With the subscription TV market locked up and the nascent IPTV market firmly in his sights, Foxtel chief executive Richard Freudenstein finds himself in an enviable position at the head of arguably the most innovative broadcaster in the country.
Despite only being available in around one third of Australian homes, Foxtel sits at the front end of where digital broadcasting is headed. Its backchannel and multi-device, multi-platform strategy allow it to get deep into audience segmentation, behaviour and response, and its just-launched IPTV offering, Foxtel Play, is positioning it to expand beyond the household down to the individual.
Freudenstein has flagged a desire to reach 50% penetration, and as the NBN rolls out and IPTV picks up steam among the population, he may just get his wish. Far from being complacent, however, Freudenstein is all too aware of the threat the internet poses to Foxtel’s business model, as evidenced by deals like the fast-tracking arrangement with US network HBO. Expect to see barriers to entry lowered further.
Prior to returning to Foxtel, where Freudenstein first worked back in the ‘90s, he ran News Digital Media and was chief executive of The Australian, before which he spent seven years at BSkyB. He’s highly rated within the broader News Corp organisation, so it’s unlikely Foxtel will be his final stop.
