Foxtel: revenue up, more channels coming
Foxtel promises television downloads and more channels by the end of the year.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under Subscription
Foxtel yesterday reported a 19 per cent rise in first-half operating profit to $196 million, and a 13per cent rise in revenue.
Recording a strong profit rise for the December half, its chief executive officer Kim Williams told The Australian yesterday that he remained concerned about the impact of the fading economy on growth for the rest of the financial year.
“Naturally, the global crisis is having a big impact on consumer confidence, and consumer uncertainty translates into consumer indecision. The challenge for us is to speak to subscribers openly about what their concerns are,” he said.
Foxtel was putting “a lot of effort into customer attention”, given the confronting outlook, Mr Williams said.
And the company is tracking “slightly ahead of last year” for January and February.
In the December half included a rise in per-subscriber yields and churn (disconnections) fell to an annualised rate of 13.3 per cent, 0.2per cent lower than last year. New subscriber additions for the period were in line with a year earlier, despite the tougher economic conditions. Subscription revenue rose 11per cent to $762 million for the half.
Users of the iQ have lower churn rates than non-users.
Mr Williams said Foxtel would offer “broadband extensions of the product” by the fourth quarter of this year, which would allow subscribers to download 10 to 20 favourite Foxtel programs on their service to computers.
He said the company was likely to launch 20-plus new channels by the end of the year, courtesy of the additional bandwidth from a new Optus satellite.
Foxtel said it had achieved a 59% share of viewing in subscription TV homes during the second half of 2008, despite the impact of the Beijing Olympics. Its High Definition service, rolled out in June last year, had attracted more than 85,000 subscribers by the end of 2008.
Source: The Australian, B&T
59 Responses
I’d be willing to pay for Foxtel…But only when they allow you to pick and choose which individual channels you want and don’t lump you with crappy packages.
I just wish they’d make it easier to use the +2 channels by changing the channel numbers to something more consistent. I think all the +2 channels should be 50 channels ahead of the first lot. For example Fox8 on 108 should have Fox8+2 on 158, Arena on 105 should have Arena+2 on 155, W on 114 should have W+2 on 164.
I would also really like to have all the Free to Air networks match their digital channel numbers eg. 002, 003, 007, 009, 010, 011, 012, 021, 022, 031, 032, 071, 072, 091, 092. This would make life a whole lot easier.
If they make Fox8, Arena, Comedy, History, etc., HD, I’ll jump on the Foxtel HD bandwagon in a heartbeat… until then… it’s SD for me. Most pressing issue though is that every SD channel be upgraded to 16:9 aspect ratio… seriously, it’s getting annoying… especially with channels like MTV, Arena, and Comedy.
shane i wouldnt take wikipedia mentioning a fox animation channel too seriously as im sure you know any one can just post anything they want on wikiepdia. plus there are no links to where they got their info from, and as far as i can see no info about it anywhere else on the internet.
tv1 should definitely be in widescreen as they show many shows which are produced in 16:9 (law and order, house, pysch, monk as well as all the movies they show) @andrew b I completely agree, it’s frustrating to be watching a 16:9 show on a 16:9 tv but only on a 4:3 channel. @ dean i agree that 111 should have a plus 2 channel it just seems natural to have a 111 hits plus 2 since all the other general entertainment channels do.
My guess the new channels will be news based…
some good news!
it would be great to have one of the major UK or US channels streamed directly here (maybe BBC with the deal they seem to have), but as Andrew B said, it probably could never happen….
Why are people thinking they’ll have a bunch of new +2 timeshift channels? They want everyone to move to an iQ, meaning timeshifted channels are largely useless.
They need a second E! channel! I’m sick of missing Chelsea Lately because they only play it once a night. 🙁
Shane, I have my contacts. 🙂
buttong i would love to have most of the channels that u said, where didi u get this list or are u just making them up.
on FOX8 wiki page it say there may be a FOX Animation but how many animation shows does fox have The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy , i dont know what they what else they would show on the channel , Disney shows.
Something like FOX Crime with CSI (even so i dont watch the shows)
Underbelly on 9 remindes me of the type of shows on HBO/Showtime in the US
Besides the second Showcase channel would look great wedged in between UKTV and Arena
Also I think Foxtel would benefit from a crime fiction channel with shows like:
*Alias
*Columbo
*Las Vegas
*Law & Order:Criminal Intent and SVU
*Murder She Wrote
*NCIS
*The Sopranos
I’m aware that these shows were moved from TV1, FOX8 and W to make this channel
They should turn Showcase into a more HBO/ Showtime network with shows like Nip/Tuck, Damages, the L Word, Entourage. They should also have a reality channel with like Big Brother UK, and like Dancing With The Stars USA. I also think they could launch a new channel with the three CSI’s.
I think that these channels would help Foxtel here goes
Second Showcase channel (for all those first run drama series or any programmes that don’t fit the criteria of independant films and feature length documentaries) on channel 104
111 Hits + 2 (definately)
TVSN, EXPO and the Australian Christian Channel moved to the Special Interest
channels
FOX Animation by May
Discovery Turbo and TMF (The Music Factory) That’s it thanks for listening!
1. Yes, wouldn’t it be great to have CBS, NBC and ABC America live? It’ll never happen though due to countless agreements with our networks and the shows they have the rights to (at least double what they currently show), not to mention the complexity of advertising agreements.
2. Yes, people definitely do watch game shows. Its just that noone has made any of quality in recent years, and there aren’t any on FTA TV at all now.
3. Make all channels 16:9, nothing worse than a 16:9 show on a 4:3 channel on a 16:9 screen resulting in a big black border around the whole screen. (Conan show was classic example of this, certain History ch shows also).
Foxtel really needs to upgrade the Comedy Channel to Wide screen and Discovery but I think there doing Discovery late March. Also with there “20” channels their launching they should have NBC, CBS, ABC (America) and they should be in HD to.
I think that Foxtel should launch a channel dedicated to crime fiction the shows include:
Alias
Las Vegas
Law & Order: Criminal Intent and SVU
NCIS
Murder She Wrote
Columbo just to name a few
I would like an Aussie classics channel with as the person posted before me all the old aussie classic soaps, sitcoms & game shows that should be lying around somewhere.
Maybe a channel for short films or non mainstream movies?
Or how about Trash TV! a channel for all those trashy reality and game shows we all secretly love lol
I think you’ll find some of the new channels well be TMF (a MTV channel) on channel 812, NickToons on 702, Disneytoons on 708 and maybe Disney +2 on 722. I think there might also be WineTV, KidsCo, ESPN2, FOX animation, Channel V 3, BBC Food, BBC lifestyle and BBC Entertainment. There is also rumours of the following channels TV Land, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Music, Baby Tv, CBBC, Animax(Scifi), Disney music channel, ABC(USA) family, and the sountrack channel.
I think we well also see more HD channels.
Al Jazeera English is FTA on Satellite Optus C1. , the same satellite that transports Foxtel/Austar.
Oh, and Technology channel, please Foxtel!
TechTV I wish you were still with us, RIP.
Al Jazeera English would be a great addition. I’ve heard time and time again it is one of those most unbiased news channels in the world.
But my main desire for Foxtel over the next year would be that they convert all existing channels to 16:9.
yes i would also like comedy and arena to go 16×9, tonight show, late night on comedy and the other 1689 stuff on Arena would be greate
111 hits +2 come on, that just a way for foxtel to be cheap, there is like will and grace on at 8pm, 9pm and 10pm or something like that,, yet again i do argree with paul about the HBO stuff , the landmark australian drama , what do u mean news stuff or old because i dont think foxtel can produce that much orignal content, time will tell but