Media Release: Monday, December 12, 2016

Outstanding Australian content
Exclusive landmark deal with HBO
Unprecedented live coverage of major sports
Dedicated Rugby League channel

FOXTEL’S BLOCKBUSTER LINE UP FOR 2017

In what promises to be the most stellar line up of entertainment on Australian television, Foxtel has unveiled its 2017 roster, featuring an array of live sports, international and local dramas, blockbuster movie titles, brand new kids shows and the best in factual content and news.

The company is set for its biggest year ever with a bold and diverse programming slate, screened through live linear channels and an unprecedented number of new movie titles and television series available on demand.

For Foxtel customers, it is the most comprehensive line up in the history of the company.

Best in shows – the world-wide hits, the new wave and increased investment in Australian stories

Foxtel original local productions triumphed in the drama categories at last week’s AACTA ceremonies, with Wentworth awarded Best Television Drama, The Kettering Incident taking away Best Mini-Series and Best Lead Actress in Television Drama for star Elizabeth Debicki and Damon Herriman acknowledged as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the mini-series Secret City.

Foxtel’s Australian and international drama proposition for 2017 is simply outstanding.

On January 1, Foxtel begins its new, long term and exclusive partnership with HBO, the world’s most prolific, most awarded producers and broadcasters of quality drama, comedy and documentary programming.

In 2017 and beyond, Foxtel will be the home of HBO in Australia and will be the only place to see every HBO series first, including new series of Game of Thrones (broadcast at the same time as the US), Girls, Ballers, Divorce, Westworld and the multi award winning Veep. Next year Foxtel will debut premiere HBO content including new dramas Big Little Lies and Crashing – and every program will be available to stream in full. The new deal with HBO also means that the entire back catalogue from the studio – every series from Oz and The Wire, through to The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Sex and The City and all seasons of the global hit Game Of Thrones will be available to subscribers.

Foxtel will also feature an extensive range of dramas from other major international producers, many showing express from the US, such as The Affair, Ray Donovan, The Walking Dead, Orange Is The New Black, The Exorcist, The Americans, Nashville, Shameless and Outlander.

Foxtel’s other major drama partner BBC will premiere an impressive array of event drama series, including Taboo with Tom Hardy, SS-GB starring Sam Riley and Kate Bosworth and the highly anticipated sequel to Jane Campion’s award winning, Top Of The Lake, starring Elisabeth Moss, Gwendoline Christie and featuring Nicole Kidman.

In what promises to be another memorable year for Australian drama, the popular Wentworth and A Place To Call Home are back in new seasons, along with the provocative movie feature, Australia Day, starring Bryan Brown, Shari Sebbens and Matthew Le Nevez. Also slated is the highly anticipated event mini series Picnic At Hanging Rock.

Foxtel’s signature success stories, The Real Housewives of Melbourne, Grand Designs Australia, Selling Houses Australia, Gogglebox Australia, Coast Australia, The Great Australian Bake Off, Crimes That Shook Australia and Stage & Screen, will all be back in new seasons.

Foxtel’s Executive Director of Television, Brian Walsh said: “Foxtel is passionate about storytelling and we continue to look for those quality productions which meet the audience appetite for Australian stories and tell them in an impactful and meaningful way.

“Our commitment will fund new Australian productions including the event dramas, Picnic at Hanging Rock and Australia Day, factual titles Lawless: The Real Bushrangers, Court Justice, Demolition Man and The Real Housewives of Sydney, to name a few.

“Foxtel is the leader in the lifestyle genre and in 2017 viewers will see new programs Love It Or List It Australia, Common Sense, and Great Australian Cookbook. We will celebrate the entertainment industry with awards programming including the CMC Awards, the Helpmanns, the American Music Awards, the BAFTAS, International AACTAs, the Tonys and the Emmys.”

Best sports and best for news from Australia and around the globe

With an unrivalled sport offering including 17 dedicated high definition sports channels with hours of LIVE sports Foxtel is the indisputable home of sport in Australia.

From now until at least 2022 Foxtel will have every match of every round of both the AFL and the NRL, LIVE and ad-break free during play.

Foxtel has the best football offering in the country delivered reliably on our three world-class beIN SPORTS channels as well as three English football club channels from Chelsea, Liverpool FC and Manchester United broadcasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week; plus FOX SPORTS broadcasts three English football club programming blocks from Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. FOX SPORTS also has LIVE coverage of every match of the Hyundai A-League competition.

In 2017 FOX SPORTS will launch a dedicated 24/7 Rugby League channel providing fans with more coverage than ever before. A week long line-up of programs will keep viewers entertained and informed, with FOX SPORTS delivering every game of the regular season and Finals in September LIVE, with no ad-breaks during play and in high definition. The most comprehensive pre, half and post-match coverage will complement LIVE action from Thursday to Sunday spearheaded by the country’s best commentary team.

Foxtel will broadcast the inaugural AFL Women’s League on FOX FOOTY. The NAB AFL Women’s Competition will commence on Friday February 3 in Melbourne and FOX FOOTY will televise every match of the home & away season LIVE and ad-break free during play.

There is amazing coverage of motor sports with every Formula 1, Supercars and Moto GP race, rugby union, golf and so much more.

Walsh continued: “Our investment in sport means Australians have access to thousands of hours of sport that otherwise would never have been seen on television. Our news service includes five Australian SKY NEWS channels providing up-to-the-minute coverage on local and global events with special programming for elections and political priorities.

“At Foxtel, we’re looking forward to a bigger and better year in 2017 with more choice from the widest selection of content partners to bring the best of the world’s news, sport and entertainment to Australians – and in today’s globalised world – our subscribers expect nothing less.”

Best for movies

Foxtel currently provides over 1200 of the hottest movies on demand, anytime, and ad-break free, plus the big new releases and all-time favourites available to rent from our Store. Foxtel hosts pop-up channel events showing all the films from favourite movie franchises in back-to-back marathons, with new pop-up movie channels launching in 2017. These “pop ups” will include a dedicated 007 channel, featuring every James Bond movie ever made, a Batman vs Superman channel, an X–Men channel and more.

Featured theatrical titles over the coming summer on FOXTEL Store & Box Office include The Secret Life Of Pets, Jason Bourne, Suicide Squad, Inferno and Jack Reacher.

Best for families

The Foxtel Kids Pack has 17 times more new kids shows than our competitors had last year and in 2017 will welcome SLIME CUP, Mighty Magiswords, Mickey and the Roadstar Races and many more from the world’s best kid’s channels.

-Brad