Foxtel

Australian commercial broadcaster Ten has confirmed it is considering an investment offer from pay-television operator Foxtel.

Formula One Management earned a significant increase in the value of its rights in Australia last month by allowing a pay-television broadcaster to acquire rights to the championship for the first time in the country.

Australian commercial broadcaster Ten has said it has received non-binding, conditional investment proposals from a “number of parties”.

Foxtel chief executive Richard Freudenstein has denied that Australia’s anti-siphoning regulations would become redundant if the pay-television operator acquires commercial broadcaster Ten in a joint deal with pay-television broadcaster Discovery Communications.

The Sky Racing channel, which is operated by Australian pay-television provider Foxtel, has acquired rights for the 2014 edition of horseracing’s Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Australian pay-television provider Foxtel has confirmed that it will cut the price of its basic cable-television subscriptions by a half and will freeze the price of its sports package.

Australia’s Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has warned media platforms that no changes will be made to television sports rights restrictions without a consensus between free-to-air and pay television operators.

Ten chief executive Hamish McLennan has said the commercial broadcaster is keen to regain rights to the Australian Football League, the top division of Aussie rules in Australia.

The Multi Channel Network (MCN), a joint venture between the Foxtel, Austar, Premier Media Group and XYZ Networks media companies, has launched a new sports division.

The V8 Supercars motor-racing series has agreed domestic rights deals with Australian commercial broadcaster Ten Network, pay-television operator Foxtel and pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports.

Analysts claim that Australian commercial broadcasters Seven and Ten overpaid for Australian Football League rights