Workers put in long hours on remote and isolated sites on swing shifts, with the impact of Covid-19 resulting in longer FIFO timelines which in some places has kept workers on site for significant stretches.

Now, more than ever they need something to look forward to after a hard day's work, with industry research showing entertained workers are retained workers.

Australia's most innovative and dynamic media company, Foxtel provides a premium, streamed and live, sport, movies, drama, news and entertainment experience through its diverse subscription TV service.

And Foxtel's new Business iQ for the mining industry is the ultimate platform to entertain workers, all year round.

Developed for Australia and tested around the world, Foxtel's BiQ utilises smart and future proof cloud technology to offer a flexible and interactive information and entertainment technology platform with a range of operational features.

Miners can eliminate multiple supplier costs and complexity and access end-to-end support across install, configuration and operation.

The complete end-to-end service for business customers provides an extensive range of Foxtel's live and on demand content all in one place.

That is thousands of hours of movies, hundreds of complete TV episodes, over 50 live sports and so much more to keep workers entertained and give them a home-like experience.

National Manager for Mining & Workforce Accommodation, Kym Monteath said: "In recent times, and certainly during the pandemic, mining companies are looking to broaden the amount of content for in-room entertainment at site. Business iQ has the streaming and casting capabilities, as well as the extensive content encapsulated in the single platform, making it easy for the employee and very efficient for the mining company."

BiQ allows full access to Foxtel's live sport, drama, news, lifestyle shows and documentaries from Australia and around the world from a huge content library available on demand.

This includes cricket, Toyota AFL Premiership Season and NRL Telstra Premiership and the best of US and European sports.

Already installed in more than 300,000 rooms worldwide, the platform's managed cloud server updates and keeps pace with global tech trends and integrates with site management systems for greater customisation and control.

Great for business, the platform is a flexible and scalable no-fuss operation built to run itself and requires no operational maintenance.

A Foxtel mining and workforce accommodation package can help sites create competitive points of difference, with the BiQ now enabling workers to bring their own content.

Whether it's from Netflix or YouTube, Foxtel allows users to catch up on their niche interests with integrated casting from a built-in Chromecast.

Users can cast from a phone or tablet to the TV screen and watch through their favourite streaming app.

"The casting feature enables employees to view their own content on the room's television rather than trying to watch it on their own device which can be frustrating" explains Monteath.

Workers are rewarded with a Foxtel box in every room so they can enjoy the freedom to pause live TV, watch on demand and never miss out on their favourite shows.

"One feature of this platform that is essential for the mining accommodation sector is the ‘Live Pause TV' which enables the viewer to pause a live game for up to 30 minutes. With many employees being time poor on-site this now enables them to never miss that important part of the game when they return to their room" Monteath added.

The easy to manage platform features simple, fast and intuitive navigation with an easy-to-use on-screen interactive electronic program guide.

The EPG shows what programs are on 14 days out, which gives workers a longer-term overview of what is on and what is coming up.

The all-in-one illuminated, anti-microbial remote control allows users to pause live TV and change channels quickly.

Foxtel's BiQ can also be used for site promotion and to display local news, weather, site activities and events.

Employee messaging and emergency warnings can also be displayed.

Foxtel's BiQ technology platform is backed by a specialised tech and service team in a Melbourne-based call centre, with field technicians available Australia-wide to maintain hardware and software for the life of the contract.

A managed cloud service provides auto-updates and ongoing releases, with an online portal for remote monitoring and troubleshooting.

Foxtel is committed to delivering great entertainment to the mining industry.