Drama veteran Walsh renews deal with Australian pay TV group Foxtel

Foxtel veteran Brian Walsh will continue to spearhead the original drama division and local content strategy for the Australian pay TV group under a newly signed consultancy agreement.

Brian Walsh

Walsh has been a member of Foxtel’s senior management team since the company’s inception in 1995. He has held an executive role for all the years since and served as executive director of television for over two decades.

The new agreement will see him continue to play a pivotal role in content strategy and oversee all Australian commissioned scripted content for the News Corp- and Telstra-backed group, which operates cable and satellite TV channels, as well as streaming services.

Foxtel renewing its deal with Walsh signals that the company is continuing to invest in local scripted originals, after earlier this year parent News Corp reported that Foxtel Group’s total subscriber count for the year ending March 31 was up 20% to 4.54 million (4.34 million paying).

Foxtel Originals that Walsh has overseen include The Twelve (adapted from a Belgian drama of the same name), Picnic at Hanging Rock, Lambs of God and the recently concluded Wentworth, a spin-off from Prisoner: Cell Block H.

More recent scripted commissions include: Love Me (6×43’), a romantic drama following different generations of one family, adapted from Swedish series Älska Mig; and LA Screenings favourite Colin From Accounts, an eight-part romantic comedy series for Foxtel’s streamer Binge.

Walsh said the new agreement “will allow me to continue doing what I love most, telling Australian stories.”

However, he hinted at other plans in the pipeline, saying he would also be “embarking on some new business opportunities more broadly within the entertainment industry.”

He said: “I have seen some incredible changes in the business and am excited for what the future holds. I am an entrepreneur at heart and will detail my broader business plans in due course.

“For now, though, the key focus will continue to be Foxtel and delivering what I believe will be our strongest slate ever, of compelling Australian drama and entertainment.”