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Flexible package options, Drop HD fee readers tell Foxtel

There are 2 burning issues Pay TV viewers want Foxtel to address, according to site survey.

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More flexible packages and the HD fee are the two most pressing issues for Pay TV readers according to current voting in the TV Tonight Audience Inventory.

In a list of Pay TV topics readers are voting for “More Flexible Packaging Options” as a Very Important issue.

But a close second is a desire to “Dropping fee for HD channels.” Foxtel currently charges subscribers an additional $10 fee to view channels on top of monthly subscription.

In February 2016 when Foxtel Executive Director of Television Brian Walsh was asked if an extra premium should be charged given HD was no longer unique to Pay TV, he said, “I think that’s a reasonable comment and it’s under review.”

Other issues also rating as Very Important for Pay TV viewers in current voting:

Lowering prices to reflect new competition
Adding all FTA digital channels for all customers
Less ads
Fast-tracking / Express from the US

There’s still time to have your say on all things Free to Air, Pay TV and Streaming.

Survey closes 6pm Friday 8 September  2017.

16 Responses

  1. Now that we have streaming services wouldn’t even consider paying for foxtel pay tV have netflix and fetch tV can’t wait for CBS new streaming service to start all cost me less than foxtel basic package.

  2. The $10 extra per month on bills to have HD is one of the thing that really grates with me as a reasonably long-term Foxtel customer. Either scrap it entirely – as most customers have it now and it is now an expectation of standard FTA channel delivery, let alone so-called ‘premium’ pay-tv services. It Foxtel genuinely have any costs to recover they can find a way of bundling it in to various plans somehow, so at least it doesn’t appear like the blatant rip-off it is now!

  3. Its a facinating topic if you enjoy television, streaming has certainly changed peoples attitude to TV and 4K content is definitely a game changer if you want to enjoy your new UHD Smart TV. Netflix are ahead of the game with their marketing strategy allowing access to their service on most latest tech devices and remotes, they show 4K and have other new technology on its way, Netflix are not going to be slow in the USA offering any new streaming tech to its clients. This is where FTA and Cable TV services like Foxtel will fall behind and lose ground, Foxtel has sports as its saviour but with CBS coming into Australia competition sports may become a priority for them too. Foxtel have upset many with their policy on HD and 4K looks someway into the future, Foxtel look to be at risk unless someone shares the financial burden and diversifies its current business plan to match competitors…

  4. When HD was first introduced to Foxtel it was an average 14Mb/ps now the average is around 6Mb/ps they should call it HD Lite that should cost around $2.50?

  5. Dropping HD fee? Never happen will mean people who have standard boxes will have to upgrade $100 for box and $75 install (which you do yourself )why does anyone still have Foxtel, it’s a joke and a rip off

  6. I don’t know how much content is available in UHD these days, but if there is enough perhaps Foxtel could switch the HD fee to an UHD fee. There are a lot of UHD TV’s in households these days and it’s growing.

    Having all on demand content in HD would also make Foxtel more appealing in today’s streaming world.

  7. No surprises there. Wanting more flexible packages has been at or near the top of the list of every survey and dropping the HD fee has been there since it was included as an option. I don’t think Foxtel will do either of these.

  8. Let me and the millions of others in Australia have Fox Sports without having to buy the Pop/Entertainment Pack ($15/$26) even if it remains $29 a month on both streaming and Cable/Satellite (as is now). Sure a few may leave and opt just for Sport but the ones like me who don’t sign up because we just want the Sport will make up for it. Think about it at $29 p/m if only 1 million people subscribe it’s another 29 million in your coffers and I’m willing to bet there will be way more than that taking it up (and less dropping other packages), launch it next NRL/AFL season and see what happens.

    With the merger of Fox Sports into Foxtel (Foxtel 65% and Telstra 35%), the time is ripe to make this move, especially ahead of an initial public offering if those are your plans when the deal goes through in 2next year.

  10. As an iQ2 user who has no desire to return to iQ3 (I tried it and found it to be substandard to the iQ2) I’m nervous about the HD channels becoming included in the standard subscription fee as the recordings would fill up the iQ2 hard drive very quickly. It would be good to have HD access, but it would compromise the functionality of the iQ2. I would welcome an iQ2 with a larger hard drive but this isn’t in the table, or probably likely to happen.

    Foxtel also needs adopt the easy self-service options offered by Netflix and Stand and drop the restrictions they have around downgrading your service via the website. Subscribers have the ability to upgrade (of course) using the website, and to change their package to the same monetary value, but not to downgrade. To do that you have to phone or internet chat with staff and of course go through the same tedious “do you like sports and…

    2. Depends on the iQ2 box you have, there’s three size types. You have the 320GB standard box if you see 820 in your hardware version in your system settings (Setup, 4, 4, 3), 500GB is identified by 851 and not sure what the 1TB box identifies as since I have never gotten my hands on one.

      I have a 500GB iQ2 box and don’t have many issues running out of space depending on how much On Demand crap is pushed to the box by Foxtel.

      There’s heaps of techs out there who don’t know there’s actually a 500GB iQ2 box, it’s not worth getting the 851 500GB box if you rely on a decent quality component connection.

  11. I canceled my Foxtel now subscription once Game of Thrones finished. There was nothing there that interested me apart from a few HBO shows (Room 104, Big Little Lies, Westworld) and they weren’t enough to keep me paying $15/month

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