Foxtel’s Studio relaunches with bold ‘The Festival of WTF!’ billboard in Kings Cross via Houston
A provocative Kings Cross billboard has heralded the relaunch of Studio, Foxtel’s arts and entertainment channel.
Today Studio’s edgy new programming strategy, standout viewing destinations and bold new attitude were unveiled across the channel and in print, online and outdoor advertising around “The Festival of WTF!” developed with brand agency Houston.
The new campaign features the bold exclamation of “WTF!” – a play on the initial reaction to the channel’s new content that is then revealed to stand for anything from ‘Watch The Forbidden” to “Watch The Flaunting”.
The billboard sits above William St in Kings Cross, with a shot from the controversial Black Mirror – one of the UK’s most popular series in recent years. Black Mirror will air on the channel in June.
Says Chris Keely, Studio general manager: “Our Kings Cross billboard marks the relaunch of Studio with ‘The Festival of WTF’ campaign – a new focus on programs that are provocative and engaging. As Foxtel’s arts channel, we know the best art can be divisive and provocative, and the ‘Black Mirror’ billboard reflects that. You may love it, you may hate it, but you’ll definitely be talking about it – and that applies for what you’ll find on Studio from today.”
Says Alex Toohey, Houston’s creative director: “We were handed an exciting yet challenging brand awareness brief from Studio, who are moving away from being primarily a classical arts channel and introducing a curated collection of unexpected programs.
“The main objective of the campaign brief was to put Studio132 on the Foxtel programming map and to expose Studio’s surprising and often shocking new content, which intelligently appeals to an inquisitive mind. So we came up with the WTF! campaign, freeze framing intriguing moments from Studio’s upcoming line-up of shows – truly WTF! moments.”
Head of programming Laura Glassman’s revitalised content strategy focusses on arts, entertainment and topics “you’d never think of Googling”. The new-look Studio will be home to documentaries and series on iconic artists, celebrated weirdos and stranger-than-fiction stories that will have you talking for days.
Clear destinations throughout the channel will also make it easier than ever for viewers to navigate to their favourite slots and discover unexpected television treasures.
Studio Loves is a weekly program spotlight that promises special features on topics or people that will open up your world. From a profile on the legendary musician and artist Goldie, to unearthed interviews with Apple maestro Steve Jobs or the bizarrely beautiful story of Marwencol – you will definitely be talking about what you find in this weekly slot.
Great at 8 is viewers’ weekly fix of thought-provoking and critically acclaimed series that represent new frontiers in fiction and game-changing new concepts. Delve into the archetypes of television with today’s biggest stars in America in Primetime and go behind the scenes of the biggest fashion shows with The Day Before – it’s guaranteed quality television every Wednesday at 8pm.
Studio continues to capture Australia’s hottest talent this year thanks to our ongoing Local Production Fund, courtesy of Foxtel. Announced last night, Studio at the Memo is an exclusive new series hosted by Tim Rogers featuring six episodes of cabaret, music, burlesque from Australia’s most exciting performers recorded live by Studio in Melbourne performance institution The Memo.
There’s also the Studio funded, award-winning documentary Show Me The Magic: The Adventures of Don McAlpine, along with the continued celebration of creativity in new series of Inside The Company, Creative Minds and Festival TV.
Other new destinations include the sophisticated and salacious adult programming of Studio After Dark, which begins with the Australian premiere of Hard, a French series about an unlikely porn empress, Wake Up To Classical Mornings providing a cultured new way for viewers to start their day, and docos and live concerts each Friday and Saturday night with Sounds of Studio.
The new look Studio will launch 1 May across Australia on channel 132. Studio is available only on Foxtel.
2 Comments
“Provocative and engaging?” Who are they kidding?
When you’re out of ideas, by all means shock, titilate, and horrify.
Lazy thinking, boring approach, juvenile sensibilities, and Foxtel. What else is new from the family who made billions with sensationalism and a general lowering of the bar for public discourse in every corner of the world that they’ve poisoned.
Making a bundle, rolling to the bottom, and we’re all complicit in allowing them to do it.
How about: WTF! It takes you two years to air Black Mirror, a show that anyone who is interested in watching would have downloaded and shared long ago.