Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany says an image obtained by Crikey showing him giving a Nazi salute may have been taken while he was “demonstrating the similarity” between the offensive gesture and a gesture used by A-League fans, while on set at Fox Sports.
In a statement provided to Crikey, Delany said he was “shocked” to see the image, which appears to be from the 2010s. “The fact I demonstrated this offensive salute was wrong and I unreservedly apologise,” he said.
Crikey has obtained images showing the then Fox Sports CEO on what looks like Fox Sports’ A-League “Hyundai Matchday Saturday” pre-game program set during the 2014-15 season.
The images show Delany standing in front of a screen featuring a graphic that says “Hyundai Matchday Saturday”. In the image, his right arm is outstretched upwards with a straightened hand, consistent with the Sieg Heil sign used in Nazi Germany. His left hand is making a gesture by extending some fingers under his nose, seemingly imitating Adolf Hitler’s moustache. Crikey does not suggest Delany sympathises with Nazis, only that he has been captured making a Nazi gesture.
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Delany suggested the image depicting him making the Nazi salute may have been made as part of a comparison to another gesture made by an A-League team’s fans.
“I can only think that it is of me demonstrating the similarity between the gesture some Western Sydney Wanderers fans were using 10 years ago, and an offensive salute,” Delany said. A Foxtel Group spokesperson directed Crikey to footage showing the A-League team’s fans’ “Who do we sing for?” chant, in which supporters can be seen raising their arms.
The image appears to date back to Delany’s time at Fox Sports. He started as CEO of the network in 2011, before being tapped to head up Foxtel when the two businesses merged in 2018.
Delany is one of many prominent Australians who signed the “Say No To Antisemitism” open letter published last year in the wake of the October 7 attacks. The Foxtel Group’s website lists “inclusion” as one of its values, committing to “creating an inclusive workplace … that foster[s] inclusion across cultural backgrounds, generations, identities and interests”.
Since Crikey came to Foxtel with this image at midday on Friday, Delany said he has spoken with “a number of leaders of the Jewish community to express my deep remorse” and has requested a meeting with the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies.
Despite audiences globally cutting the cord, Delany’s tenure at Foxtel has been so successful during a tumultuous period that it’s used as a case study in business schools. Under Delany, Foxtel has transformed from a cable television company into one with on-demand streaming services Binge, Kayo and Flash, as well as the new streaming hardware device Hubbl.
In 2022 Crikey first reported that Delany called Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke “short” and “dumpy” at the company’s premiere of the blockbuster series’ spinoff House of the Dragon, sparking international headlines.
At a panel in 2018, Delany reportedly told an audience that “you buy the land, you get the Indians”, a comment that a source close to the CEO acknowledged to Guardian Australia was “politically incorrect”.
News Corp, which owns 65% of Foxtel, is looking to sell off its share of the company after years of talk about taking the company public. Delany is “exploring” an exit, the Australian Financial Review reported earlier this month.
How did we report this story?
Crikey received images from a pseudonymous tipster and was able to confirm a number of details that suggested it was real.
The image appears to be a photograph taken of another screen. Its metadata lists the image’s creation date at a time while Delany was still at Fox Sports.
Delany appears to be wearing the same shirt and distinctive tie that he wore in other public appearances, including Fox Sports’ 2015 announcement of its NBL broadcasting deal.
The location of the image is consistent with the new set used for the Fox Sports’ pre-game “Hyundai Matchday Saturday” program hosted by Adam Peacock, Mark Bosnich and Mark Rudan during the A-League 2014-15 season.
We first approached Foxtel Group on Friday asking whether Delany had made the salute on the Fox Sports set. The company’s director of corporate affairs responded shortly after to say that “this didn’t happen”.
When we responded by saying that we had photographic evidence, the director replied by asking for the photograph and conceded that “if [Crikey has] a photo … it suggests it did happen in some context”.
We declined to send the image through but agreed to meet with a Foxtel Group staff member over the weekend to show it to them in person. Several hours later, Foxtel provided Crikey with a statement on behalf of Delany.
