BBC Building Up Brand in Australia

LONDON: BBC Worldwide is launching a new premium BBC channel on Foxtel in Australia that will offer premiere British drama and comedy shortly after the U.K. transmissions.

The commercial-free channel, launching in mid-2014, will be part of the Foxtel Drama & Lifestyle package. It will feature first-run programming from the BBC and other British producers that won’t be available elsewhere on terrestrial television for at least 12 months. Foxtel currently offers four existing BBC channels: UKTV, BBC Knowledge, CBeebies and BBC World News. All of these BBC channels will be available on Foxtel GO. The premiere channel will be available in HD, alongside UKTV and BBC Knowledge. In addition, the deal offers Foxtel a first-look at all BBC Worldwide Lifestyle programming. This content will also be available on Foxtel Go and on demand.

Confirmed for the launch of the channel is the ten-part drama The Musketeers. The series is Adrian Hodges’ contemporary take on Alexandre Dumas’s characters for his classic novel. The cast includes Luke Pasqualino as D’Artagnan, the three Musketeers Tom Burke, Santiago Cabrera and Howard Charles, as well as Peter Capaldi.

Jon Penn, the managing director of BBC Worldwide Australasia, said: "This deal represents a strategic opportunity for BBC Worldwide to further expand our opportunities to showcase outstanding British creativity in Australia. We have a strong relationship with Foxtel and their viewers through our existing four channels, and were delighted to be given the chance to launch a premium channel that could offer the best BBC and British premiere television shortly after U.K. transmission. We are confident that we will also continue to have productive relationships with our other valued partners in the FTA, STV and digital markets."

Richard Freudenstein, Foxtel’s CEO, said, "The BBC is one of the great television brands; its content, across so many genres, is loved and admired by millions of viewers all over the world. By strengthening our relationship with the BBC we will greatly enhance the viewing experience we offer our subscribers, with even more high quality content that can only be seen on the Foxtel platform and which we show as soon as possible after its original broadcast. Plus we offer the superior quality of high definition and the fantastic convenience of Foxtel Go.

"I want to congratulate BBC Worldwide on this initiative that will greatly enhance their presence in the Australian market."