In a strategic shift, kayo sports and Fox Sports have appointed Ted Helliar as director of engagement, community and fandom, creating a dedicated leadership post aimed at strengthening ties between broadcasters, leagues, athletes and creators. The role centralises social and creator teams and signals an organisational move that prioritises building loyal, living fandom as a path to sustaining investment in Australian sport.
Background and context: Why this appointment matters now
The newly created director position reflects a Foxtel Group decision to invest in community and loyalty rather than focusing solely on rights acquisition. Hilary Perchard, CEO of Kayo Sports, BINGE, and Foxtel, framed the hire as a commitment to “double down on what matters most to their continued growth, ” and said the role enables further investment in the health of Australian sport by building a more engaged and loyal spectator base. As part of the organisational change, dedicated social and creator teams for both platforms will report directly to Helliar.
Kayo Sports: Organisational changes and reporting lines
The appointment restructures internal reporting: Helliar will lead engagement efforts across both brands and will report to Cate Hefele, managing director of Go to Market, who has resumed her post after parental leave. The consolidation places all social and creator functions under a single executive to align league relationships, athlete partnerships and commercial strategies. Helliar is scheduled to commence duties on the sixteenth of March, giving the business a clear timeline for operational transition.
Deep analysis: What lies beneath the move
The hire indicates a strategic pivot for the broadcaster toward fan-first growth. The language used by senior executives underscores a shift from transactional rights-based competition to a longer-term play focused on emotional connection. Bringing social and creator teams together under an engagement director creates a unified approach to content, community activation and creator programming. Helliar’s remit ties creator engagement and social strategy to broader commercial and sporting objectives, a model increasingly used to convert audience attention into sustained investment in domestic sport.
Helliar’s professional background aligns with that remit. He most recently served as chief fans officer for the National Basketball League and previously held the role of chief operating officer for the Sydney Roosters for four years. His agency experience at the global network TBWA included oversight of major sports campaigns, including work for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This combination of league, club and agency experience positions him to coordinate across stakeholders who must be synchronised to grow fan communities effectively.
Expert perspectives: Internal and industry voices
Hilary Perchard, CEO of Kayo Sports, BINGE and Foxtel, said: “Ted is energised by the opportunity to help position Kayo and Fox Sports as Australia’s leading sports platform by building living fandom that strengthens both fans and Australian sport. “
Ted Helliar, incoming director of engagement, community and fandom for Kayo Sports and Fox Sports and former chief fans officer of the National Basketball League, has expressed enthusiasm for leveraging creator networks and fan initiatives. Helliar has described the broadcaster as a major investor in Australian sport and framed the role as an opportunity to connect grassroots through to elite levels of competition.
Cate Hefele, managing director of Go to Market, retains oversight of the commercial interface and will receive direct reports from Helliar’s function, anchoring engagement work within the organisation’s go-to-market leadership.
Regional and broader consequences
Consolidating engagement under a single director could reshape how the broadcaster activates partnerships with leagues, athletes and commercial partners across Australia. Early signals of the approach include tapping into a creator network that has already involved creators such as marmalade_aus and visiting athletes with sizable social followings—examples highlighted include LA Rams players Kyren Williams and Kevin Dotson, who are noted in internal planning discussions as having large Instagram audiences (200 thousand followers cited).
By positioning fan engagement as a strategic lever, the broadcaster aims to translate creator-led content and social activation into deeper community ties that support continued funding and growth of domestic sport ecosystems.
What remains to be tested is how quickly this centralised approach to engagement will produce measurable gains in loyalty, commercial returns and grassroots impact once Ted Helliar begins his role and the unified teams operate under his direction.
Will a single directorate be enough to turn fandom into sustained investment and healthier sporting ecosystems across Australia in the years ahead, and how will kayo sports measure that success?
