Foxtel Group’s chief commercial and content officer Amanda Laing was a key ingredient in netball returning to subscription TV, this time as an exclusive sport for Foxtel and Kayo.
Foxtel’s chief executive Patrick Delany told Mediaweek yesterday about Laing’s desire to continue working with the sport after engineering Nine’s netball deal, along with support from Foxtel’s commercial director of sport Rebecca McCloy.
Speaking to Mediaweek recently, Laing said: “When we did the deal for netball at Nine, I referred to it as ‘the sleeping giant of Australian sport’. I knew that with a massive participation base, there was an enormous opportunity.”
Laing’s netball deal was very different at Nine where the coverage was a JV between the broadcaster and the sporting body.
“That was the only way Nine could get the economics to make sense at that time,” explained Laing. “It was quite a different sort of deal and we pooled our resources to make it work together and there was a revenue share attached to that.”
Foxtel Group’s Amanda Laing
When asked about the Nine deal now, Laing offered: “I think it was a success for Nine and it helped netball get greater reach. There are certain constraints in the FTA world around scheduling. Nine needed the games at certain times.
“Having netball on television in the middle of a Saturday, when all the netballers are at netball, is not optimising the potential for the sport.
“The Foxtel Group netball deal gives us the opportunity to have flexible scheduling plus magazine and shoulder programming which netball fans are crying out for. That speaks to one of the big challenges for netball which is to get people who play the sport and love the sport watching the sport.
“We have millions of Australians who play and only some of them are currently watching netball. Step 1: Let’s get them all watching netball. Step 2: Let’s extend the fan base and get people who have never played it recognising it for the extraordinary sport that it is.”
A significant element in the Foxtel Group netball deal is having the Sunday netball matches free.
Netball on Kayo Freebies
Laing: “What was really important to netball coming off FTA was ensuring that there was still the audience reach to the netball fans. We then worked with them to find which games that should be. We worked out how we could have netball for free for viewers, who would then see it and want more. They will want to see the magazine programs and the deeper analysis of what is going on and off the court.”
Putting netball on Kayo Feebies, along with the Women’s World Cup Cricket this month, is giving people a feel for Kayo, said Laing. “We are very confident in this try before you buy strategy. The data is indicating that people love what they see.”
Commercial opportunities
Laing noted that as part of the business model, ad revenue remains an important contributor. “This is a very unique opportunity for advertisers and brands to get on board with a sport like netball which has so much going for it. It has an impressive participation base and extraordinary ambassadors. Suncorp remains a key sponsor and netball has other sponsors, but there is room for other brands to come on board as well.”
Foxtel Group netball host Hannah Hollis with Suncorp Super Netball players
Acquiring and keeping content for Foxtel
As Foxtel’s chief content dealmaker, Laing admitted her job is a little like painting the Sydney Harbour Bridge, once everything is completed, it’s virtually time to go back and start again. “Some of our deals run for quite a few years, while others are coming up for renewal. Sometimes two partners have an appetite to do something different, not because a deal is about to end, but because you are thinking differently about what you both want.
“Luckily for us we have strong relationships with all of our suppliers. We help each other out. When we might need someone’s support on something that is not written into the contract, they will come to the party. Other times when partners need our support, we will be there for them.”
Laing said the Foxtel Group is unique in that it has a strong subscription TV service that also looks after separate streaming platforms. “That is the secret sauce of what we are able to offer because we have different ways of providing content to people.”
Laing noted that streaming was now mainstream and that the demographics for Kayo and Binge are very broad. “It’s no longer something for just early adopters. When we started Stan we had to put ads on Channel 9 to explain to people what streaming was and how to download the app. You don’t have to do that anymore.”
As to making any sport profitable, Laing admitted it can be a challenge as rights can be expensive. “We are able to monetise the sport with subscription and ad revenue and it contributes to customer retention.”
See also: Netball Australia signs five year deal with Foxtel, leaving Nine