Foxtel and its channel partners plow about $600 million annually into Australian production and Brian Walsh is key to it. He has been behind some clever programming initiatives at Foxtel in the past year, including the exclusive deal to carry acclaimed HBO content and the fast-track release in Australia of US shows before they can be pirated.
Game of Thrones is a case in point. Walsh is responsible for commissioning much of Foxtel’s original content and the output deals it has with US studios.
He is also all over branded content initiatives on the Foxtel platform.
Walsh, like his colleagues at MCN, has a lot going on as pay TV expands to other devices and prepares for an IPTV world. Foxtel subscriptions are flat but much is being hinged on Foxtel’s newer, cheaper-to-access services. And they need content.
