The Foxtel Group has announced a series of multi-year agreements with ViacomCBS to provide blockbuster and catalogue Paramount Pictures movies, a large range of hit TV series, the Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and MTV channels, along with integration of the Paramount+ and 10 Play apps onto Foxtel set top boxes in 2022 for Australia.
This is the first commercial FTA app to launch on the Foxtel platform. Foxtel told Mediaweek today that discussions are underway with both Seven and Nine to welcome 7plus and 9NOW to the Foxtel platform.
The ViacomCBS agreements cover thousands of hours of entertainment including movies such as Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible 7 starring Tom Cruise coming in 2022, along with blockbuster franchises such as Transformers, Shrek, Madagascar and Star Trek. The agreements also deliver popular TV dramas including the pay TV premiere of Blue Bloods, BULL, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, NCIS and the classic hit series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
This deal ensures that Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. content will continue to be available to Foxtel and BINGE subscribers, including kids’ series such as PAW Patrol. The MTV channel will also remain available to Foxtel and BINGE subscribers, including hit shows like Ridiculousness.
These agreements with ViacomCBS also accelerate Foxtel’s streaming aggregation strategy to bring together the best of TV, live and on-demand, all in one place. It will see the recently launched Paramount+ app, and the 10 Play app, integrated into iQ3, iQ4, and the brand new iQ5 set top boxes.
Patrick Delany, Foxtel Group chief executive officer said: “We are pleased to extend our long-term partnership with ViacomCBS, with more of the world’s best entertainment to power Foxtel and BINGE, and more apps for our Foxtel customers to enjoy, all in one place.
“The breadth of these agreements is strategically significant for the Foxtel Group. They highlight our strength as a local partner of choice for leading global studios and confirm there are new ways to partner with international media companies who have direct-to-consumer strategies for the benefit of customers.”
Foxtel Group’s chief commercial and content officer Amanda Laing added: “These deals give our customers more of the amazing entertainment they love, from one of the world’s best producers of media and entertainment content, along with more great local content. We are especially excited to offer our subscribers an amazing library of Paramount Pictures movies, as well as an exciting slate of Paramount’s upcoming blockbusters. Paramount has been delivering audiences the world’s best cinema for more than 100 years, and Foxtel is thrilled to be part of continuing that tradition – especially for highly anticipated releases like Top Gun: Maverick.
Foxtel’s Amanda Lang with actor Richard Roxburgh at the CBSViacom announcement
“We are also delighted to continue to deliver Nickelodeon kids content to our subscribers – Nick Jr. is consistently amongst our top 10 channels, keeping kids across Australia entertained. Our subscribers will also continue to enjoy MTV’s irreverent music and hugely popular reality programming, with shows like Catfish and The Hills: New Beginnings.”
“We are thrilled to extend our longstanding partnership with Foxtel Group,” said Dan Cohen, president, ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group. “Through their suite of platforms, we can reach viewers no matter how they choose to consume our world-class series and feature films. This partnership is consistent with our strategy to maximize the value of our content by licensing to third parties while still supplying programming to our own platforms.”
“We are pleased to partner with The Foxtel group to make available the Paramount+ app and the 10 Play app on the iQ3, iQ4 and the brand new iQ5 set top boxes”, said Jarrod Villani, chief operating and commercial officer and executive vice president, ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand.
Adding to the existing suite of app-based streaming platforms Paramount+ and 10 Play will join Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, ABC iView and SBS On Demand cementing the Foxtel set top boxes as the ‘all in one place’ destination for the world’s best streaming content.
See also: Foxtel Strategy Day: Allstar team talks up future of Australia’s biggest media company