Foxtel

Foxtel announces two-year, $2.5 million commitment to support community mental wellbeing

Foxtel today announced a two-year, $2.5 million commitment to raise awareness and support for community mental wellbeing through relationships with Raise Foundation, ReachOut and R U OK?

Foxtel’s commitment to providing airtime and engaging in wellbeing programs complements other government and community initiatives to support Australians living healthy, happy lives and experiencing positive mental health and wellbeing. The support provided by Foxtel includes a focus on efforts to improve the long-term mental wellbeing of young people and help them reach their potential, build positive and respectful relationships, and meaningfully contribute to the community.

Foxtel Group Chief Executive Officer Patrick Delany said: "It is clear that a significant and growing number of Australians, particularly young people, need support with their mental wellbeing.

"With the coronavirus pandemic presenting additional mental wellbeing challenges for many Australians, raising awareness and support for in-person and online mental wellbeing initiatives and the fantastic organisations that deliver these services has never been more important.

"Raise do this through early-intervention in school youth mentoring programs that are expanding across Australia; ReachOut is well-established as Australia’s leading online mental health organisation for young people, while R U OK? is focussed on suicide prevention through awareness and support from family, friends and workmates.

“Foxtel is proud to be joining with three leading community organisations that are making a real difference to lives throughout Australia,” Mr Delany said.

Raise Founder and CEO Vicki Condon said: “Having a trained volunteer mentor to have a heart-to-heart conversation with every week for two school terms makes all the difference for young people who are at risk of disengagement or poor wellbeing. Foxtel’s generous support will help Raise recruit the volunteer mentors we need for thousands of young people as we grow to offer our program to every public secondary school in the country.”

ReachOut CEO Ashley de Silva said: "ReachOut is the most accessed online mental health service for young people and their parents in Australia, accessed by more than 2 million people each year.

"Over the past four months, with COVID-19 restrictions in place, young people’s lives have been profoundly impacted by issues such as study stress, loneliness and concerns about work and money. We’ve seen a huge increase in demand with more than 275,000 additional people accessing support across ReachOut’s youth, parents and schools’ services.

“ReachOut is pleased to be working with Foxtel to support us in raising awareness with young people and their parents – it’s never been more important to let them know essential mental health support is available right now and can be accessed safely online.”

Katherine Newton, CEO, R U OK? said the relationship with Foxtel would help R U OK? educate and empower more Australians to navigate an R U OK? Conversation.

"We welcome the generous support of Foxtel, which will connect us with their valued subscribers to remind them of the importance of checking in with mates, family and colleagues.

“R U OK? speaks to the people around someone who is struggling with life. We provide resources and tips so that when they notice changes in someone’s mood, routine, appearance or behaviour, they have the knowledge and confidence to start a conversation that could change a life.”

Foxtel’s focus on supporting mental wellbeing awareness and fundraising began in May 2020 and has already delivered more than $1 million in airtime value for Community Service Announcements produced by Raise, Reach-Out and R U OK? Foxtel’s initial commitment to supporting CSA’s and mental wellbeing programs runs through 2020 and 2021.

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More changes in September, from Foxtel:

Comedy changes
We’ll be making the following changes to our comedy offering:

  • FOX H!TS will be renamed FOX Comedy (and will remain on ch. 119)
  • The Comedy Channel will be removed.

New movie channel
We’ll be introducing a new movie channel called LMN - Lifetime Movie Network .

Removal of Sky News Weather Active app
The Sky News Weather Active app will be removed from all boxes.

What is LMN – Lifetime Movie Network?
LMN – Lifetime Movie Network is a brand new and exclusive movie channel that will showcase movies that are inspired by, fuelled by and created by women. With intriguing mysteries, gripping thrillers, the sweetest romances and heart-warming heroes and heroines, LMN – Lifetime Movie Network will feature movies with compelling storylines and powerful characters 24/7.

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Interesting they’re finally retiring the comedy channel, wonder if Comedy Central might eventually pop up?

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Is that a record for the shortest stint of a Foxtel channel, 10 months for Fox Hits? RIP.

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Conspiracy theorist Kevin Rudd joined in on the fake ‘Australians are being censored from watching The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty’ rubbish. As expected, as Amanda Meade reports in The Guardian today,

Story in her column here:

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it’s already on fetch so it would be a stretch to bring it to fix

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Removal of Sky News Weather Active app
The Sky News Weather Active app will be removed from all boxes.

And with that, there will be no more red button/active services on Foxtel after 16 years?

You’d think either the ABC or SBS would most likely pick up/air The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty? Can’t imagine any of Seven, Nine or Ten being interested.

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Well it’s owned by ViacomCBS and they’ve just signed them to do the music channels so maybe this is the next phase, unless they’re going to air Comedy Central content on Fox Comedy along with the old sitcoms.

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I believe it got subsumed and rebranded under everyone’s noses - it’s called Sky News. :rofl:

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In other words, it’s a Seven midday movie channel.

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Yes but Hallmark and Lifetime movies are super popular over in the States, especially their Christmas films. Ever since Foxtel lost Hallmark it’s been a missing selling point.

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According to the list Foxtel have published, most of the shows are moving to either Fox8 (eg; Last Week Tonight) or Fox Showcase (eg; Curb Your Enthusiasm). Surprisingly, one of the few shows which will disappear altogether is The Daily Show

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Perhaps the Daily Show will become exclusive to 10 shake?

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Well they did list that so yeah maybe Comedy Central is keeping their stuff to themselves on 10 and their Fetch channel.

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https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2020/08/06/10-million-foxtel-handout-came-from-covid-recovery-funds/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

But it’s not. The sports are not getting the money. Foxtel is. It is a blatant handout.

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Just watch them get bailed out to the tune of hundreds of millions by the Feds when they eventually make a big enough loss that News Corp threatens to shut it down.

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It is such a waste of public money during these times. Or at any times. Imagine another media company got that and not News Corp … they’d be complaining on sky news and in the tabloids about wasted handouts. The hypocrisy is astounding.

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What about the handouts that the Government have just given a whole range of media outlets? Or the generous discounts that they gave FTA operators on their licence fees. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot about this that stinks, but its not a one-off