Latest news with #Foxtel
Sydney Morning Herald
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Big winner': AFL chief doubles down on Thursday football despite criticism
The AFL says Thursday night football is here to stay, as the league's free-to-air broadcaster declared it wanted the most compelling games all season long in the timeslot, which has been dogged by one-sided contests this year. League chief executive Andrew Dillon on Tuesday defended the key slot but promised he would push for a wider spread of teams playing on Thursday nights next season. Thursday night football was embraced for a full season for the first time this year. Declaring that move a success, Dillon said the timeslot had delivered an average TV audience of 1.06 million viewers – up one per cent on last year – and average attendance of 40,000 – four per cent lower than last year's 42,000. 'Thursday nights have averaged above the season average, so that's a tick. Thursday nights have rated extremely well, but what I think is important is that we have a spread of teams that play through those different slots, so absolutely we will take that on board,' Dillon said from the sidelines of the inaugural AFL industry summit at Marvel Stadium. 'We have evolved the fixture over the last couple of years with the floating fixture, which is not always as popular with all of our fans. But we think that is one important part. Loading 'Maybe this year is a bit of an outlier in terms of the teams that were selected earlier on, some big Victorian teams, who were in pretty solid form at the time the floating fixture was put in. That hasn't come to fruition. 'Again, the games are still rating pretty well, are still pretty well attended, but we will take on the feedback from fans, broadcasters and our clubs as we look to the 2026 fixture.' The past two months in the heart of winter and the school year have been a hard sell for the timeslot, broadcasters Seven and Foxtel not helped by the disappointing campaigns of power clubs Carlton (six Thursday night games so far this season) and Essendon (five). The two clubs are also likely to meet on a Thursday night in round 24.
The Age
18 hours ago
- Sport
- The Age
‘Big winner': AFL chief doubles down on Thursday football despite criticism
The AFL says Thursday night football is here to stay, as the league's free-to-air broadcaster declared it wanted the most compelling games all season long in the timeslot, which has been dogged by one-sided contests this year. League chief executive Andrew Dillon on Tuesday defended the key slot but promised he would push for a wider spread of teams playing on Thursday nights next season. Thursday night football was embraced for a full season for the first time this year. Declaring that move a success, Dillon said the timeslot had delivered an average TV audience of 1.06 million viewers – up one per cent on last year – and average attendance of 40,000 – four per cent lower than last year's 42,000. 'Thursday nights have averaged above the season average, so that's a tick. Thursday nights have rated extremely well, but what I think is important is that we have a spread of teams that play through those different slots, so absolutely we will take that on board,' Dillon said from the sidelines of the inaugural AFL industry summit at Marvel Stadium. 'We have evolved the fixture over the last couple of years with the floating fixture, which is not always as popular with all of our fans. But we think that is one important part. Loading 'Maybe this year is a bit of an outlier in terms of the teams that were selected earlier on, some big Victorian teams, who were in pretty solid form at the time the floating fixture was put in. That hasn't come to fruition. 'Again, the games are still rating pretty well, are still pretty well attended, but we will take on the feedback from fans, broadcasters and our clubs as we look to the 2026 fixture.' The past two months in the heart of winter and the school year have been a hard sell for the timeslot, broadcasters Seven and Foxtel not helped by the disappointing campaigns of power clubs Carlton (six Thursday night games so far this season) and Essendon (five). The two clubs are also likely to meet on a Thursday night in round 24.
News.com.au
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Comedian Tom Walker plans to honour the late Cal Wilson as he joins Great Australian Bake Off as new co-host
There's a new co-host in the mix on the new season of Great Australian Bake Off, but just don't expect him to whip up anything but laughs. 'I like to cook but I am pathetically scared of my oven,' comedian Tom Walker tells ahead of tonight's Season 8 premiere on Foxtel and BINGE. 'Bakers have all of my admiration for being brave enough to shut something away in the oven and just walk away, trusting that it'll keep up its end of the bargain and become all lovely and crunchy and browned. I can't do that. I'd crack under pressure.' While he loves 'to fry an egg', Walker is leaving the culinary creations to the 12 'incredible' amateur bakers selected this season, among them a pastor, hairdresser and nurse. 'I was so happy to see the diversity of people all brought together and bonding over baking – all different careers, ages, backgrounds, eagerly discussing their shared passion. All of them with different wonderful reveals too,' he says. 'There's 12 bakers and I'd watch 10 hours on each of them.' Stream Great Australian Bake Off Season 8 on Foxtel and BINGE, available on Hubbl. However, joining the long-running series has been bittersweet for Walker, who takes over the co-hosting gig two years after the sudden death of beloved comedian and co-host Cal Wilson, who at the time had just filmed the first four episodes of Season 7. The comic admits he was a little worried taking on the role, given Wilson left a massive void in the series when she passed away from a sudden illness in 2023. 'I worry about everything, but in this case taking over the role a friend had, when that friend is loved by all. Yeah, I think – I hope – that I'm different enough from Cal. It's clear I'm not trying to replace her. No one could,' he says. 'In the end all I can do is do a good enough job that she'd be happy to hear about it. I wish I could text her that I was doing the show. She'd get a kick out of it.' And Walker has fond memories of his fellow comedian too, remembering Wilson for her kindness and warmth, and how 'the brightest person in any room' helped him when he was an emerging comic on the circuit. He is now on a mission to honour her memory on the show. 'If there's a way to honour Cal on Bake Off, I think it boils down to: be warm, and truly care. Not just on camera, but off,' he says. 'Like all of us, Cal loved this job. It's important to me to genuinely care about the people on set, the bakers who are trusting us to present them in the brightest and best light and the talented crew who make the impossible happen.' 'More important to me is how to honour Cal in real life. She was an inspiration in how she magically seemed to have enough time for everyone, and enough space in that whirring fast magical mind of hers to keep everything about the people she cared about fixed and sparkling and detailed. Love you Cal.' The stand-up comic, who has won fans over in recent years thanks to his infectious charm on shows such as W hose Line Is It Anyway? Australia and Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee, will share hosting duties with existing host Natalie Tran. 'Natalie and I get on great! She rocks and I'm really happy to have made a friend. We've been texting and yapping and organising catch-ups,' Walker says. 'She was so helpful coming in to the weird world of watching people bake – we work great together and it's so fun to hang out and make each other laugh.' 'Oh, also, just in case she reads this, she insists that she 'throws parties', but if you press her on it you find out that the party is like 6 people from her family and her husband. That's not a party, it's a gathering, and I will continue to fight her on this.' Returning judges, British culinary icon Rachel Khoo and Aussie pastry king Darren Purchese, have also welcomed Walker into the famous baking shed with open arms. 'On set everyone's always laughing and Rachel and Darren are very patient with me when I ask something truly humiliating like, 'What's ganache for?'' he says.
The Advertiser
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
The Block builds into an Aussie TV success story
This is one of the success stories of Australian television. It launched way back in 2003 when the only option other than the free-to-air channels was Foxtel. Now, even with all the extra digital options those free-to-air stations have on top of the plethora of streaming services, after 20 seasons The Block still manages to grab plenty of eyeballs. It's also spawned a number of adaptations in other countries, though has yet to break into the United States - the home of reality TV. As is always the case, the 21st season includes something different - all five teams are given the same house frames with the same floor plans. And as they're lined up next to each other, the only early advantage is in working out whether to choose one on either end or in the middle. The series also ramps up the product placement, in the form of shopfronts rather than just the usual shots of branded power tools or the free cars they drive. Based on this first episode the stand-out team is going to be Robby and Mat. While they have next to no reno experience, they're undoubtedly pros at entertaining for the camera. Michael Theo has come a long way in just a few years. He caught our attention in the lovely dating series Love on the Spectrum, where he was the standout. He managed to parlay that surprising rise in profile into an acting career, with an appearance in kids' TV series Hardball. What followed was a pretty big deal for any actor, let alone a new one - landing the title role in a TV series. Theo plays Austin Hogan, who lobs up on the doorstep of children's book author Julian Hartswood with news that he is Julian's son. The show was popular enough that the ABC commissioned a second season, which kicks off tonight. Theo clearly doesn't take his good fortune for granted; he more than carries his weight in the series up against some far more established actors. At first glance, this series seemed like it was going to be a whole series made up of those aerial shots that scroll through your smart TV if you leave it on for too long. And it is like that in some respects. A spin-off of a US series that ended in 2019, the cameras take to the sky (though sometimes just metres off the ground) to give us a different look at our country. This first episode focuses on the country's east coast - which it tags the Pacific Coast, despite including shots of the not-very-coastal-at-all city of Canberra. Mark Coles Smith is on hand to provide the narration, which puts some story on the bones of the show so it's not just a series of pretty pictures. This is one of the success stories of Australian television. It launched way back in 2003 when the only option other than the free-to-air channels was Foxtel. Now, even with all the extra digital options those free-to-air stations have on top of the plethora of streaming services, after 20 seasons The Block still manages to grab plenty of eyeballs. It's also spawned a number of adaptations in other countries, though has yet to break into the United States - the home of reality TV. As is always the case, the 21st season includes something different - all five teams are given the same house frames with the same floor plans. And as they're lined up next to each other, the only early advantage is in working out whether to choose one on either end or in the middle. The series also ramps up the product placement, in the form of shopfronts rather than just the usual shots of branded power tools or the free cars they drive. Based on this first episode the stand-out team is going to be Robby and Mat. While they have next to no reno experience, they're undoubtedly pros at entertaining for the camera. Michael Theo has come a long way in just a few years. He caught our attention in the lovely dating series Love on the Spectrum, where he was the standout. He managed to parlay that surprising rise in profile into an acting career, with an appearance in kids' TV series Hardball. What followed was a pretty big deal for any actor, let alone a new one - landing the title role in a TV series. Theo plays Austin Hogan, who lobs up on the doorstep of children's book author Julian Hartswood with news that he is Julian's son. The show was popular enough that the ABC commissioned a second season, which kicks off tonight. Theo clearly doesn't take his good fortune for granted; he more than carries his weight in the series up against some far more established actors. At first glance, this series seemed like it was going to be a whole series made up of those aerial shots that scroll through your smart TV if you leave it on for too long. And it is like that in some respects. A spin-off of a US series that ended in 2019, the cameras take to the sky (though sometimes just metres off the ground) to give us a different look at our country. This first episode focuses on the country's east coast - which it tags the Pacific Coast, despite including shots of the not-very-coastal-at-all city of Canberra. Mark Coles Smith is on hand to provide the narration, which puts some story on the bones of the show so it's not just a series of pretty pictures. This is one of the success stories of Australian television. It launched way back in 2003 when the only option other than the free-to-air channels was Foxtel. Now, even with all the extra digital options those free-to-air stations have on top of the plethora of streaming services, after 20 seasons The Block still manages to grab plenty of eyeballs. It's also spawned a number of adaptations in other countries, though has yet to break into the United States - the home of reality TV. As is always the case, the 21st season includes something different - all five teams are given the same house frames with the same floor plans. And as they're lined up next to each other, the only early advantage is in working out whether to choose one on either end or in the middle. The series also ramps up the product placement, in the form of shopfronts rather than just the usual shots of branded power tools or the free cars they drive. Based on this first episode the stand-out team is going to be Robby and Mat. While they have next to no reno experience, they're undoubtedly pros at entertaining for the camera. Michael Theo has come a long way in just a few years. He caught our attention in the lovely dating series Love on the Spectrum, where he was the standout. He managed to parlay that surprising rise in profile into an acting career, with an appearance in kids' TV series Hardball. What followed was a pretty big deal for any actor, let alone a new one - landing the title role in a TV series. Theo plays Austin Hogan, who lobs up on the doorstep of children's book author Julian Hartswood with news that he is Julian's son. The show was popular enough that the ABC commissioned a second season, which kicks off tonight. Theo clearly doesn't take his good fortune for granted; he more than carries his weight in the series up against some far more established actors. At first glance, this series seemed like it was going to be a whole series made up of those aerial shots that scroll through your smart TV if you leave it on for too long. And it is like that in some respects. A spin-off of a US series that ended in 2019, the cameras take to the sky (though sometimes just metres off the ground) to give us a different look at our country. This first episode focuses on the country's east coast - which it tags the Pacific Coast, despite including shots of the not-very-coastal-at-all city of Canberra. Mark Coles Smith is on hand to provide the narration, which puts some story on the bones of the show so it's not just a series of pretty pictures. This is one of the success stories of Australian television. It launched way back in 2003 when the only option other than the free-to-air channels was Foxtel. Now, even with all the extra digital options those free-to-air stations have on top of the plethora of streaming services, after 20 seasons The Block still manages to grab plenty of eyeballs. It's also spawned a number of adaptations in other countries, though has yet to break into the United States - the home of reality TV. As is always the case, the 21st season includes something different - all five teams are given the same house frames with the same floor plans. And as they're lined up next to each other, the only early advantage is in working out whether to choose one on either end or in the middle. The series also ramps up the product placement, in the form of shopfronts rather than just the usual shots of branded power tools or the free cars they drive. Based on this first episode the stand-out team is going to be Robby and Mat. While they have next to no reno experience, they're undoubtedly pros at entertaining for the camera. Michael Theo has come a long way in just a few years. He caught our attention in the lovely dating series Love on the Spectrum, where he was the standout. He managed to parlay that surprising rise in profile into an acting career, with an appearance in kids' TV series Hardball. What followed was a pretty big deal for any actor, let alone a new one - landing the title role in a TV series. Theo plays Austin Hogan, who lobs up on the doorstep of children's book author Julian Hartswood with news that he is Julian's son. The show was popular enough that the ABC commissioned a second season, which kicks off tonight. Theo clearly doesn't take his good fortune for granted; he more than carries his weight in the series up against some far more established actors. At first glance, this series seemed like it was going to be a whole series made up of those aerial shots that scroll through your smart TV if you leave it on for too long. And it is like that in some respects. A spin-off of a US series that ended in 2019, the cameras take to the sky (though sometimes just metres off the ground) to give us a different look at our country. This first episode focuses on the country's east coast - which it tags the Pacific Coast, despite including shots of the not-very-coastal-at-all city of Canberra. Mark Coles Smith is on hand to provide the narration, which puts some story on the bones of the show so it's not just a series of pretty pictures.
The Guardian
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Get angry about it': Mark Humphries' doco Sold! unpacks Australia's housing crisis
Sometimes, it feels as if you can't turn on a TV without seeing news bulletins devoted to interest rate updates, fake-tanned celebrity realtors hawking white McMansions, or middle-aged men in chore jackets stroking their chins at a tasteful mid-century reno. Our free-to-air and streaming services are full of content to fuel our national obsession with home ownership. But when it comes to the real-life housing market, you might be left thinking there's a bigger picture just out of shot from those million-dollar views. Into the breach rides Mark Humphries, Australia's leading – albeit frequently axed – TV news satirist-for-hire. In his new hour-long Foxtel and Binge special Sold! Who Broke the Australian Dream? Humphries fronts up to the challenge of Australia's housing crisis with the frustration and fatigue of a long-term renter – because he is one. 'If a D-Grade celebrity like me can't afford a home, who can?' he asks, before joining the queue at another rental inspection. Sold! sees Humphries attempt to unpick the history, economic settings and popular myths that underpin the current housing affordability crisis – and an orthodoxy that few in the mainstream media or politics dare or care to challenge. Foreign investment, immigration and international students are favourite scapegoats, but Prof Nicole Gurran from the University of Sydney tells Humphries these factors have had only a minor impact. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning 'I have heard people tell me that there's a lot of foreign investors and they go to auctions for instance and that's how they know,' Gurran says. 'I'm always amazed at their X-ray vision, to be able to recognise someone's citizenship just by looking.' Humphries also speaks to Jordan van den Lamb, AKA Victorian Socialists candidate and social media star Purple Pingers, to expose the woeful conditions Australian renters endure to keep a roof over their heads – even if it has black mould. Humphries even borrows a trick from Adam McKay's Oscar-winning satire The Big Short by putting economics journalist Alan Kohler into a bubble bath, Margot Robbie-style. Kohler sips champagne while explaining how a turn-of-the-millennium decision by the Howard government to introduce a 50% tax discount on capital gains, along with negative gearing, 'supercharged the perceived benefits of owning property'. 'Housing was no longer seen as just a shelter, a place to live,' Kohler says. 'It was also an investment and the best way to build wealth.' In his pursuit of answers, Humphries also learns about build-to-rent schemes, meets public housing tenants for whom basic shelter is life-changing, and speaks to a trio of squatters who have opted out of the system entirely by moving into one of an estimated 97,000 vacant homes in greater Melbourne. He also introduces us to a 'heartless boomer investor' who turns out to be a nice lady and former colleague of Humphries who happens to own two properties. That she is an empathetic member of society – not an 'evil investor' – is subtly signalled by the books casually piled on her coffee table. After all, would a 'property hoarder' own a copy of Rick Morton's robodebt exposé Mean Streak, Stan Grant's Talking To My Country, or an essay collection from the Australia Institute? Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion It's a gentle contradiction that nonetheless captures the kind of defensive self-interest that seems to paralyse any real reform or debate, even when the reality is right there on the coffee table. When it comes to property, it seems we think we're Daryl Kerrigan from The Castle, but perhaps we're closer to Mr Gribble from Round the Twist. By the time Humphries finds himself chatting to a 3D-printing entrepreneur pioneering cheap, fast and very weird-looking homes, you get the sense that maybe it's not that big a riddle after all. If it was that complicated, Sold! would probably have ended up as a stunt-driven ABC miniseries fronted by Craig Reucassel instead of a one-hour special. Instead, the Chaser and War on Waste host produced, co-wrote and makes a cameo appearance. But that might be for the best. Rarely do we see anyone on Aunty turn quite as righteously enraged as Humphries does by the end of his fact-finding mission – you can see the whites of his exasperated eyes. 'I gotta be honest, this is not good enough,' he groans to the camera. 'It's a mindset issue we have in this country, where we are viewing property as a pathway to wealth as opposed to something which is designed for people to live in … this is wrong – it's actually morally wrong what we're doing,' he pleads. 'So get angry about it, because I bloody well am.' Humphries might have prolonged his own rental woes by putting himself on the shit list of every real estate agent with a Binge subscription – but it's hard to disagree with him. Sold! Who Broke the Australian Dream? premieres on 21 July at 8.30pm on FOX8 on Foxtel and on Binge from noon.
