Foxtel returns to its past with a nostalgic TV commercial as part of a new multi-channel brand campaign starring Sam Neill as it evolves to become a subscription streaming company.

Neill appears to be checking out an old, but fully-operational TV – replete with set-top box – as he visits a cellar or shed. “Look at this old dinosaur,” he says.

But Neill says Foxtel “didn’t disappear altogether… it evolved”. Cut to shot of him picking up the latest remote and speaking an instruction to revisit Jurassic Park of which he was a star.

Foxtel says its “premium streaming aggregation solution” reaches nearly two million households, scoring a 30 per cent increase in on demand viewing in 2021. More than 100,000 iQ5 streaming boxes – which don’t need cable or satellite – have been shipped.

Executive director of marketing Michael Nearhos says Neill is “globally recognised and much loved by Aussie fans”. The partner of ABC’s 7.30 chief political correspondent Laura Tingle, he “also seldomly does brand work like this”.

Large-format digital billboards are also part of the campaign, and Foxtel says it will distribute 500,000 complimentary voice remotes to “loyal customers”.