Foxtel Management Pty Ltd. 5 Thomas Holt Drive, North Ryde 2113 GPO BOX 99 Sydney NSW 2001 +61 (2) 9813 6000 www.foxtel.com.au From our CEO Welcome to Foxtel’s Community Review for 2012. During the year, our successful companies face fast-changing merger with Austar created the fi rst economic pressures. Our approach truly national subscription television is to keep investing, innovating entertainment service for Australian and delivering new digital products consumers. We brought together and content of outstanding quality communities in rural, regional and across all the technologies that metropolitan areas. It was the consumers want. The merger with beginning of an exciting new Austar gave us the support of extra phase for us all. scale to achieve this. Richard Freudenstein As a result of the merger, we Last fi nancial year, our industry Chief Executive Offi cer consolidated our place as one of invested more than $600 Australia’s most progressive and million in all forms of Australian dynamic media companies. Today, programming, in the process we directly employ approximately promoting Australian culture and 2,500 people, service around helping to foster creativity and skills 2.3 million subscriber households in the wider production sector. and entertain 7.2 million Australians Our expenditure on not-for-profi t each year. community support activities and We remain dedicated to partnerships are broad-based, community engagement and but we continue to place a special forging long-lasting partnerships emphasis on supporting: young beyond our entertainment and people and their education, information service, as you will the arts and creativity, and see in our 2012 Community Review. environmental sustainability. 2012 was a challenging year for My Foxtel colleagues and I hope Australian media companies. you fi nd this review of our collective Consumers have ever increasing eff orts this past year inspiring as options to choose from. Media well as informative. Community Review 2012 | 1 The most comprehensive broadcast of the LONDON 2012 Olympic Games was on Foxtel The Big Picture In 2012, we continued our Jobs – we directly employ commitment to diverse community approximately 2,500 people Our core community partnerships and contributed to across Australia. Subscription focus areas Australia’s culture, society, and television (STV) as a whole industry economy in a variety of ways: supports approximately 6,500 jobs. Choice – across the nation, we Innovation – we are the leading deliver the most and the best local innovator in Australian television in and international content across content and technology. Constant every genre. Our emphasis is on innovation allows us to deliver original, live, and first-run content. our service in better ways. Ways that are simple to use and easy to Viewers – we have 2.3 million Supporting Young access on multiple digital devices. subscribing households and Australians entertain 7.2 million Australians Investment – STV invested more each year. than $600 million in Australian programming last financial year. Foxtel supports the economy by investing in people, creativity, technology and infrastructure. Community – we focused our community investment Encouraging Creativity in these areas: and the Arts • Supporting Young Australians • Encouraging Creativity and the Arts • Going Greener We are also committed to reconciliation with Indigenous Australians through initiatives within the above areas. Going Greener 2 | Community Review 2012 Community Review 2012 | 3 Our journey in 2012 1 February – new 3 May – a new 5 July – Australia’s 6 August – NRL 8 October – Starlight 9 October – a better 10 November – the 11 November – Foxtel channels: we gave national company: most comprehensive agreement: worth Great Adventure movies off ering: launch of Foxtel Lap: we helped raise our customers more we merged with Austar, Olympics coverage ever: $1 billion over 5 years this Challenge: just 8 of our the acquisition of Premium Go: initially available over over $400,000 to support and better, with two creating a national we delivered our agreement sees FOX Sydney based team Movie Partnership enables iPad, Foxtel Go gives our kids medical research at brand new channels subscription television customers the LONDON SPORTS and Nine share members raised over us to bring a better movie residential customers the Murdoch Childrens A&E and FX. company which has 2012 Olympic Games on broadcast rights, $17,000 to brighten the and premium drama access to almost 60 live Research Institute. added channels and 8 dedicated High continuing the NRL hospital experience for package to our customers, streamed channels and February – 2 better services for our Defi nition and Standard for our customers. seriously ill kids. including a landmark new hours of catch up content produced and regional customers, Defi nition channels, plus HBO content agreement. to view almost anywhere broadcast Who We August – National with more to come. an iPad app featuring all 8 7 Since then, we have also in Australia – this product Are In Sport: timed Hoodie Day: channels streamed live as signed agreements with is being made available to coincide with the June – Jake we supported a key 4 well as catch up content. all major Hollywood to other mobile devices anniversary of the Sturmer wins mentoring program for movie studios. in 2013. Federal Government’s the Foxtel-sponsored Indigenous students National Apology to the Walkley Young by producing a TV 10 Stolen Generations. This Australian Journalist commercial and donating 11 series featured inspiring of the Year: we assisted over $100,000 worth of Indigenous stories. Jake with a study trip to supporting airtime across visit newsrooms in the our channels. US and UK. 5 7 4 1 1 Last year, we broadcast the most innovative and comprehensive Olympics coverage Australia has ever seen. 4 | Community Review 2012 Community Review 2012 | 5 National Hoodie Day The Australian National Hoodie Day raises awareness Geography Competition and funds for the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) for high The Australian Geography Competition is school students. AIME connects an initiative of the Australian Geography Indigenous high school students with Teachers’ Association and the Royal university student mentors in a dynamic Geographic Society of Queensland, proudly education program that has proven to sponsored by National Geographic Channel. dramatically improve the chances of It is a chance for secondary students to Supporting Indigenous kids fi nishing school. represent Australia in two international We produced a video for National Hoodie geography contests. The eight state and Day 2012, with famous faces from our territory fi nalists compete in a game show channels showing their support for the style competition, which is fi lmed in Foxtel’s cause and asking people to ‘imagine studios and broadcast on the National Young Australia Geographic Channel. The winner goes what’s possible when Indigenous kids fi nish their education’. on to represent Australia at the National Geographic World Championship which Together with our partners, we have made During August, we spread the video was held in St Petersburg in 2012. a deep and long-term commitment to help message of Indigenous success across the nation, with support from Congratulations to 2012 winner young Australians to live better lives with equal FOX SPORTS, NITV, Channel [V], Max, Jamie Abel, 14, Shore School NSW. and Sky News Weather. Together, we opportunities. In 2012, we supported young donated over $100,000 of airtime to people through a variety of long-running this cause. www.aimementoring.com initiatives that we are proud to continue. The 2012 National Geography Competition, fi lmed in Foxtel’s studios FOX SPORTS Presenter, Alana Smith, supports AIME Dating in the Dark host, Laura Dundovic, supports AIME Our Director of Broadband Strategy and NBN Engagement, David Duncan, supports AIME 6 | Community Review 2012 Community Review 2012 | 7 © 2012 ASTRA by Belinda Rowland Young journalist Jake Sturmer MCRI Ambassador Sarah Murdoch Foxtel Scholarship for 2012 ASTRA Walkley Young The Foxtel in Exceptional New Talent Graduate Program Australian Journalist Foxtel Lap Childrens at AFTRS Now in its second year, the Australian of the Year Awards Now in its eighth year, the 2012 Foxtel Hospitals Subscription Television and Radio Lap toured the country with events in Our support of students at the In 2012 we were again the major For more than 10 years, Association (ASTRA) Graduate Program Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Australian Film Television and Radio sponsor for these key awards for young we have provided a free provides short term work contracts for School (AFTRS) continued in 2012. journalists, the fifth year in a row. • Over 2,200 participants Foxtel service to childrens graduates of the Foundation Diploma hospitals, childrens wards, In late 2012, Brendon McDonnall and at the AFTRS. The program offers paid, Congratulations to TV journalist Jake • 134,000 x 100m laps and Starlight Express Ben Matthews were announced as structured, short-term employment Sturmer, recognised for his story • $400,000 raised for kids medical Rooms around the nation. winners of the Foxtel Scholarship for opportunities to recent graduates. for ABC TV. Jake won a three-week This program means that research, and turned into… Exceptional New Talent. Brendon and tour of BBC newsrooms in London children can access great The Program provides participants with Ben shared the $30,000