Foxtel Media and sports drink Maximus are launching a new six-part reality series, Maximus Do-Cathlon, that will see five former professional athletes and their best mates put through their paces.
They will compete in a series of everyday challenges that are then dialled up for maximum pressure, with the winner earning bragging rights and $10,000 for the charity of their choice.
Former Olympic gold medallist swimmer Leisel Jones will take part in the series, alongside retired Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds, ex-AFLW and netball star Sharni Norder, Hawthorn great Josh Gibson and former World Surf League Joel Parkinson.
The six episode series will see them compete in challenges such as racing to picking up the laundry in a Monster Truck, building a backyard cubby house and mowing an entire paddock.
The series will feature across Fox Sports, Kayo, Kayo Freebies platforms, as well as the wider Foxtel network.
Short promos for the series are also set to air during commercials on the aforementioned platforms during live sporting events such as the AFLW, NRLW, BBL and The Ashes, as well as plugs from Fox hosts.
Frucor Suntory’s senior brand marketing manager, Kate Taylor said, “The Maximus Do-Cathlon series is all about what you can do with Maximus – we give you more because you’ve got more to do.
“We wanted to bring this to life by showing Aussies working hard and having fun with their mates at the same time. With the help of a truly amazing agency team, we tried something different by making a TV show, rather than just a TV ad and we’re thrilled with the outcome,” she added.
Brendan Willenberg, executive creative director at Clemenger BBDO Sydney said: “From a one-page idea in a presentation to an Australia-wide game show, we are pinching ourselves to not only have this on air but to give the Maximus brand an idea as big as the drink itself.”
OMD Create’s national director of sport partnerships Aaron Miller said: “We are thrilled to bring together Maximus and Foxtel and work with this incredible group of agencies to create Maximus Do-Cathlon. Foxtel’s continued growth across platforms and quality production outputs made them the perfect choice of partner to bring this series to life.”
Co-Founder of RCKT Co Mark Raisbeck said: “When a brand puts forward a concept of this nature and asks how we would bring this to life from a production perspective, it got the juices flowing very early on by the entire team.
“It’s been a mammoth project and we are really excited to see it hit the screens. It’s been a fantastic collaboration by all parties, all willing to take a brave marketing step.”
Kate Waugh, head of sports partnerships at Foxtel Media said: “We’re delighted to be bringing this branded content series to life, pairing the reach of the Foxtel network with the creativity of Maximus.
“The Maximus Do-Cathlon is a brilliant celebration of endurance, mateship and the Australian spirit of perseverance, competition and charitable giving. It is beyond advertising and has crossed over into true value-added entertainment for our viewers who are consistently engaged on all our sports platforms.”
“At Foxtel Media, we love working with brands who are willing to push on the edges of marketing and build new frontiers in the space. We are thrilled that the Frucor Suntory and Maximus teams have chosen us for this journey and can’t wait to see how it unfolds,” she added.
Maximus Do-Cathlon premieres on Tuesday, February 1 at 8:30PM on Foxtel and on Kayo Freebies