Australian pay-TV broadcasting heavyweight Foxtel has announced a new partnership with media giant Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) to retain its dominance in the increasingly competitive local streaming market.
The deal will see Foxtel become a launch partner for WBD’s streaming service Max, giving its subscribers free access to its content, which includes brands such as HBO, Warner Bros., the DC Universe, Discovery, and more.
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The new Max service will have premium, standard, and advertising-supported tiers.
Hilary Perchard, chief executive of Foxtel Retail, has said: “This renewed collaboration confirms our position as a partner of choice for the world’s largest entertainment studios who seek scale and reach for their premium entertainment content.
“We have always said optionality is central to our long-standing partnership. The strength of our products and much-loved brands means that we have been able to innovate and evolve our partnership with WBD in a unique model that enables mutual growth.”
The deal extends Foxtel’s relationship with WBD, which started more than 20 years ago, and will boost Foxtel’s offering after its recent takeover by sports streaming service DAZN for A$3.4 billion ($2.2 billion).
Foxtel is one of the most prominent sports rightsholders in the country, boasting 4.7 million subscribers and holding broadcast rights to competitions such as the Australian Football League, rugby league’s high-profile NRL, motorsports’ Formula 1, and in a recently expanded deal, Australian domestic cricket.
The streaming service also offers content from Disney-owned international sports broadcaster ESPN.
The broadcaster, in addition, holds rights to top-tier overseas cricket such as the Indian Premier League T20 competition through 2027, and operates the popular Kayo over-the-top service, which achieved record viewership in 2024.
The move comes after media giant Disney announced it will add its ESPN content to its Disney+ platform in Australia and New Zealand to challenge Foxtel’s dominance in the region and build a significant subscriber base.
For WBD, meanwhile, the partnership is the next step in Max’s global expansion strategy as the media giant looks to challenge Netflix, Disney+, and other local platforms in key international areas.
JB Perrette, chief executive and president of global streaming and games at WBD, has said: “We’ve been clear that the globalization of Max is a top priority, and Australia represents one of our biggest new markets and a significant opportunity to delight even more fans with the incredible stories told by our iconic brands.”
Since Max’s initial launch in the US, WBD has gone on to add a sports tier to drive subscriptions, offering live events that had previously only been available on the company’s traditional linear networks TNT and TBS.
That sports package, named the Bleacher Report Sports Add-On, includes coverage of baseball’s Major League Baseball, ice hockey’s NHL, basketball’s NBA, college basketball’s March Madness, motor racing’s annual 24 Hours of Le Mans, and games involving the US national men’s and women’s soccer teams.
