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Pay TV Exec: Pay TV is for people who are “dumb enough” to pay for it

There were raised eyebrows at an industry function last week when a Pay TV executive made some very flippant remarks about subscribers.

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A Pay TV executive has labelled subscribers as “dumb” at an industry function, last week.

Tony Forrest, Chief Executive Officer of Movie Network Channels was giving a speech at a function in Richmond on Friday night before cast and crew of upcoming series Conspiracy 365 and invited media.

In trumpeting the $13m action adventure, which has been fully funded by Movie Network Channels, Forrest joked that sometimes they argue with Foxtel and Austar. He made light of the reputation that “Pay TV is a dirty word.”

But it was his comment that Pay TV was for people who were “dumb enough” to pay for it that raised the most eyebrows in the room.

At a time when Foxtel CEO Kim Williams has acknowledged Subscription TV is under pressure from Freeview channels and a cautious consumer market, the remarks aren’t likely to be well-received by industry.

Despite his surprising comments, Forrest remained upbeat about the ambitious new series. He noted that Circa Entertainment were given considerable enormous creative freedom to produce the series, due to air on FMC in January.

Movie Network Channels owns Movie One, Movie Two, Movie Extra, Starpics 1, Starpics 2 and Family Movie Channel (FMC).

47 Responses

  1. George I know exactly what you mean…I’m without Foxtel at the moment but seriously miss those news channels as Channel 24 is nowhere near as good. I’m a CNN/BBC and even Fox News junkie…as for Mr. Forrest, I truly feel his comments must have been misunderstood…it happens.

  2. I completely agree. Foxtel knows the most highly watched programming are consistently sports events, and will not put together packages that cater for it. I would pay an amount to get access to the A-League and NRL in HD but not >$100 per month, especially considering its advertising supported.

  4. It doesn’t make sense for the Pay TV providers to provide a low quality product and maintain it’s consumer base. Obviously, the onus is on Foxtel and Austar to provide a better service at a reasonable price. Given the current state of Pay TV, I wouldn’t really bother getting it unless you are a sports fan.

  8. Seriously I could not live without foxtel. During the day my tv is on sky news or CNN or cnbc or BBC. At night excellent tv viewing of such shows as game of thrones, boardwalk empire, mad men , breaking bad, Dexter, true blood. If I could get a package that was news channels and Showtime I would be happy. Dumb tv. If Australian tv is dumb it’s the free to air networks who are to blame for dumbing everything down because they underestimate the intelligence of the local Aussie audiences because they base their decisions on their own intelligence levels.

  9. It’s pretty funny that Jen referred to Underbelly as a tittie fest & also raves about True Blood & Game Of Thrones .Both of these shows are not exactly short of nudity .
    They are both also great shows though . : )

  10. There is some genuine committed investment in good Aus TV in PayTV land and MNC have been at the forefront of this – hell 13mill is a pretty good slice of cash. Reckon Mr Forrest either had a brain freeze or perhaps his raised eyebrow hasn’t come across in html. Gotta say, for the small sum I pay for Foxtel, I get a lot of good TV. everytime I flick to 9,7 or 10 it’s just sooooo frustrating – trashy lowbrow simplistic crap, riddled with el cheeso or overly grandioise and too clever ads.

  11. A foolish comment to make right now but I doubt it will impact those who already subscribe. Personally, I don’t watch enough TV to justify it; ABC, SBS and the occasional commercial show is enough.

    Jen – I’m a “cheapskate” and I watched all of Game of Thrones (without ads) about a month ago. Ditto for many of my friends. Damn good it was too. If Foxtel wants to capitalise on high buzz, quality shows like GoT, they should fast track them. Subscribers pay and they still have to wait three months to see something? Crazy

  12. Without pay tv I would have trash my tv for my computer. The Free to Air programms are bad e.g. The Renovatiors – yuck, Masterchef Aus – more yuck!

    Pay tv:- Really good stuff:- 1) Masterchef UK (The best), 2)Selling Houses Australia – good show, 3) Relocation Relocation (UK) – Entertaining 4)Top Chef 5) Grand Design (the lastest) and Grand Design Australia. The list goes on and on except now I can cancel Movie Networks and only watch movies from Showtime.
    We could never be dull with Pay Tv.

  14. I can’t get decent TV reception in my area due to a few issues, namely a big TV tower nearby that knocks out reception. I persisted for a year with all types of rabbit ears, boxes etc. and had to give in like everyone else in my complex and get Foxtel.
    Thank goodness they are unaware of the cornered market they have and I probably might switch it off if I moved. IQ is its saving grace.

  15. We watched Game Of Thrones and True Blood season 4 ep 1 last night.
    Both ad-free, both brilliant.
    What did the FTA cheapskates watch?
    Some reality renovation show and/or a ch 9 tittie fest? – I’d rather watch a blank screen!
    Really, I’m happy to pay for quality.

  17. The comments from Mr Forrest aren’t to far off the mark especially given the mostly second rate films run on FOX’s two movie networks Showtime and Movie Networks.The scheduling for the movie channels is propped up by occasional HBO masterpieces but generally the movies are no better than your average midday telemovie.I’m continually bewildered how FOX’s strategy to off set FTA TV’s stranglehold on the market is to push on with over priced substandard programming.In acknowledging these numerous shortcomings of FOX I’m a PFV subscriber that’s “dumb enough” to shell out my hard earned for a premium package.Mr Forrest’s insight might just change that.

  18. Only have pay tv for the american sports, wrestling and a couple of other shows. If I do decide to upgrade to include movies, I’ll be “smart” and not include the movie network package.

  19. While my attempt at irony on a common perception of Subscription TV’s role in broadcasting was clearly missed by some in the room on the night, it should come as no surprise that my views are diametrically opposed to what has been reported. However, there is no mistaking that our unprecedented $13M investment, the largest ever for Subscription TV Drama, is clearly a strong statement that we place an extremely high value on our customers and seek to reward them with high quality and exclusive content.

  20. I get to watch most NRL games live, international cricket tours, the tennis slams and occasionally the races. For $55 a week I think it’s worth it but for any non sport lover it is virtually a waste of money given you can access most content online.

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