The LifeStyle Channel celebrated the ASTRA Awards in champagne style, winning consecutive Channel Of The Year titles at the Sydney Theatre last night.
There were toasts all round as the who’s who of subscription TV witnessed The LifeStyle Channel take home a swag of awards.
Earlier that evening the channel 2010s Favourite Personality winner, Andrew Winter was named 2011s Favourite Male Personality, while Grand Designs Australia saluted for Most Outstanding Reality Program.
Grand Designs celebrated a second win in newcomer Peter Maddison who was named the ASTRA Awards’ Best New Talent.
XYZ Networks Lifestyle Channels general manager, Nicole Sheffield said: “I was absolutely shocked, never in my wildest dreams did I think we would walk away with Channel Of The Year again.
“I didn’t even prepare a speech.”
Sheffield, who was appointed as general manager in April 2008, said the network had a “brilliant run” of top rating programs from Grand Designs Australia, Selling Houses and My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.
She said a number of successful acquisitions with exclusive rights to programs such as the Relocation Relocation franchise, both in Australia and the UK, had bolsted rates across all four channels.
“We have a great network of programs across all four LifeStyle channels as a group we are always trying to evolve and grow – that’s been key to our success,” she said.
ASTRA CEO Petra Buchanan said: "The great programming and talent that distinguishes subscription television was on the display last night."
The night also proved a hit for FOX8’s Sarah Murdoch, who in a disastrous month for the Murdoch family was given some reprieve after she was named The Subscribers Choice - Favourite Female Personality.
Sky News also came away with a host of awards including Most Outstanding News Program or Coverage for their contribution to the 2010 Federal Election.
Presenters David Speers and Ashleigh Gillon made it a treble for Sky News. They took out Most Outstanding Performance by a Presenter and Most Outstanding Performance by a broadcast Journalist, respectively.
Sky News political reporter Ashleigh Gillon said she's thrilled to have won, in what she described as a "massive" news year for journalists.
"We've had floods, cyclones, political upheavals - so in terms of news coverage it's been a very competitive year for everybody," Gillon said.
It's Gillon's first ASTRA Award, which she won for her coverage of the Labor Party's dumping of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd last year.
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