Foxtel & Discovery strike new multi-year programming pact in Australia

Outback Opal Hunters

Foxtel in Australia has struck another multi-year deal with Discovery that will see shows such as Outback Opal Hunters, Naked And Afraid, Home Town and Deadliest Catch continue to be available to subscribers.

The multiyear deal covers factual, documentary and reality content from the flagship Discovery Channel, as well as the TLC, Investigation Discovery, Discovery Turbo and Animal Planet channels.

The agreement, which follows Foxtel’s pact with ViacomCBS last year, covers “thousands of hours” of local and international content covering live and on demand rights, Discovery said, with programming available to stream via Foxtel and its Binge service.

Other IP included ranges from Aussie Gold Hunters and Gold Rush, to lifestyle content such as Good Bones, Fixer To Fabulous and Windy City.

It is not immediately clear how the deal could impact the roll-out of streaming service, Discovery+, in Australia. At present, the service is only available in the US and the UK, although reports last year suggested an Oz launch was imminent.

Amanda Laing, Foxtel Group’s chief content & commercial officer, said the deal “reinforces our position as a local partner of choice for leading global studios and confirms that there are new and mutually beneficial ways for us to partner with international media companies that have their own direct-to-consumer strategies.”

Glen Kyne, Discovery’s SVP & GM for Australia, New Zealand & Pacific Islands, added: “This partnership has performed extremely well for both Discovery and Foxtel and I’m excited for what the future may bring – for both our companies, and Australians.”