Press release from NSFA
In a ground-breaking arrangement many Australian productions screened or created by Foxtel and its partner channels will now be preserved for posterity by the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA).
The recently signed agreement is an outcome of Foxtel’s commitment to the continuing production of Australian programs and its acknowledgement of the importance of preserving the history and development of subscription TV in this country.
The Chair of the NFSA, Professor Chris Puplick AM, said today that the agreement was a benchmark for what the NFSA is trying to achieve. “This will strengthen enormously our collection of Australian television and will increase the collection’s diversity, ensuring that we have material across all TV platforms, Subscription TV, Free to Air, Internet and Community TV. Australians of the future will be privileged to enjoy the long-term benefits of this agreement. We are indebted to Foxtel and the Channels who are contributing, for their great vision, their cooperation and for their understanding of the importance of preservation.”
Foxtel’s Managing Director and CEO, Kim Williams AM, said that just like some of the pioneers in Australian film and television, Foxtel is continuing the proud tradition of telling Australian stories with honesty, sensitivity and sometimes with our tongues firmly planted in our cheek. “Like so many Australian film makers and TV producers, Foxtel has had to go it alone in order to succeed. The values of innovation, creativity and considered risk has served us well in our journey to profitability and rating success. Over the past 14 years we have radically changed the face of television in this country. I am enormously proud of what has been achieved and believe that our history and contribution deserves to be preserved for the nation.”
Since the beginning of the agreement Foxtel has delivered to the NFSA more than 260 program titles, together with supporting documentation, that detail the history and development of subscription television in Australia. Examples include the award-winning drama series Love My Way, Dangerous, and Crash Palace; documentaries like Beyond Kokoda and Battle of Long Tan; music programs including the ARIA Awards, Big Day Out and numerous concerts with prominent Australian musicians; and the lifestyle shows Cheese Slices, Great BBQ Challenge, Dry Spell Gardening and Life Changes.
The NFSA collection will now include material from Foxtel’s wide range of Channels such as FOX 8, the Lifestyle Channel, Lifestyle Food, the Weather Channel, Channel [V], MAX, The History Channel, UK TV, Showtime, and the Comedy Channel.
The agreement also includes video interviews with key participants in the subscription industry who tell the stories behind these Australian programs and recall their own careers in the industry. The NFSA considers such material invaluable as it will provide a crucial understanding for future historians and audiences of Foxtel’s now fourteen year history in Australia.