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Digital go slow

Foxtel has lashed out at sluggish free to air networks yet to launch their new digital channels.

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Foxtel has lashed out, surprise surprise, against the commercial free to air broadcasters for their lack of detail on their proposed second digital channels.

Since yesterday the networks could have been airing the new channels.

Adam Suckling, Foxtel’s director of policy and corporate affairs, told The Australian “Seven, Nine and Ten have had more than two years to plan and launch one new digital channel each on January 1, 2009 — which they are now allowed to provide under government rules.

“But they have chosen not to do so … If the free-to-air networks were serious about driving digital take-up, they would have launched their new channels from the day they’re allowed to.”

So far only TEN has indicated its plans to launch a 24hr sports channel, One HD, by April.

Foxtel plans to introduce more digital channels as it gains further satellite capacity.

“Foxtel launched nine channels in 2008 — including Sky News Business and five new HD channels — and will launch another 20 digital channels in 2009,” he said.

“The free-to-air advertising says they’re providing 15 channels. But in fact…. they will only provide three new channels to what is already available.”

Source: The Australian

35 Responses

  1. Foxtel should be the last people to take cheap shots digital roll outs. Half their channels aren’t even in 16:9 yet, and don’t get me started on channels like Discovery which insist on playing letterboxed content on their 4:3 channels, which makes its unwatchable on a 16:9 TV (letterboxed and pillarboxed crud). You too MTV!

  2. Time for the FTA networks to get their collective butts into gear. Its all well an good to simulcast sport etc over HD and SD, but alternative programming for non sports viewers (cricket sucks!!) would be a step in the right direction…

  3. In further news, channel nine has since said “We are almost broke because our viewers have deserted us. We can’t compete with the internet, we can’t decide what to put on our multi-channels despite the huge notice beforehand, we can’t decide whether we are the reason people aren’t watching our station anymore, hell, we can’t even decide what to do with Eddie”

    I’m starting to think that a significant factor in Australia’s lack of decent broadband is because of the FTA networks. When that happens, they’re screwed.

  4. Major sports are where the 2nd SD channels come into their own, they could have them on the main SD channel, simulcast in HD. And if they run over show the news and other ‘normal’ shows on the 2nd SD channel so viewer not interested in the tennis or cricket have other options. And those who are yet to go digital still get to view them on their old TVs.

  5. the reason why the digital tv in OZ is not better is because the ABC has so little money.

    The ABC wants to start up more channels – Mark Scott has ambitions for ABC6 for goodness sake, but it can’t happen without more money – and the government seems to completely ignore this fact, time and again. I think you’d find that if the ABC started having 6 channels, the commercials would soon lift their game as their own audiences dwindled. The ABC ratings are going up and up and they are offering more than the commercial channels…but with more money they could do so much more.

    Look at the BBC – it has 9 channels now and the commercials are falling over themselves to start up new channels in response. But here in OZ, the commercial channels are kept free of genuine competition, either from Foxtel (which most of them are in bed with anyway) or from the ABC, as they influence the govt to not ever give the ABC too much money, for fear of their competition. as long as the commercials don’t suffer form real competition, they will not be innovative.

  6. @seriously if you want that type of stuff Pay is the only solution it would be cost prohibitive and I doubt they’d have enough licensing agreements for that (or at least any half decent movies etc)

  7. You can’t not show the tennis on 7 digital, that would annoy all who bought an SD STB.

    Oh man, but seriuosly i was looking at the NZ and UK website for freeview, years and years ahead of us.

  8. Nice little bit of showmanship by Foxtel.
    Surprised me that they would have a pop at Nine though (one of their many partners)
    I owud have though foxtel would be better placed by offering real value for money and embarking on a serious membership drive. Make min package $20 per month for 1 year, make the allsports/movie package around $50 p.mth..and get people signing up.Maybe even tell us how many subscribers they have (still secretive eh !)
    I have no problem with Foxtel throwing mud but might be time if they got own house in order – cost of patv here is excessive

  9. And about Freeview: As if it will be anywhere near 15 channels (as far as unique channels go) until analogue is gone in 2013. Currently, prime time needs to be shown in SD, HD and analogue to avoid losing any viewers. Its all about the ratings, not variety.

    Here’s an idea for ch 7 to get 7SD off and running: 1. rebroadcast 7HD is SD so those with SD set top boxes can see the 7HD unique programming and 2. During the tennis, put normal 7 programming on 7SD for those not into tennis. 9 could do the same with cricket.

    Even a time shift channel to start with – or show repeats of popular shows from during the year like City Homicide, Packed to the Rafters, etc. Big name shows like these repeated would draw interest to the new channels.

  10. Good on Foxtel for keeping fresh by adding new channels all the time. Can’t wait until satellite has more bandwidth to be able to show free to air HD as well. And I do hope the fiasco with ch 7 and 10 digital is not repeated with their new channels being on Foxtel straight away.

    About +2 channels – really don’t think you need it for the childrens’ channels but I agree if a Nick at night / classic cartoons channel. There certainly is enough old content out there not currently shown anywhere else at the moment. Now I have IQ2, I pretty well don’t watch anything live. Its all recorded, saves time as well.

  11. Why would FTA launch channels in January during non ratings and offer their best schedule? If by February there’s no announcement by 7/9 then a knee in the plums to Leckie and Gyngall is justified.

    Foxtel decided to discount the contract period and equipment lease so they’re hardly making a great impression on most the population to switch over.

    FTA had HD channels up in 2007 before Foxtel added their version which is a mirror of FoxSports etc.

    If people watch OneHD in numbers you can see 7/9 accelerate things

  12. I couldn’t agree more with Foxtel. FTA is in a horrible state. We are approximately a decade behind the rest of the developed world, and counting.

    But it is in part the fault of the aussie government. Firstly they could have opened the 2nd SD channel years ago. But secondly, they could have given the current FTA networks a deadline, if they didn’t start planning their second channel and have it running by feb this year, then they lose their 2nd SD lisence and it is then up for sale to a new comer.

  13. Seriously says “They try to make it exciting by saying 15 new channels”

    Er, no, the Freeview ads promise “15 channels”, not 15 new channels.

    …but far be it from me to defend the FTA channels.

    What I want to know is why it is so hard for them to provide new channels. They don’t even have to create new channels, they could just retransmit existing channels. For example, Nine could do a deal to bring BBC World News to Freeview. I don’t think Foxtel has exclusivity as Perth’s Channel 31 used to carry it overinight.

    Alternatively, one of them could start an automated music channel (a la TMF) where viewers SMS (i.e. pay) to request clips. Channels like this would cost bugger all to set up, and there’s no reason (assuming they have the rights) they couldn’t have them on air today with almost no ongoing costs except for the effort of inserting local ads.

    They seem to consider multichannelling as having to create a whole new channel/identity/programming and all those extras when really they have to step back and think outside the square. It really doesn’t have to be so hard.

  14. I tend to agree, the FTA networks have continued to drag their feet when it comes to Digital, and they will continue to blame the slow uptake of digital by consumers.

    However the networks continue to show boring shows on the HD channels (with the exclusion of 10 – which actually shows some good stuff) Just the other day Channel 7 showed a black and white film from the 1940’s on the HD channel.

    It just shows you that the networks don’t know what they are doing and will continue to loose viewers to foxtel/austar and optus. When some internet companies release IPTV the FTA network will suffer bigtime, and they have just themselves to blame.

  15. Austar are worse than FTA in regards to Digital TV. Pity regional people are prohibited from getting Foxtel. We’ll never see any decent channels on Pay or Free TV.

  16. Here’s some channels Foxtel, Optus and Austar should launch:

    Disney Channel plus 2
    Nickelodeon plus 2
    Cartoon Network plus 2
    KidsCo
    Toon Disney/Disney Cinemagic (Old Cartoons during the day/Classic Movies and Theartical Shorts during the Night)
    Nicktoons/The N (Cartoons from Nickelodeon during the day/Programs for Teenagers during the Night)
    MTV 2 (Similar to MTV 2 in the USA)

    And that’s what the pay Networks should look at.

  17. Craig echoes my thoughts about FTA Digital in this country. The whole business has only been about business and protecting the monopoly of the FTA networks.

    The viewers hardly get a mention or consideration.

    The FTA commercial networks need to realise that the viewers will determine their fate, not their advertisers. And, so far, the viewers are responding by downloading shows, watching dvd’s of TV shows, playing games and using other forms of entertainment.

    The networks are losing viewers but they don’t see it because their heads are……… in the sand.

    I think if FTA doesn’t sort itself out this year and provide a service to viewers then they should plan for shutting down their transmitters because no-one will be left to watch them.

  19. im with foxtel on this, its beyond funny how far behind the rest of the developed world we are with Digital TV and multi channeling, even NZ is light years ahead of us and the UK’s had it for over a decade…our FTA networks should be hanging their heads in shame, its all about the $ ofcourse!

  21. I agree 100% with what Adam said.

    “The free-to-air advertising says they’re providing 15 channels. But in fact…. they will only provide three new channels to what is already available.”<<< True.
    They try to make it exciting by saying 15 new channels… when it will only be 3.

    There should be a kids channels… cartoons all day. A movie channel…movies all day and a sports channel…sports all day (ONE’HD)

  23. well foxtel is competing, whereas Austar have yet to give us BBC knowledge etc, and still have a messed up mystar box, cmon austar pick up your act, and keep going foxtel, 20 more channels, wow, what where and how will u get programming….

  24. You know, I think many of us would love to hear your views on all this… not just this news about foxtel but about different news coming out as well. Just a thought since blogs usually contain opinions.

  25. He’s right, they have had years to get the 2nd SD channels ready but continue to on sell shows they no longer need, wouldn’t you think with a new channel and 168 hours to fill each week the last thing to do would be selling shows?

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