Foxtel renews Discovery deal
True crime channel Investigation Discovery will launch in February as part of new output deal.
- Published by David Knox
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Patrick Delany, Rebecca Kent.
Foxtel and Discovery have announced a new multi-year agreement covering factual, lifestyle and entertainment content from Discovery Channel, TLC, Discovery Turbo and Animal Planet.
The deal also includes the launch of true crime Investigation Discovery (ID) on 1 February 2020.
Foxtel Chief Commercial Officer Amanda Laing said: “This new future-fit agreement reignites a relationship with Discovery that dates back to Foxtel’s launch in 1995. The multi-genre, multi-channel, multi-rights deal has been tailored to meet the huge appetite Australians have for great factual, documentary, reality and true crime content.
“The launch of Investigation Discovery, together with our existing Crime & Investigation Channel, confirms Foxtel as the home of true crime. Along with a greatly expanded on demand library from Discovery, Foxtel has now the world’s best true crime all in one place, making access to the factual entertainment that Australian’s love easier than ever.
“This is an exciting time for our customers. The new agreements we have secured during 2019 are part of a strategy to reset our partnerships with the world’s leading content creators to provide customers with the best of TV and on demand all in one place, at the best value.”
Rebecca Kent, General Manager, Discovery – Australia, New Zealand & Pacific Islands said: “We are pleased to extend our long-running partnership with Foxtel, bringing Australian viewers the Discovery channels and real-life content they know and love, with additional on-demand access.”
“As a further commitment to Foxtel customers, we are launching a dedicated crime channel, bringing to life the compelling real-life stories behind real crimes.”
Foxtel’s new agreement with Discovery commences on 1 February 2020.
Foxtel-Discovery Agreement Highlights
· Premium factual content. Foxtel will be the home of Discovery’s most popular content including Aussie Gold Hunters, Gold Rush, Deadliest Catch and Fast N’ Loud and annual event Shark Week.
· Best true crime. Investigation Discovery, the number one US cable network for women aged 25-54, will come to Australia for the first-time on Foxtel. Investigation Discovery uncovers the truth behind incredible real crime stories with high-quality programming that explores the dark side of human nature. Launch titles include US hits Serial Killer: Devil Unchained, In Pursuit with John Walsh and the franchise ID Murder Mystery which focuses on high profile iconic cases.
· Australian factual commissions. Discovery will continue to commission Australian produced content for Foxtel including international hit-series Aussie Gold Hunters and Outback Opal Hunters.
· More Streaming. Thousands of hours of content from Discovery Channel, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Discovery Turbo and Animal Planet will be available to stream on demand on Foxtel[1] including box sets of this popular content.
7 Responses
OMG what does this mean for fetch tv
Finally some good news, Discovery Turbo and Investigation Dicsovery join Fetch on March 1.
I’ve got a hunch that Foxtel will become a streaming only business with Kayo being the Trojan horse
I now watch mostly sport on Foxtel and use Foxtel Now for selected drama shows as they are released.
Foxtel’s latest iQ4 is yet another commercial delaying action to provide their heavily invested satellite set top box business another reprieve, now we have the inclusion of Netflix and possiibly other apps at a later date, this makes the iQ4 just another entertainment hub like Fetch or any Android 9 OS device. If Foxtel convert to streaming they have much competition with 4K and HDR10 / Dolby Vision, they also will need original content released monthly not periodically to suit a revamp ad campaign.
If the similar Universal announcement the other month is any indication, reading between the lines there could be bad news on the horizon for Discovery Science and Discovery Kids which aren’t mentioned…
Good point, Science and Kids are both far lower rated and largely reruns, so both would likely go. Foxtel is certainly closing more channels than it is starting, and simply rebranding existing channels to make them seem new.
They’re closing both channels. There’s a notice on the Foxtel website.