North west's 'footy mad' fans ask Foxtel for better deal following Kayo end

Pay TV provider Foxtel says it will work with customers to provide a sports streaming service for a similar price despite removing its Kayo product from parts of remote Australia, including Mount Isa.

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Kayo Sports, which carries professional football competitions including the NRL and the AFL, is no longer available in very remote regions, as of March 2025.

Foxtel is the owner of sports streaming service Kayo Sports. Picture David Gray/AAP PHOTOS

Foxtel lists postcodes affected, via the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), which includes Mount Isa, Roma and Emerald, but not Cape York Peninsula. Postcodes in the Northern Territory, NSW, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania are also listed.

A spokesperson for Foxtel Group said, "We are working with existing Kayo Sports customers in these areas to provide a comparable Foxtel subscription at no additional cost."

They said it's not the company's intention to make it difficult for residents of any community to access their sport streaming services.

Mount Isa resident Ashton Phipps is a Foxtel customer who used to be a Kayo subscriber, but as a sports fan has since moved to another Foxtel product.

He said Kayo should be available anywhere in Australia no matter where you live.

"I think it's completely unfair for a company to buy broadcast rights to a sports competition and then decide to not show it to particular parts of the country," he said.

Very remote Australia as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Picture ABS

Global sports streamer DAZN bought Foxtel in 2024 and in July the company was part of a $5.3 billion broadcast deal with the NRL, extending its rights to 2034.

The streamer is the only broadcaster showing every NRL and AFL regular season game.

Mr Phipps is a school teacher and said Mount Isa is a mad rugby league town, especially when it comes to the North Queensland Cowboys.

"The Cowboys don't get shown much on free-to-air TV so the only place kids in a town like Mount Isa can watch them is on pay TV," he said.

Mr Phipps now uses a set-top box, called a Foxtel IQ which streams sport and entertainment for $130 a month.

A Foxtel spokesperson said much cheaper options were available and encouraged customers to contact the company whose staff will work with them to enable a new service at the same cost.

"We continue to work with the small number of Kayo Sports customers residing in very remote areas to provide them a comparative Foxtel subscription at no additional cost so they can continue to enjoy all our sports and entertainment," the spokesperson said.

"This offer will also be available to new customers residing in these areas."

In a letter to Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys on Friday, September 11, Traeger MP Robbie Katter said, "Footy should be for all Queenslanders regardless of their postcode."

"I ask the NRL to raise this matter directly with its broadcast partners and seek the restoration of Kayo access for customers in remote and very remote areas where the service can be supported," Mr Katter said.

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