netball. This won't be Hannah's first time on Luxury Escapes. She has already featured on the second season of the popular travel show. The program, which first aired in 2016, gives viewers a glimpse into some of the best holiday experiences across the globe, as well as our very own backyard. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Hannah opened up to about the career move after having just returned from a luxury escape in the US. 'I've been to some of the most beautiful places around the world experiencing wild indulgence, adventure, food, art and culture all steeped in local tradition,' she said. 'It's a joy to share stories like this.' Despite the complete 180 from sport to travel, Hannah assured her fans she wasn't turning her back on her passion for the field, but instead hoped to blend the two in the future. 'My time with Fox Sports and Foxtel — and the opportunities I've enjoyed over the past decade — have further fuelled my ambition,' she said. She added that it felt like the perfect time to step out of her comfort zone and explore broader possibilities within the media landscape. It comes after a new shot was fired by Fox Sports in the broadcaster's increasingly bitter footy war with Channel Seven. This year, Fox is the only way footy fans across most of Australia can watch games on a Saturday for large parts of the season due to a change in the league's broadcasting agreement. It's a move that has infuriated footy fans and left a big dent in Seven's coverage, which has been bolstered by its huge investment in AFL panel shows with the likes of Kane Cornes and Caroline Wilson. This is also the first year viewers have had the option of watching every game on Fox, with the pay TV giant's commentators covering every match, with ratings jumping by a huge amount as a result. Seven star Brian Taylor has been taking pot shots at Fox by reminding fans that they don't always send their commentary crews to matches and instead have them cover the games from the studio, whereas he and his colleagues are always at the ground. Fox recently hit back by launching an ad showing a Taylor lookalike banging on the door of a pub when he couldn't get inside to watch footy on a Saturday. That has crossed a line with Seven, with a staffer at the broadcaster hitting the commercial with the 'disrespectful' tag, according to The Age.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Warner Bros. Discovery APAC Chief Touts Max's Regional Success at APOS Amid Corporate Split
Warner Bros. Discovery's Asia-Pacific president James Gibbons is bullish about the streaming service Max's performance across the region, even as the media giant prepares for a major corporate restructuring that will split its streaming and studios business from its traditional television networks. Despite the corporate changes, Gibbons emphasized that strategic goals for the Asia-Pacific region remain unchanged. The executive was speaking at the APOS conference in Indonesia. More from Variety Google's Sanjay Gupta Sees AI as 'Magic Wand' for Asia's Storytellers at APOS 'Squid Game' Season 3 Launch Highlights Netflix Korea's Global K-Content Strategy at APOS 'The Pitt' Season 2 Casts 'The L Word: Generation Q' Alum Sepideh Moafi The executive was particularly enthusiastic about Max's March launch in Australia, where the service positioned itself with the tagline 'all killer, no filler' to differentiate from competitors in the crowded streaming landscape. 'We've seen every expectation that we had in the market has been exceeded on every front,' Gibbons said, noting strong performance across subscribers, revenues and engagement metrics. The Australian rollout marked the first time Warner Bros. Discovery launched an ad-supported tier for Max in the Asia-Pacific region, partnering with Nine Entertainment for ad sales. The service also launched exclusively through pay-TV provider Foxtel, giving it immediate access to Foxtel's subscriber base while also being available directly to consumers. 'We've seen a tremendous authentication rate there,' Gibbons noted of the Foxtel partnership, 'and then in the retail space, we were obviously available across the market to all segments which have never previously been the case in Australia.' In Japan, Warner Bros. Discovery took a different approach, partnering with local streaming service U-Next rather than launching independently. The strategy has paid dividends, with Gibbons reporting that Max content viewing increased by more than 40% following the launch. 'By working with U-Next, who've done an incredible job in the last few months to be building up that platform, we were able to, on day one, access their entire base for Max, and secondly, sit alongside a very strong lineup of local Japanese content,' he explained. While Max has built its reputation on premium international content, Gibbons acknowledged the need to invest more heavily in local productions to expand the addressable market. The company has already seen success with its anime studio in Japan, which produced 'Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League' exclusively for Max. Warner Bros. Discovery also scored a major box office hit in Japan with 'Cells at Work,' which Gibbons described as 'the most successful, biggest box office in the history of all the movies we've ever produced in Japan, based on a manga in Japan.' The executive highlighted the global impact of strategic casting decisions, pointing to Lisa from K-pop group Blackpink's role in 'The White Lotus' Season 3, filmed in Thailand. 'That made Thailand possibly, if not the number one, one of the most successful markets of 'White Lotus' globally,' Gibbons said. In Southeast Asia, Warner Bros. Discovery has primarily worked through partnerships due to legacy relationships with HBO channels and HBO Go. However, Gibbons indicated the company plans to focus more heavily on direct-to-consumer retail subscriptions going forward. 'It's just taking one step at a time to make sure that we're focused,' he said. For key markets like South Korea and India, Warner Bros. Discovery continues to work through partnerships with Coupang Play and JioStar respectively, though Gibbons suggested these arrangements could evolve as market conditions change. Gibbons emphasized that Warner Bros. Discovery's strategy extends far beyond streaming, leveraging popular franchises for theme park experiences and consumer products. The Harry Potter Studio Tour in Japan, which launched two years ago, remains 'solidly booked out daily,' while a second location is planned for Shanghai. 'When you have a fan base, and you know you have streaming, which is essentially a fan base and IP engine that's building, you have then the opportunity to serve that fan base with experiences, consumer products and games,' Gibbons explained. The executive sees significant untapped potential in the Asia-Pacific region, noting that it's 'home to two thirds of the world's population, three out of the five biggest economies' and represents a 'tremendous market for streaming growth.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar
Mint
4 days ago
- Sport
- Mint
West Indies vs Australia Live Streaming: When and where to watch WI vs AUS Test series, schedule, full squads and more
The West Indies are set to host Australia for a highly-anticipated three-match Test series starting June 25, 2025, as part of the World Test Championship (WTC). After a disappointing loss to South Africa in the WTC final, Pat Cummins' Australian side will be geared up to bounce back. On the other hand, the Caribbean team will also want to clinch a win at their home ground. The last time these teams faced each other was in the year 2024. The series ended with a 1-1 series draw, highlighted by Shamar Joseph's remarkable 7-68 at the Gabba. Australia will face a challenge after Steve Smith was sidelined for the first Test due to a finger injury sustained in the WTC final. Moreover, Marnus Labuschagne has also been dropped for the opening match. Sam Konstas is likely to open alongside Usman Khawaja, with Josh Inglis replacing Smith. The West Indies, under new captain Roston Chase, are exploring a transitional phase. Chase, who hasn't played a Test since March 2023 took over from Kraigg Brathwaite, who stepped down earlier this year. The absence of veteran pacer Kemar Roach could impact their bowling front. However, young players like Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph are expected to perform well. First Test: June 25 – 29, 2025, Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados (10:00 AM local time) (7:30 PM IST) Second Test: July 3 – 7, 2025, National Cricket Stadium, St. George's, Grenada (10:00 AM local time) (7:30 PM IST) Third Test: July 12–16, 2025, Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica (1:30 PM local time) (11:00 PM IST) The series won't be broadcast on TV channels. Fans can stream all matches live on the FanCode platform. Viewers can watch the match on ESPN across the Caribbean, with live streaming available on Disney+. The Tests will be broadcast on ESPN via Foxtel, Kayo Sports, Disney+, and Fetch TV. Broadcast details are yet to be confirmed. Roston Chase (C), Jomel Warrican, Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales Pat Cummins (C), Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Beau Webster, Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann
Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
The Project and Q&A programs tanked by 'youth exodus' as Big Tech shifts the Australian media industry into another gear
Australia's media industry, once a vibrant tapestry of nightly news, gritty dramas, and unifying sports broadcasts, is at a crossroads – caught in a digital storm that is challenging its economic and cultural core. The cancellation of once iconic shows like Network 10's The Project and the ABC's Q+A this month, along with Foxtel's 3.4 billion AUD takeover by global streaming giant DAZN in April are signals of a seismic shift. Three forces drive this upheaval: a youth exodus away from traditional media consumption, Big Tech's stranglehold, and hyper competition in content creation, a once highly barriered industry. The Great Youth Exodus Young Australians (4–17 and 18–39), in-line with their counterparts around the world, are abandoning traditional television for digital ecosystems at an exponential pace. OzTAM data shows a 75–80 per cent drop in free-to-air (FTA) viewership among youth from 2009 to 2024, with primetime audiences skewing over 50. More fundamentally, they are leaving not only for television-style content on other distribution channels, but for alternative forms of entertainment altogether. A 2024 ACMA report estimates of the ~30 hours of weekly leisure time available to 16–24-year-olds, only ~2 hours (7 per cent) are spent on FTA/cable (Seven, Nine, Foxtel), down from 10 in 2010, and 27 per cent spent on television-style content through streaming services. The remaining 65 per cent of youth leisure time is spent scrolling through YouTube and Social Media feeds, playing video games, listening to podcasts and shopping online. This is a fundamental reset of the role of television in society altogether. Once the glowing hearth of family nights and personal escapism - perhaps most vividly immortalised in Back to the Future's 1955 Baines household - television has been dethroned from its former cultural supremacy, with few exceptions. This is certainly a core reason behind The Project's ratings collapse from 1.1 million in 2010 to 238,000 to 357,000 in 2024, and Q+A's decline from 0.5 million to 0.3 million over the same time period. Let's drill down further into what this has meant for top-rated television shows in Australia. All top-rated programs across the key categories of Sports, News and Entertainment have lost ratings over the past fifteen years. One notable exception to this trend has been Sky News Australia's 'after dark' programming, which has steadily grown over this period, demonstrating its value in serving demand for conservative commentary on the news (disclosure: I appear on Sky News Australia's evening lineup three times a week and it is the owner of this site). Meanwhile, streaming content – whether global like Squid Games and The Rings of Power or Australian originals like Boy Swallows Universe – not even on the map in 2010 now command ratings that rival AFL and NRL Grand Finals. Big Tech's Stranglehold and Australia's Unique Disadvantage Big Tech has been both the cause and the beneficiary of this great youth exodus to other forms of digital media and entertainment as demonstrated in their growth from zero to over USD six trillion in market cap in a quarter century – a rise never before seen in human history. The most dramatic consequence of this is seen in the traditional ad apocalypse catalysed by Big Tech's grip. Google and Meta now capture 65–70 per cent of Australia's AUD 16.4 billion digital ad market, up from ~40 per cent in 2015. Meanwhile television ad revenue (FTA and Cable) fell from AUD 5.0 billion to AUD 4.3 billion over the same period, as advertisers increasingly favour digital advertising over traditional television advertising in their budget mix. On the consumer revenue side, Australian consumers spent 11 per cent more with the two global juggernaut streaming platforms, Netflix and Amazon Prime, from 2010 to today (AUD 1.3 to 2.1 billion). Leading Australian digital platforms - Stan, Kayo and Binge - have also demonstrated strong growth over the same period (AUD 548 million to 1.5 billion, or 17 per cent CAGR), but it must be noted that the growth of Kayo and Binge is offset by proportional declines in Foxtel's non-streaming revenue over the same period (Foxtel is the owner of Kayo and Binge). Australia is uniquely disadvantaged in this media industry arms race. Its position as an English-speaking market with limited scale makes it destined to be more of a 'franchisee' rather than a head-to-head competitor in the globalised media and entertainment industry. Government policies such as the 40 per cent producer offset and subsidies like Screen Australia's grants may help on the margins but they lag US tax breaks (e.g., California's 25 per cent credit) and other economies of scale advantages. Content Hyper-Competition and Saturation These market dynamics have also led to a second-order effect of a content explosion that has created a hyper-competitive landscape for creators coupled with diminished economies of scale due to the highly fragmented audience structure this has enabled. Netflix alone is on track to release ~500 original series in 2025, over 10 times as many as in 2015. Not to mention the explosion of user-generated content (UGC) on platforms like YouTube (1.5 billion videos in 2025, up from 300 million in 2015) and TikTok (~2 billion, up from 10 million), and independent podcasters like Joe Rogan (15m+ listeners per episode) also competing directly for eyeballs and attention. This hyper-competitive environment with drastically varied cost structures across UGC and Big Tech juggernauts, further squeezes Australian production competitiveness from both ends. If current trends continue, Big Tech will dominate over 70 per cent of Australia's ad spend and ~65 per cent of Australian consumer revenue by 2030. To compete, Australian media must innovate – thinking outside the norms of the last decade that resulted in show concepts like The Project and Q&A. One example of this would be: Leveraging AI (e.g., AI-assisted script writing and editing, and CGI visual generation) to slash production costs and accelerate delivery to leapfrog over the traditional Hollywood model of production and better compete with Silicon Valley studios. Or we could Identify and double-down on defensible localised niches like outback true crime (Snowtown) or sports underdog tales (The Test). Advocating policies like increased tax credits or relaxed quotas – and considering a radical rethink: defunding the ABC's AUD 1.1 billion budget to instead create a media venture fund and/or generous tax credit scheme to spur individual creators and private media startups in what has quickly become a golden age for new media entrepreneurship. The events of the last couple of weeks with high-profile cancellations, against the backdrop of Big Tech's structural advantage overall and in the Australian market in particular, reveals what time it is for the Australian media industry. The question that remains is: Will Australian media harness AI, own valuable storytelling niches, and pursue policy reform to forge defensible strongholds? Or will it succumb, and accept its fate as a mere franchisee of global giants by 2030? Kosha Gada is a tech entrepreneur who also serves as a board member of sports betting platform PointsBet. She is a broadcast commentator on US and international current affairs, appearing live three nights a week on Sky News Australia
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Expected exit of Optus from sports streaming market leaves race in Australia finely poised
Optus Sport are expected to sell the broadcast rights to the Premier League to Stan Sports in a deal worth around $300m. Optus Sport are expected to sell the broadcast rights to the Premier League to Stan Sports in a deal worth around $300m. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA One of the pioneers of Australian streaming is set to depart the local market as early as this week, marking the end of the first epoch in the over-the-top sports broadcast revolution. Optus Sport is close to selling its suite of rights, including its jewel the Premier League, almost nine years after it launched in Australia. The exit will be the sector's biggest departure during a decade-long rights-grab, as fans of some sports were left with no choice but to pick up two or more pay-TV platforms in order to follow their favourite sports. Advertisement Related: Ange Postecoglou's triumph breaks streaming record as Australians tune in 'in droves' Stan – owned by Nine Entertainment – is now the only home-grown sport subscription streaming player in Australia, following the acquisition of Foxtel by UK-based, Saudi Arabia-backed Dazn earlier this year. Stan was set up in 2015, initially as a joint venture between Nine and Fairfax Media. After an initial focus on entertainment, its anticipated acquisition of Optus' rights for an expected sum of around $300m establishes the Stan Sport brand as the clear No 2 behind – and major challenger to – Foxtel/Kayo Sports, which holds the rights to AFL and NRL. The Stan deal is set to be announced in coming days, but it has been business as usual for Optus Sport. The telco has been promoting the Uefa Women's Euro 2025 tournament, which gets underway early in July. An Optus spokesperson said 'all companies regularly review their businesses to ensure they are maximising value and realising their full potential – Optus is no different. We don't comment on speculation.' Optus Sport launched in 2016 as an early sports streaming specialist, part of the so-called over-the-top (OTT), Netflix-style distribution model that bypassed traditional cable or satellite-based providers and instead used the ordinary internet connections of customers to deliver content. Advertisement Sports rights consultant Jon Marquard – who was involved with Optus Sport for much of its time in Australia, up until around 18 months ago – said the strategy worked for a time but the company has shifted focus in recent years. 'That period of 2019 to 2023, culminating in the Women's World Cup, added around $1bn to the brand value of Optus when it had faced other challenges including the major outage and cyber incident,' he said. 'It was undeniably a good thing for the first six years, but the writing has been on the wall for a while relative to other streamers, as globalisation has occurred and new players have come into the market, and Optus hasn't been able to keep pace with that.' Amazon – through its ICC cricket rights – and Disney – via this year's introduction of ESPN on its Disney+ service – are now prominent in the Australian marketplace, while other online subscription players including Netflix and Apple have purchased rights overseas. Advertisement Although Optus' football offering has been comprehensive, including the Women's Super League in England, and international competitions, it was not able to become the pre-eminent destination for fans of the sport. Paramount+ screens Matildas, Socceroos and A-League football, and Stan Sport has rights to the European Champions League. 'It's a credit to Nine to keep going and look to increase scale,' Marquard said. 'To go out and reinvest in rugby domestically and the World Cups, and now increasing their football portfolio, they need that.' Stan will be broadcasting Wimbledon, the British & Irish Lions tour and the pay-per-view boxing bout between Paul Gallen and Sonny Billy Williams in coming weeks, underlining its growing presence across multiple sports. But Marquard suggested a more compelling sports offering gives Stan an opportunity to increase the number of its customers subscribing to more than just its entertainment package. Stan's basic package costs $12 per month, while Stan Sport – introduced in 2020 – is an additional $15. The Gallen-Williams fight costs $70. Stan has reported 2.3m subscribers, but only a fraction of those also pay for sport. Advertisement 'As a result of this acquisition, I would expect them to look at their product offering again to see how they can get their sport package to a larger proportion of their customer base,' Marquard said. The exit of Optus Sport, which has Premier League rights until 2028, means one less subscription for football fans – saving $10 per month for Optus customers or $25 for others. However, the picture has been complicated by Kayo's re-emergence in the sport. The Fifa Club World Club is currently being shown on Australia's most popular sports streaming platform as a direct result of Dazn's $US1bn deal with Fifa. The Dazn acquisition is likely to trigger more changes for the local market. Around 100 Foxtel staff were made redundant in April, and Kayo increased its monthly pricing by $5 this month; its standard package is now $30. The NRL rights from 2028 are currently being negotiated. Stan's commitment to growing its portfolio, together with its place in the stable of current NRL free-to-air partner Nine, means a partnership with another pay-TV provider – like the current share with Foxtel/Kayo – makes little sense. Advertisement Related: News Corp bets big on AI tools but journalists voice concerns | Weekly Beast Yet Dazn, backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, has deep pockets. It paid $3.4bn to acquire Foxtel and its 4.7m subscribers in Australia, and it appears patient in recouping its investment in the Club World Cup. While all matches are available on Kayo, both live and as replays on demand, the tournament is also available on the Dazn platform, which is still available to Australian customers. There – in line with its approach overseas – live matches are free but replays, higher quality video and sound, and fewer ads are only available to subscribers for $30 per month, or $15 for an annual commitment. While free-to-air television is still considered by lawmakers to be Australians' primary mode of watching sport – thereby ensuring its major events are protected under anti-siphoning law – enough will soon cut the cord and move to internet-served smart TVs and mobile devices to challenge this legacy dynamic. The recent investment by Seven and Nine in their own ad-supported online platforms suggests they know what is coming. But for now, the Optus exit leaves the sports streaming race finely poised.
