BBC First channel to exit Foxtel / Binge
BBC First, BBC Earth, BBC News and CBeebies to all leave Foxtel & Binge from 31st July.
- Published by David Knox
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BBC First channel, home to first run premium British dramas, will be exiting the Foxtel / Binge platform at the end of July, along with BBC Earth, BBC News and CBeebies.
Only entertainment channel UKTV will remain with the Foxtel Group, while BBC Studios are yet to confirm their future plans, but hint at a BritBox boost.
A BBC Studios spokesperson told TV Tonight, “We have agreed a multi-year deal with Foxtel Group for BBC UKTV, ensuring audiences will continue to be entertained with fan favourites such as Midsomer Murders, Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Father Brown. BBC Earth, BBC First, BBC News and CBeebies will leave Foxtel and Binge from 31 July.
“BBC Studios has ambitious plans for its brands and content in Australia and our business is evolving. We are a diverse content business and Australia is a growth region for BBC Studios with a large appetite for our content.
“BritBox and BBC.com give us our own platforms for growth. As we recently announced, BBC News livestream will be available on BBC.com shortly, showcasing the potential of our new digital products.”
The loss of first-run BBC dramas to Foxtel / Binge will be significant, having enjoyed first run rights to such titles as Happy Valley, The Sixth Commandment, Call the Midwife, Death in Paradise and more since an exclusive deal forged in 2013.
A Foxtel spokesperson said, “We recognise the popularity of British content amongst Australian audiences and have secured a multi-year deal with BBC Studios for BBC UKTV, securing fan favourites such as Midsomer Murders, Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Father Brown. As part of this agreement, the channel will be made available in HD, as well as SD, for the first time.
“We regularly review the content mix across our platforms and work with our content partners to reduce content duplication and ensure we are providing our customers a selection of quality content across multiple genres based on their preferences. BBC Earth, BBC First, BBC News and CBeebies will leave Foxtel and Binge from 31 July.
“Audiences will still be able to access world-class British drama and entertainment through our partnerships with Sky Studios, ITV, NBC Universal, Warner Bros. Discovery and the ABC, while Sky News UK will continue to keep Australian audiences up to date with the latest from the region. We look forward to sharing more soon.”
Meanwhile Fetch TV viewers will be getting a new BBC Drama channel which will be home to library titles including Death in Paradise, Call The Midwife, Silent Witness, Sixth Commandment, Happy Valley and Unforgotten -but not first-run seasons.
Fetch TV has extended its contract to retain BBC UKTV, BBC Earth, CBeebies, BBC Kids and BBC Brit, alongside BBC News and Britbox.
“Our strong relationship with Fetch TV for our channel brands continues and we recently announced an expanded deal with Sky TV in New Zealand, which adds BBC First to the suite of channels. We will continue to work with a number of broadcasters and platforms and are in discussions to bring our content to audiences in new ways,” said BBC Studios.
Updated.
38 Responses
This just shows how protective studios are of their vital SVOD services, taking back rights exclusively, even if on broadcast mediums. Look what Disney did to Stan and Nine at the end of 2019 for Disney+ launch here, terminated it all stat. Only in recent months have the two reunited and Disney (and now Fox) content is re-appearing on Stan and Nine, after a 4 year pause. But I believe that’s a global strategy by Disney, going back into the licencing game. Same is on the horizon we hear with Universal (Peacock) and Warners (Max). So some challenging business times coming for Foxtel. That’s why they’re less Pay TV and more SVOD (Binge) focussed themselves.
This decision will hurt Foxtel. As many have indicated first run BBC content on BBC First is one of the primary reasons I maintain a subscription. I sincerely hope they don’t insult their customers intelligence by claiming UKTV (updated or otherwise) is any form of compensation. It isn’t and never will be.
Will be interesting to see when/how they communicate this to their customers. I suspect many “robust” exchanges will follow. Many will accept nothing less than a reduction in the monthly fee.
New seasons of Vigil & Industry are due to air later this month. I hope they air the whole season before the channel goes.
Industry is on Showcase so is safe, for now. Vigil is in the gun, though. Will be interesting to see how sensitively this withdrawal is handled. Will they allow series to be removed mid-season or not?
Vigil S2 starts Friday 14th and is 6 episodes..so a new episode each week should see the season done and dusted by the end of July…Murder is Easy on BBC First starts on 23 rd June and is 2 episode.
More channels leaving Foxtel for their own streaming service? How many is that now in the last few years? National Geo, Nickelodeon, MTV, now BBC? Probably more.
When was the last time they added a service as channels – not just another app you can subscribe to?
When will BritBox be added to the app list?
Assuming they no longer pay for BBC, I hope a reduction in fees follow.
That’s me out – I’ll be canceling my Binge subscription. I’ll just get Call the Midwife on dvd 6 months after it’s shown in UK. There’s only Series 14 and 15 to come at this stage. I don’t think it will run indefinitely as work in Poplar came to an end in mid 70s due to increasing absorption of nursing work into the government. I shall miss Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise. Can only hope we will have the opportunity to see Return to Paradise first when it’s released as it’s set in Australia!!!
Has anyone considered that the reason BBC First is not continuing is because that first run content will move to BritBox as on demand. Alternatively, they may go back to selling it to the free to air networks so that everyone can enjoy them at first run.
The story hinted at it yes.
BritBox probably the more likely option, requiring Foxtel customers to take out another subscription. Decisions so that “everyone can enjoy them at first run” will not be a factor.
There is no doubt that many current Foxtel customers will not be impressed at having to fork out more for first run BBC content.
BBC First is one of the principal channels we watch on Foxtel. No TCM (for years) and now no BBC First it is hard to work out what is the value of the subscription as the movies Foxtel screens are usually available on other streaming services.
BBC First is the whole reason I have Foxtel! So, will all the titles vanish from on demand, now?
Yes.
What the hell? There’s going to be no channels left the way their going. First we lost all the National Geographic channels & the other channels early this year & now BBC Earth. Now there’s only Animal Planet left for animal documentaries. Why couldn’t they get rid of the useless UKTV channel & leave BBC First? Half the shows I watch are on BBC First. This bloody sucks. But of course they won’t reduce our monthly price.
What a massive loss. But on a side note gosh the folks at Foxtel have short memories – UKTV “will be made available in HD, as well as SD, for the first time” is inaccurate, with UKTV one of the five original HD channels for Foxtel but its HD feed was later transferred to BBC First when it launched.
Sigh – another channel leaves Foxtel. I wonder if they will put BBC first onto Brit Box now to increase subscriptions? We still use Foxtel for Sports and we live regional so the internet is slow at times and we are limited in downloads so we can’t just get rid of it and just use the streaming services 🙁
I am also wishing I had signed up to BritBox last week when they had the sale on haha
Not BBC News! I assume it’s leaving Flash App too? Foxtel is losing everything in the past few years and wondering what will be their future business model?
Obviously Hubbl is a disaster and a waste of money pit for them?!?
We actually cancelled our Foxtel today, aside from the IQ box – we hardly watch the channels on Foxtel anymore – will save us $70 a month.
They were desperate to keep us, knocking the top tier membership to $60 a month, but its just another expense we don’t need
With so many channels leaving, it’s really not worth it anymore.
We’re happy with the recent Fetch box we got recently – much better!
In NZ (which doesn’t have BBC First) Casualty airs on BBC UKTV. Given that it is not premium drama, they may make the same move here.
We cancelled last month but they called back to offer me everything for $39pm for 12 months no lock-in so we kept it. I have the Fetch Mighty for FTA recording and Plex app, but I don’t have any Fetch channel packs. After their operating system downgrade last year, I’m not prepared to give Fetch any more money until it improves (which it won’t).
what will Foxtel replace BBC News With
GB News or Talk TV perhaps
How am I supposed to Watch Casualty Death In Paradise or Beyond Paradise now BBC First is disappearing from Foxtel soon I have watched all of these Great Dramas since I first got Foxtel 24 Years ago
I know how annoying it is..I’ve had Foxtel since the late 90s..and I’ve seen so many channels come and go..shows that have not even finished their seasons…their shows swapped and changed channels..but one thing that never happens is..getting compensated for the loss of channels or a reduction in price..it rarely happens even if you have issues and complaints with them…they continue doing this…they are risking a death knell and people will cancel in droves and in years to come as one comment says they will be gone.
Death in Paradise airs for free on ABC 12 months later, along with Call The Midwife, Time and others.
Yes, I do not mind….I am not of the ‘now’ generation.
As it is on UKTV it’s a constant cycle of repeats and very rarely anything new..like Signora Volpe and Mallorca Files….and the same old shows like ..Vicar of Dibly….Absolutely Fabulous..New Tricks ..Shakespeare and Hathaway and many more..it’s the equivalent to the FTA multi channels and their content recycling old shows.
I reckon Foxtel wheel this line out every time a channel leaves “We regularly review the content mix across our platforms and work with our content partners to reduce content duplication and ensure we are providing our customers a selection of quality content across multiple genres based on their preferences”.
And the way they “provide our customers a selection of quality content across multiple genres based on their preferences” is by having less channels and content for a higher price. lol, such spin
Foxtel is on its last legs. I think it will eventually cease within 5 years.
Damn BBC Earth is literally the best channel on Foxtel.
Who is going to log onto BBC News on the website on their TV? That’s a head scratcher. At least put it live on YouTube. Not that I watch them because tthey’re a former shell of what they were 20 years ago.
This is a big loss for Foxtel. BBC First had fantastic first run shows and BBC Earth is a loss of all David Attenborough and science shows. Will leave a huge programming hole, which I’m sure they’ll just ignore and keep charging the same amount of money. UKTV in glorious SD is not at all worth it.
The final nail in the coffin will be HBO – which will leave nothing on the platform at all. That’s not that far away at all either
UKTV moving to HD.
The gradual death of Foxtel continues. Next time they try and increase my subscription, I’m gone for good.
Am I correct in saying that BBC First is now or will be only available on Fetch TV in Australia?
For many, many Australians that means that for 1st broadcast of shows such as, DiP, CtM, SW, et. el. is on the ABC at least 18 months after it’s original broadcast in the UK.
BritBox is available in Australia but it’s so geo-blocked as to be next to useless here in Australia for 1st run UK shows (there are exceptions of course as there always is). I can watch more episodes of Midsomer Murders for free on Tubi TV than I can on BritBox (9 Seasons vs the 20th Anniversary special).
Media companies continue to fragment our ability to legally watch 1st run shows, therefore, increasing the cost. It’s no wonder that piracy is still an ongoing issue … and from what I read getting worse again.
BBC First is leaving Fetch, to be replaced by BBC Drama with library titles.
I was considering getting fetch after reading BBC first was leaving foxtel but if fetch is dropping it I won’t bother.ABC should lift their game and get the BBC first channels direct rather than showing programmes a year or later than foxtel.
The price of Foxtel needs to drop by a lot. Foxtel has to pay for the BBC channels but with them leaving it will mean less costs for Foxtel and it should be less costs for customers. Of course Foxtel won’t reduce the price they will just keep all the extra profits they will be getting by not paying for the BBC channels anymore.
I’m really happy I cancelled Foxtel years ago. It is so much cheaper to swap between streaming services each month and it is still cheaper to get Netflix, Stan and Disney+ every month with so much more content.
Off the top of my head, in the last few years they’ve lost:
Nat Geo channels (two channels?), Disney channels, Three BeIN Sports channels, E!, Tennis, Rugby, IndyCar from Fox Sports channels, and now all the BBC channels.
It would cost a fair bit of money to pay to watch all of that still and yet Foxtel’s price has gone up