A set visit to the second season of The Twelve being filmed in Perth last week showcased the Foxtel Group’s content strategy. Drama originals are more important than ever, and The Twelve has been key to its strategy as it built audiences and became an award winner.
Foxtel chief executive Patrick Delany has detailed in Mediaweek previously how Foxtel successfully implemented its streaming strategy. His recent executive reshuffle was about setting up the subscription TV business for its next five years. Alongside Foxtel, both Kayo and Binge now have dedicated teams.
Earlier this year Delany announced Amanda Laing as chief content and commercial officer with leadership of the entertainment division.
Alison Hurbert-Burns, now executive director of Binge and commissioning and content Foxtel Group, continues to be responsible for the sales and marketing of Binge and will also take the reins of all commissioned and acquired content for the Foxtel Group and will be supported by a key team– both existing and new.
Foxtel’s entertainment division, including Binge, is one part of the business that has chalked up a number of successes over the past 24 months. Laing has been spearheading the renewal of the Foxtel output deals on more manageable terms.
Hurbert-Burns and the late Brian Walsh were driving the commissioning which included such audience magnets and multi-award winners as Colin from Accounts and The Twelve.
The latter has just started production in Perth of its second season. During a visit to Perth just days ago, Mediaweek was able to get up close to some of the courtroom action with some of the formidable new cast in action.
The Twelve as part of Foxtel’s group strategy
As we reported last week, Sam Neill will reprise his role as Brett Colby, SC in the courtroom drama, this time set in Western Australia. One of scenes we saw featured some of the talented new cast in action. Joining Neill on the courtroom bench were Frances O’Connor and Fayssal Bazzi. That is about as much as we can share without spoiling the plot. This is a series that did heavy lifting for both Foxtel and Binge.
Amanda Laing
Amanda Laing explained to Mediaweek: “As we start to see material growth for Binge with record subscribers of more than 1.5 million, it’s the right time to ensure we are set up to support the next phase of growth by bringing together the entertainment functions across the group.
“It’s a natural evolution and will help capitalise on our diverse pipeline of long-term international partners and our premium slate of original productions. Those include High Country starring Leah Purcell, Strife led by Asher Keddie and produced by Bruna Papandrea and the Made Up Stories team, our most recent commission, Mix Tape, and of course The Twelve Season 2 now in production.”
Talking to Mediaweek in Perth after the visit to the set of The Twelve Season 2, Hurbert-Burns spoke about Binge and the content strategy.
“Binge is no longer an app in a start-up stage. I have been with Binge growing it to what it is for over three years. Now Binge and Kayo need their own divisions to continue to drive them forward and to realise their ambitions.”
Hurbert-Burns continued: “Binge started out to make a few series to see how they would go. The performance of them just shot the lights out in terms of the amount of people that were watching. We are now at the point of making more, but with the group input.”
Alison Hurbert-Burns
The content team is planning for the future without the input of Brian Walsh.
“Brian was overseeing drama and most of the unscripted being commissioned for Foxtel. We are now bringing all production together into an internal team that will oversee content acquisition and commissioning for the group – Foxtel and Binge.”
Hurbert-Burns confirmed that all content will continue to be available to Foxtel customers too. “We have been buoyed by the content decisions we have made for Binge and how they have performed on Foxtel.”
She used as an example the success the group had with Binge’s Colins from Accounts. “The viewing for the first episode was the largest-ever for the group. We put it on Foxtel and hoped it would find an audience. The first episode was the largest viewing of an episode ever for the group – 1m people. Similarly Love Me really worked on both platforms.
“There is a real opportunity to make things that work across the group. Commissions that will help us grow and bring in new audiences and sustain them.
“We will continue to deliver content that people value so much they are prepared to pay for it. The level of premium content, and the ambition we have always had, and what Brian drove for so many years, remains. It is in our DNA and we have the opportunity of extending it to Binge.”
Laing also spoke about her former colleague: “As we take Brian Walsh’s legacy of creating remarkable Australian stories into a new era, we will do this through giving people within the organisation new opportunities, many of whom were mentored and learnt from Brian, continue to work with our long-standing creative partners, and look to bring in new talent.”
Lana Greenhalgh
Foxtel Group grows Originals team
Hurbert-Burns explained two executives are getting new opportunities: The commissioning of Foxtel Originals is moving to the new head of scripted Lana Greenhalgh who has been with Foxtel for eight years. “She was mentored by both Brian Walsh and [former Foxtel head of drama] Penny Win over the years. Lana started in talent management and has literally worked her way through every level of the producing process.
“We also have Howard Myers who will now be head of unscripted which includes projects like FBoy Island and The Real Housewives of Sydney and you will start to see more Binge unscripted originals.
“We are really now looking for content that works for both platforms and we will continue to take risks and push the boundaries with what we want to do with Binge.”
Foxtel is also hiring a new development executive and network EP for unscripted.
The group will also continue to partner with long-standing production, commissioning and talent management partners including Warner Bros (Love Me, The Twelve), Easy Tiger (The Twelve, Colin from Accounts), Made Up Stories (Strife), Matchbox (Real Housewives), Endemol Shine (Gogglebox).
Main image: [L-R] Director Ben Young, actor Luke Pegler, Foxtel’s Alison Hurbert-Burns, WA Minister David Templeman, actors Fayssal Bazzi and Tasma Walton and Screenwest CEO Rikki Lea Bestall. Photo for Binge by David Dare Parker