US film studio giant NBCUniversal will give the majority of its programs and films to pay TV and streaming company Foxtel as incumbent streaming partner Stan looks to alternative ways to acquire content from Hollywood for subscribers.

Multiple media sources, who spoke anonymously because the talks are confidential, said Foxtel is on the verge of securing a long-term deal for the majority of NBCU’s programs, including content from Sky Studios, online streaming service Peacock and a back catalogue of programs such as Parks & Recreation and Brooklyn 99. The deal was being finalised and could be completed within the week, the sources said.

Other media sources said Seven West Media is expected to pick up the free-to-air rights for some of the content slate, including reality TV content which typically runs on Hayu. Foxtel, Seven and NBCUniversal declined to comment.

Incumbent Stan, which has a contract that expires this year, was involved in talks to secure programming for its subscribers, but sources said the service and its parent company Nine Entertainment Co walked away several weeks ago over concerns of price and clauses that give NBCUniversal the power to terminate and launch its own service, Peacock, at any time. Nine, the owner of this masthead, declined to comment.

The loss of content by Stan could be a blow to its content slate depending on the agreements it has in place for existing NBCUniversal content and exclusivity clauses in the next deal. Sources close to Stan said the company is already turning its focus to alternative models, which it believes will give it control over content.

The sources, who spoke anonymously because discussions are commercial in confidence, said Nine boss Mike Sneesby and other key executives had travelled to Los Angeles to speak with the Hollywood Studios about individual shows that could be commissioned and then distributed in the US and UK. This focus on owning content is part of a gradual step change for Stan, which in its early days relied on major output deals to prop up its business and drive subscriptions.

In 2020, NBCUniversal struck a deal with Stan for Peacock originals, which includes Gangs of London, I Hate Suzie and Brave New World (it expires this year). But at the same time Stan announced plans to embark on a major local content push amid concerns it was too dependent on Hollywood Studios. Sneesby has said publicly that most of Stan’s best performing shows are originals, which are commissioned by the company.

Under the proposed new deal with NBCUniversal, Foxtel will have access to programs and films from NBCUniversal brands such as Peacock, Sky Studios and Bravo. Seven will also have access to the back catalogue and some sources have said it will have access to programs from NBCUniversal’s reality streaming platform, Hayu.