Foxtel’s streaming services Kayo, Binge surge but Flash underwhelms

Subscription analyst Nick Cherrier, from software company Zoura, said Foxtel was pulling off a successful digital transformation, with Kayo and Binge growing strongly and set to replace its traditional Foxtel product, which is in decline. However, he said the performance of Flash was “not impressive”.

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“It’s a news service, not entertainment,” said Cherrier. “News seems to be a slightly more challenging category.”

Flash insiders insist Foxtel is happy with its progress, saying it attracts a different, professional audience. It is considered an important compliment to the other “single-genre” services Foxtel provides.

News Corp has heavily promoted Flash, and in particular its first globally syndicated program, Piers Morgan Uncensored, which launched last week and was available to watch on Sky News Australia, Flash and other News Corp-affiliated networks in the US, UK and Europe.

“You can tell there is some strategy here,” said prominent media analyst Steve Allen, director of strategy and research and Pearman Media.

“It certainly suggests to me that this is the first move of many in a push for a CNN-type global news service.”

Uncensored debuted with strong ratings on Sky News Australia when it launched at the end of April, attracting 86,000 pay television viewers with an interview with Donald Trump. But by the end of its first week on Sky News, it failed to rate in the top 20 pay television programs. It is not known how many people accessed the program via Flash.

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