 | |
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV16:9) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Foxtel Networks |
| Sister channels | Foxtel Networks channels |
| History | |
| Launched | 28 March 2015 |
| Replaced | Studio (2015) Foxtel Smooth (2020) |
| Closed | 1 September 2021; 4 years ago (2021-09-01) |
| Replaced by | Famous |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Foxtel Go | Channel 133 & 806 |
Foxtel Arts was asubscription television arts channel available in Australia on theFoxtel platform.[1]
Foxtel Arts replaced theSBS owned arts channelStudio, and became the third iteration of a dedicated arts channel on Foxtel in six years.[2] The Foxtel owned and operated channel launched at 10am AEST on 28 March 2015.[3] Part of the reason for launching the channel was to give Foxtel the ability to pitch programming to viewers aged over 55, a demographic the service began to pursue in 2014.[4] In addition, the launch came at a time when Foxtel sought to bring more channels 'in-house' in order to obtain more exclusive content deals to increase their competitiveness with new streaming services such asNetflix andStan.[5]
From 11 October 2017, Foxtel Arts became a part-day channel, and was only broadcast between 6pm and midnight. This was due to a move by Foxtel to enable Foxtel Arts to share the same broadcast bandwidth asFoxtel Smooth, which was in turn only available between midnight and 6pm.[6] It was then reverted to a 24-hour channel on 1 July 2020, following Foxtel Smooth's closure.[7][8]
On 1 September 2021, the channel was closed down and replaced byFOX Docos on channel 129 on both Foxtel and the streaming serviceBINGE.[9]
The channel's first local commission was the film and television review programScreen, hosted byMargaret Pomeranz andGraeme Blundell, which premiered on 2 April 2015.[10][11][12] The series was renewed in 2018,[13] and as of 2021[update], the series is ongoing. Past episodes are uploaded toYouTube.[14]
Regular programming included programming featuring or related toopera,ballet, music, theatre, dance, classical and contemporary performance, as well as documentary specials and series from cinema, literature,visual art and artists.[15]