Foxtel today announced it has further strengthened its relationship with Hollywood heavyweight HBO, by entering into a new agreement that provides even more extensive rights to HBO’s library of incredible programming. The new rights arrangements are set to kick off from 1 January 2017.
The news elevates Foxtel to Australia’s undisputed “Home of HBO”; ensuring Foxtel has access to even more HBO dramas, comedies and documentaries. In addition to current seasons of HBO shows that air on Foxtel, customers will now be able to stream their favourite HBO series, past and present via Foxtel Anytime available on demand, all the time.
The new agreement continues Foxtel’s exclusive premiere offering of first run programs by HBO including films, miniseries, full seasons, comedy specials, documentaries and talk shows and now includes comprehensive on demand rights that remove any prior programming ‘rest periods”.
HBO’s programming has been a premium fixture for Foxtel subscribers, which has brought a host of internationally acclaimed content including Game of Thrones, The Night Of, The Jinx, The Wire, VEEP, The Sopranos, True Blood, Girls, The Leftovers, Six Feet Under, True Detective, Ballers, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Rome, Entourage, Eastbound and Down, Silicon Valley
and more.
Season 6 of HBO’s Game of Thrones shattered viewership records on Foxtel with the final episode recording an overnight audience of 737,000 with the full season enjoying a cumulative average audience of more than 1.2 million viewers per episode.
The renewed partnership also comes as HBO’s highly anticipated reality bending drama, Westworld, is set to arrive. Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, Westworld, based on the 1973 film, is a dark odyssey that looks at the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin and explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged. Westworld will air on Foxtel on Monday October 3 at 12pm AEDST, same time as the US
only on showcase.
Foxtel CEO Peter Tonagh said, “HBO is known for creating some of the most compelling, must-watch TV the world has ever seen and Foxtel and HBO have a shared legacy of bringing these incredible shows to Australian screens everywhere. Together, we’ve recognised the changing ways subscribers are enjoying and re-enjoying their favourite series, and our newly strengthened relationship enables us to deliver our customers all of the amazing HBO stories they love, whenever and wherever they want.”
Charles Schreger, President of Programming Sales, HBO, said, “The full value of HBO is recognised when our current and library programming live together as an offering to the consumer. With this expansion of rights, Foxtel makes available the abundance of all HBO has to offer and we know from experience that this will further elevate Foxtel’s great service. They’ve always been a forward-thinking partner and we are thrilled with what we’ve been able to accomplish.”