Foxtel overhauls entertainment, lifestyle

Australian pay TV outfit Foxtel is overhauling its entertainment channel line-up with four new Fox-branded channels and a refresh of its Lifestyle brand.

Patrick Delany

From November 7, Foxtel subscriptions will include Fox One, Fox Funny, Fox Hits and Fox Crime in addition to existing Fox-branded channels Fox Showcase, Fox8, Fox Classics and the Fox sports channels.

Fox One will be home to premium US network and cable series such as Ballers and Chicago Fire, with new season premieres including Prodigal Son, legal drama All Rise and the remake of War of the Worlds.

Fox Funny will show comedy series including The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, The Office, 30 Rock and How I Met Your Mother. Fox Hits is a new comedy channel focusing on classic series such as Friends, Will & Grace and Frasier.

Fox Crime focuses on crime and police procedural series like NCI, Criminal Minds, CSI and Bones.

Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany said: “These new Fox-branded TV channels allow us to take control of our entertainment programming based on bold channel personalities that keep things fresh and aligned to what our customers want from us.”

The Foxtel Lifestyle Group, which recently came under the control of Wendy Moore, who joined Foxtel this year from Pacific Magazines, has undergone a brand revision which now also includes a repositioned and refreshed Foxtel Arena channel.

A new season of Real Housewives of Melbourne has been confirmed for the latter’s 2020 schedules.

The refresh will be accompanied by the arrival of the new Foxtel Original series, Find Me a Beach House and the return of Lifestyle favourites Love It or List It Australia and The Great Australian Bake Off.

Delany added: “Our female audiences are incredibly important and this wholesale revision and revitalisation of the Lifestyle Group doubles down on delivering more value through relevant and contemporary programming for Australian women and their families.”

The new-look networks are led by Lifestyle, which brings local and international experts to its schedule through series such as Selling Houses Australia, Grand Designs Australia and Love It or List It Australia.

Lifestyle Food will carry The Great Australian Bake Off, MasterChef UK and Hell’s Kitchen while Lifestyle Home has Love It or List It, A Place in The Sun and Coast v Country.

The channel changes follow this week’s announcement that the BBC’s factual channel BBC Earth will launch on Foxtel on October 10.