The BeIN Sports and PBS Kids channels will no longer be available to customers of Foxtel from July 1.
The removal of the three BeIN Sports channels – channels 513, 514, and 515 – will mark the end of a seven-year stint with Foxtel and Kayo.
A Foxtel Group spokesperson said, “As part of our constant evaluation of programming and channels, we have made the decision not to renew our partnership with BeIN Sports. Our BeIN Sports channels will be available to customers until 30 June 2023.
“We continue be the home of Australia’s biggest and fastest growing sports including NRL, AFL, Cricket, Netball, NBL, Motorsports and many others which we distribute through a wide variety of channels across Foxtel and stream on Kayo Sports. Our Foxtel customers also now have access to even more sporting content with the recent introduction of Optus Sport and Paramount + onto iQ set top boxes.”
Customers looking to continue watching BeIN Sports after the cut off date will need to subscribe to its streaming platform. The platform costs $19.99 a month, or an annual package for $239.88. New customers get a 1-week free trial.
In addition to BeIN Sports, Foxtel will also be dropping the PBS Kids channel – channel 719 – on July 1, two years to the day since it launched on the platform.
A Foxtel spokesperson said, “Foxtel Group offers a wide range of popular kids content via DreamWorks, Cartoon Network, CBeebies and Boomerang including popular returning and premiering titles: Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous and Boss Baby: Back in Action (DreamWorks), Teen Titans Go! (Cartoon Network), Hey Duggee (CBeebies) and Batwheels (Boomerang).
“Customers also have access to even more kids content via the suite of integrated apps including some of the biggest kids titles in the world: Bluey (ABC iView), Peppa Pig (ABC iView), Spidey & His Amazing Friends (Disney+), Frozen (Disney+) and Paw Patrol The Movie (Netflix).
“We constantly review the performance and popularity of this content and have made the decision to close our PBS Kids channel. PBS Kids will be available to customers until 30 June 2023.”