Speaking at the annual PayTV conference yesterday, Foxtel’s CEO Kim Williams opened up about the next stages for the company. If you like your entertainment with a thick layer of IPTV on top, you’re going to enjoy Foxtel’s offering in a few years.
According to Williams, the next set-top box is scheduled to launch in financial year 2012/13. And it’s shifting focus from broadcast with a touch of IP to IP with a touch of broadcast:
“The new STU is all about providing the flexible platform which meets consumer expectations as we mutually ride the digital wave. Foxtel’s next generation HD Broadband /Broadcast Set Top Unit will offer web based interfaces, fully integrated contemporary search and recommendation functions, better storage capacity and content management. It will be hotwired to the internet provisioning access to a magnificent Cloud of tools and content goodies.”
It’s a positive step forward that Williams actually recognises that consumers want flexibility in their TV watching experience. How Foxtel delivers that is still to be seen, but Williams at least acknowledged it:
“Consumers want to find things as easily as possible and then to either watch a superbly programmed service or pull single pieces of content down simply. And they want to be enabled to watch what they selected on a smart device of their own choice.”
It’s a slow process, but it seems like the wheels are turning in favour of the consumer when it comes to accessing TV in the future.
Normandy
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 10:57 AMwhen foxtel stop charging its customers to access on demand content they have already paid for with their massive per month costs, this might be a good idea, but if Foxtel remain on their current pricing schedule they will be dead within 2 years!
Here is a hint FOXTEL, price your crap aggressively for mass volume, instead of having a monthly access cost that is only for a bunch of yuppies with too much money!
100 bucks a month for HD TV… forget it!
Anonymouse
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 11:17 AMWhat do you mean charging its customers to access on demand content?
The only thing on demand that you pay for are the Box Office movies. Everything else (from the channels you’ve subscribed to) is free.
Normandy
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 11:33 AMif you try and access a TV show they charge you 3 bucks or so to download it, even though its already been on, how is that fair! they charge for TV shows and movies.
IT IS NOT FREE TO ACCESS ON DEMAND (DOWNLOADABLE) CONTENT!
blueevo
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 12:19 PMsome of the on demand tv shows is free some of it isnt just so we are clear.
But its usually one or two episodes of a show, nothing useful.
Id give up foxtel if some of the shows that me or my partents watch were on normal tv or any other type of legal download service.
Plus foxtel really need to move to have all their broadcasting in 1080p or at least 720p. People are paying the premium and over the years we have gotten more and more ads and more and more costs.
Having only a handful of HD channels available that you have to pay extra for is a joke
Damo
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 11:49 AMThere are also Main Event broadcasts which you have to pay extra for.
Normandy
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 11:56 AMeverything on foxtel is pay, pay to subscribe, pay to download any content at all, even if you have access to it via your normal subscription. They wonder why their subscriptions keep falling. Make it cheap, make it legal and people will follow. I guess with no REAL legal competition they charge what they like.
And people wonder why channel BT gets bigger every day, its Naspter all over again, till a cheap, legal method comes along (itunes).
Adam
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 11:31 AMlol you have no idea what you are talking about
Normandy
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 11:34 AMAND here we go with paid Foxtel Reps trying to confuse people with more lies.. good one ADAM.. (adam works for Foxtel)
Josh
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 11:44 AMNormandy obviously works for FreeView
Greg
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 2:55 PMPlease! Inform us all where you can get quality HD programming in Australia for less than $100/month.
Normandy
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 4:20 PMthe internet! DUH!!
caroma
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 9:10 PMIf you dont want to pay to watch an epidose again, you should have recorded it the first time. Or just wait for it to repeat. because if there’s one thing Foxtel is good at its repeating.
Its called ‘Pay TV’ for a reason. If you dont want it, or cant afford it, then dont pay for it. Pretty simple. Some of us are happy with what we get and what we pay.
Normandy
Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 8:55 AMand Caroma thats why Foxtel looses market share every day, as its attitudes like that.
Slug
Saturday, April 2, 2011 at 7:17 AMI put Pay on because I was tired of copping up to 8 commercials in a break on free to air. I cancelled Pay because I was too often paying for the privilege of watching their programs – but also paying to watch commercials. Check out Bendigo IPTv – local TV style service designed to restore the local programs regional centres have lost. Delivered free and available on big screen TV’s through T Box.