Kayo Sports

Kayo Sports
Type of businessSubsidiary
Type of site
Over-the-top media service
Available inEnglish
HeadquartersGore Hill, New South Wales,
Australia
Area servedAustralia
OwnerHubbl
CEOJulian Ogrin[1]
Products
ServicesSports television distribution
ParentFoxtel Group
URLkayosports.com.au
RegistrationRequired
UsersIncrease 1.312 million (as of 8 Aug 2022)[2]
Launched26 November 2018; 5 years ago (2018-11-26)
Current statusActive

Kayo Sports is an over-the-top video streaming subscription service available in Australia, owned by Hubbl, formerly Streamotion and a wholly owned subsidiary of Foxtel Group.[3] The service offers sports live and on demand from Fox Sports, ESPN and Racing.com.

History

In March 2018 it was reported Foxtel were investigating an over-the-top sports streaming service to appeal to customers not willing to subscribe to traditional satellite or cable. At the time the service had reportedly been in development for more than nine months but was yet to be green lit. It was reported the new service would not use the Foxtel branding.[4] In August 2018 it was reported Foxtel had green lit this new sports streaming service, which was code named Project Martian. It was predicted the service would launch in late 2018 coinciding with a cricket event following Foxtel's recent new six year broadcasting deal with Cricket Australia.[5][6]

In October 2018, it was reported the service was originally planned to launch in early November but was delayed until early December in order to conduct further testing to avoid technical issues similar to those experienced by Optus Sport for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[7] On 5 November 2018 it was reported Foxtel were exploring including ESPN and beIN Sports in the service which was rumored to be called Kayo Sports.[8]

On 9 November 2018, it was announced that the new service would be called Kayo Sports and launched in beta that day. At launch, the service offered over 50 sports from Fox Sports, ESPN and beIN Sports networks live and on demand. Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany described the service as the "Netflix of sport".[9] Following a positive reception to the beta launch, Kayo Sports officially launched on 26 November 2018.[10][11]

In May 2019, Kayo Sports added Racing.com.[12]

In February 2021, Telstra, part owner of parent company Foxtel, replaced their Telstra Live Pass service in the National Rugby League and Australian Football League mobile apps, which offered streaming of games, with access to Kayo Sports.[13]

In May 2021, Kayo Sports exceeded 1 million total subscribers, with paying subscribers expected to reach that milestone imminently.[14]

In May 2023, it was announced that beIN Sports content would no longer be available on either Foxtel or Kayo Sports platforms from July 2023.[15]

Subscribers

Date Paying subscribers Total subscribers Ref
As of February 2019 100,000 115,000 [16]
As of 30 June 2019 331,000 382,000 [16]
As of November 2019 402,000 443,000 [17]
As of 5 February 2020 340,000[a] [18]
As of 31 March 2020 404,000 440,000 [19]
As of 2 May 2020 272,000[b] [19]
As of 30 June 2020 419,000[c] 465,000 [20]
As of 4 August 2020 542,000 590,000 [20]
As of 31 December 2020 624,000 [21]
As of 31 March 2021 851,000 914,000 [22]
As of 7 May 2021 1,000,000+ [14]
As of 8 August 2022 1,293,000 1,312,000+ [23]
As of 11 August 2023 1,401,000 1,411,000+ [24]
As of 23 June 2024 1,525,000 1,512,000+
  1. ^ The decline was attributed to it being a "low sports season" in Australia.[18]
  2. ^ The decline was attributed to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports.[19]
  3. ^ The increase was attributed to the return of most major sports.[20]

Channels

The following channels are available on Kayo Sports:[25]

Content

Further information: Fox Sports (Australian TV network), ESPN Australia, beIN Sports (Australian TV channel), and Sports broadcasting contracts in Australia

Original programming

Kayo Sports' first original program, Below the Bonnet, premiered in March 2021. The weekly Supercars Championship themed talk show is hosted by David Reynolds and Michael Caruso.[26]

Availability

Kayo Sports offers a three tier subscription model, one, basic or premium, the difference being the number of simultaneous device streams. One for one, two for basic, three for premium.[27] Kayo Sports is available via web browser, mobile app (Android and iOS), and on selected smart televisions and media consoles.[28]

Kayo Freebies

In January 2021 Kayo Sports started offering free access to selected sports and programs under the banner Kayo Freebies as a way of increasing subscribers.[29] Sports included under the banner include: the Mount Panorama 500,[29] selected A-League games,[29] selected W-League games,[29] two Suncorp Super Netball games a round plus Australian Diamonds games,[30] and all sports supported under the Federal Government's Women's, Niche and Other Under-Represented Sports grants.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ Knox, David (13 August 2020). "Amanda Laing to oversee Foxtel content". TV Tonight. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  2. ^ Al Zaidi, Seja (8 August 2022). "Foxtel's streaming subscriber base up 31% in Group Q4 and full-year fiscal 2022 results". Mumbrella. pp. 9 Aug 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  3. ^ Manning, James (29 December 2023). "Foxtel Group's Hubbl launch: Binge, Kayo Sports accounts moving to new platform in February". Mediaweek. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  4. ^ Mason, Max (25 March 2018). "Foxtel executives crunching the numbers on standalone Fox Sports streaming service". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
  5. ^ Tyeson, Cam (7 August 2018). "Foxtel Might Ditch 'Now' In Yet Another Shakeup Of Their Streaming Services". Pedestrian. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  6. ^ Duke, Jennifer (13 April 2018). "Cricket heads to pay TV in landmark deal with Seven and Foxtel". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  7. ^ Knox, David (29 October 2018). "Foxtel sports-streaming tipped for December". TV Tonight. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  8. ^ Knox, David (5 November 2018). "Report: ESPN and beIN SPORTS to join Foxtel sports streaming?". TV Tonight. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  9. ^ Knox, David (9 November 2018). "Kayo Sports is a game-changer". TV Tonight. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  10. ^ Knox, David (26 November 2018). "Game on for Kayo Sports". TV Tonight. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  11. ^ "Kayo: Fox Sports launches streaming service". news.com.au. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  12. ^ Knox, David (6 May 2019). "Kayo Sports adds Racing.com". TV Tonight. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  13. ^ Knox, David (2 February 2021). "Telstra Live Pass to switch to Kayo". TV Tonight. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  14. ^ a b Pash, Chris (10 May 2021). "Foxtel's pandemic resurgence pushes subscribers to record 3.5 million - AdNews". www.adnews.com.au. Retrieved 10 May 2021. In recent days, Kayo exceeded 1 million total subscribers, with paying subscribers expected to reach that milestone imminently. A strong summer of cricket and the start of the dominant winter sports saw Kayo generate more momentum.
  15. ^ Week, Media (24 May 2023). "Foxtel to drop BeIN Sports and PBS Kids channels from July 1". Mediaweek. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  16. ^ a b Knox, David (2 September 2019). "Kayo growing subscriber base". TV Tonight. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  17. ^ Knox, David (29 November 2019). "Kayo marks first anniversary". TV Tonight. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
  18. ^ a b Mason, Max (7 February 2020). "Kayo loses subscribers, pressure increases on Foxtel". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  19. ^ a b c Hodson, Joshua. "Kayo Loses 136,000 Paying Subscribers Amid COVID-19". Ministry of Sport. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  20. ^ a b c Knox, David (10 August 2020). "Kayo, Binge, Foxtel Now paid subscribers top 900,000". TV Tonight. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  21. ^ Duckett, Chris (5 February 2021). "Foxtel customers up 12% thanks to Kayo and Binge as namesake brands drop". ZDNet. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  22. ^ "News Corp reports: Kayo audiences doubles, Binge climbs to new high". Mediaweek. 6 May 2021.
  23. ^ Al Zaidi, Seja (9 August 2022). "Foxtel's streaming subscriber base up 31% in Group Q4 and full-year fiscal 2022 results - Mumbrella". Mumbrella. Retrieved 13 September 2022. News Corp today released its fiscal Q4 results and full year earnings, including Foxtel financials highlighting growth in the subscription video services segment.
  24. ^ Song, Darcy (10 August 2023). "Kayo, Binge and Foxtel Now paid subscribers cross three million mark". Mumbrella. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  25. ^ "What Live Channels are available on Kayo?". Kayo Sports. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  26. ^ Knox, David (25 March 2021). "Airdate: Below the Bonnet". TV Tonight. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  27. ^ "What are my subscription options on Kayo?". Kayo Sports. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  28. ^ "What devices and browsers can I use to stream Kayo?". Kayo Sports. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  29. ^ a b c d Knox, David (25 January 2021). "Kayo to offer free streaming events". TV Tonight. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  30. ^ Knox, David (3 February 2021). "Foxtel / Kayo sign new deal for Super Netball". TV Tonight. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  31. ^ Knox, David (8 March 2021). "Foxtel boosts sports on International Women's Day". TV Tonight. Retrieved 5 April 2021.