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ASTRA Conference: What about the audience?

As Pay TV executives gather to brainstorm at the Sydney Convention Centre what are the issues viewers would like them to address?

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Today is the annual conference of the Pay TV industry at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre where executives and decision-makers from across the sector will gather to talk, listen and brainstorm.

It begins with the Women In Television breakfast at 7:15am headed up by Sandra Levy from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. Former Victorian Premier, and ASTRA Chairman, welcomes the delegates at 9:45, ahead of Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries keynote address. Survivor creator Mark Burnett’s Plenary Address at 11:30am via videolink after he was unable to attend.

Afternoon sessions include such topics as “If Content is King Who Are the Future Rulers?”, “The Power of the PVR,” “Striving to Be Different: STV’s Customer Service Focus”, “Winning the Hearts and Minds of Consumers” and “New Media: Disruptive or Advantage?” The day ends with the ASTRA Industry Excellence Awards and drinks (of course).

But while the heads of the Pay TV industry are gathering, what are the issues that are pressing to the audience?

Last August in TV Tonight’s ‘Audience Inventory’, readers identified a number of issues that needed addressing including:

– Adding all Free to Air Channels (Seven, 7TWO and GO! have since been added but some cities and regionals are still without,  while ONE is only available to select subscribers depending on their package).

– More Diverse Packaging Options (These have had a shake-up but like Pay TV’s “Use it or Lose It” campaign, many subscribers would prefer to pay just for the channels they actually view).

– Widescreen for All Channels (this is still an outstanding issue, although the Comedy Channel will change on April 1).

– Less Ads (Viewers are unhappy about paying for television while still copping ads).

– Adding New Channels (Foxtel added new channels in November).

– An Improved EPG (also upgraded in November).

– iPhone Application (added in December).

Since that time a number of other issues have become prevalent with ongoing complaints or questions.

– Search Function (pictured). In January Foxtel advised TV Tonight this inoperative function would be rectified “in coming weeks.” So far it isn’t.

– iQ Series Link. Readers are continually asking why their Series Link function has been dropping out causing them to miss episodes of favourite shows.

– Content. Too many repeats, particularly on the movie channels (despite that fact extra movie channels were added).

– Customer Service. Outsourcing a Call Centre always has its limitations.

– Ovation Channel. Longtime viewers of the channel aren’t taken with the idea of losing the channel, even with STVDIO to replace it, or with the ‘option’ of paying extra every month to access it.

– OPTUS TV Magazine. Last edition was published in February. Subscribers are unhappy there is no magazine Guide anymore.

– Monopolies. Regional viewers have long protested that in the bush they have the choice of one provider, Austar.

– Fastracking. While American Idol gets a same day turnaround, other shows still take their time in arriving. Dexter and True Blood are just two shows viewers want to see sooner rather than later.

– Adding first run Australian drama to channels that attract higher subscription fees. None of Tangle, 30 Seconds or The Jesters were available on the basic package and Spirited will similarly be seen on W.

– Some confusion over which subscribers were lucky enough to receive the Winter Olympics channels free when other long-term subscribers felt overlooked.

On a positive note, viewers were complimentary about Foxtel’s Winter Olympics coverage, there have been no significant complaints about the new Download offering and IQ subscribers like it so much they couldn’t live without the thing.

If you have any other issues you would like directed to Pay TV execs, let’s hear it.

37 Responses

  1. @mac – the news text thing is also starting to bug me. Especially when looking for a quick scan of the headlines (presumably that’s why it’s there) and you need to go out and re-launch a few times before it works. Funny that that never occurred until they “upgraded” to the sky local service.

  3. (1) In Perth we still only have ABC & SBS FTA channels on satellite. Not that theres anything worth watching on FTA anyway but I recently bought a Topfield box for the FTA channels but it is way more inferior than the IQ box.
    (2) Foxtel website should have EPG one month not 13 days. Magazine has a month so why not the EPG.
    (3) discounts for loyal customers not new customers. i’ve had satellite since it was galaxy and have had no reward for loyalty. How about a free 2nd IQ box or a free move package once a year.
    (4) Broadband bundling. In UK my brother has a virgin+ box with free phone calls and free broadband which includes all the bbc iplayer and itv players etc. Its still cheaper than my foxtel bundle with nothing included.
    Apart from that I am very happy with my foxtel iq (couldn’t live without it), my favourite channel is UKTV.

  4. @Russell
    Great to see such an open an honest review, well said. I am with you 110%.

    @Geoff Field – the Kyle and Jackie O’s newsreader
    Welcome to TV Tonight – It is fantastic that we finally see one of the media/tv/radio members join us, and more importantly, under a ‘real’ identity, rather than hiding.

  6. My green button doesnt work for iSuggest in the guide funtion now. I think Foxtel may have done an update which has accidently disabled the green button which prevents series link and other green button options in menus.

  9. I would say cost is top of the list, they need a way to reduce it but that then feeds in to problem 2 the number of ads now on channels like Fox8, I’ve seen 5 minute ad breaks some times with less than 5 minutes before the next break, this is getting worse than FTA.

    I don’t mind the repeats, it give you a chance to catch the show at the time you want to see it and really if you can’t find something new to watch with the 100 plus channels then maybe you’ve been watching too much TV 😆

  10. Foxtel owned and operated channels have been creating facebook & twitter pages they are just not answering as much of the questions to the issues and leaving it for announcements. If it is known issues why not have a general blog simular to what software programs have when they release a new version of it.

    When they send an update to the box put it on the site to have full transparency and when happens a technical issue update or what is happening with the issues left to be resolved..

  11. Geoff Field – Austar do have the local FTAs. You need the Mystar box, not the ordinary box. If your mum can receive the local 7, 9 and 10 now, she will receive them on the MyStar, as well as 7TWO and GO!

  13. @Geoff Field, Austar can’t put fta channels on the satellite because there are way too many broadcasters to put on a satellite. Each regional variant is only allowed to broadcast within a specific area. Southern Cross TEN, WIN and Prime have several markets in several states. Austar would have to put up on a satellite, every single broadcaster in every single market. If you don’t like how the govt decided the licencing laws and areas, take it up with Conroy.

  14. I agree with regards replays of programs being a plus – but within reason. Recently I wrote to the Movie Network Channels to point out several instances where a movie title had been played across three of their movie channels (yes one was a timeshift) within a matter of hours (on one occasion the same movie was playing on two channels at the same time – Starpics and Movie Extra). To their credit they did reply and apologised for the incidents highlighted, and stated that their policy is not to repeat the same film across more than one channel within such a short timeframe. Here’s hoping they stick to that policy.

    TV1 might want to look at the prevalence of repeats on their network also. Hogan’s Heroes has been stuck fast in the 6.30pm weeknights timeslot for nigh on seven years!! Whilst some of the titles they tease viewers with in their ‘shortcut’ segments (‘Goodtimes’) are rarely if ever aired in full.

  15. I can’t believe Austar doesn’t include free to air channels.
    I got Pay tv put on for my elderly mum, and the last thing she needs is confusion switching to and from pay to free to air.
    C’mon Austar, get it together or you’ll lose customers

  16. @russel, i don’t know why people would be unhappy about replays either, i would prefer to be given several opportunities to watch a movie than just one chance and if i miss it too bad. plus it would be impossible to fill 24 hour movie channels without repeats.
    in terms of bugs, it’s really starting to annoy me that clicking on text in sky news active doesn’t work most of the time.

  17. Agree with DanR with the fasttracking. It was good news yesterday when it mention here that Breaking Bad would screen on Foxtel 3 and a bit weeks after screening in the states compared to Mad Men season 3 which started on Foxtel 3 weeks ago when it first screened in the states last August.

  19. Cancellation Code [6]

    For those that don’t know, the iQ platform has IMO a major flaw that has largely been ignored – it’s handling of power interruptions. A half descent PVR will at the very least keep an “in progress” recording up to the point of the interruption. An even better PVR will then continue the recording when power is restored (either as a new file or with a jump in the recording where the interruption occurred). Not an iQ! To it’s credit it does recommence a recording, but it does not save the part recording up to the interruption. Rather frustrating when this occurs with only a few minutes to go in the program.

    What’s worse is that it is not limited to power outages. It functions exactly the same whenever Foxtel decide to force download a software update or just randomly remote reset boxes – resulting in the infuriating error code: “Cancellation Code [6]”

  20. my iQ was not letting me record winter olympics, so guess who missed out on the gold medal ice hockey match? thats right me. and foxtel’s response when i called them up to do some trouble shooting – call back in 24 hours if your still having the same problem. thank you foxtel for taking my $125 a month, if it wasnt for my boss paying half i would cancel.

  21. Finally Russell, someone who thinks about a situation before running their mouth (or keyboard) off. I agree 100% with what you said, I’d rather sit through a few ads and watch a few repeats than suffer the haphazard scheduling and mistrust of the viewers that the FTA networks seem to have currently.

  22. Nick changing their logo to match the US. It has to happen, there is no avoiding the new logo. It’ll be all over the US KCA’s, why not switch to the new logo now.

    Same with the introduction of Disney XD and or either TeenNick or Nicktoons.

  23. I’d like them to fix the IQ error…when you record a program, occasionally it will skip forward 3 or 4 seconds of the program with a fuzzy image and no sound.

  24. Fast tracking is a Must for pay tv, especially for hot shows like True Blood, Dexter, Entourage, Mad Men, Project Runway, Top Model, etc, etc …. it’s getting increasingly tough to justify the high costs of Foxtel when all your mates are watching “illegal” downloads and you’re feeling left behind by doing the “right” thing. I know some US broadcasters have rules about when overseas territories can broadcast their shows but if the likes of Foxtel start suggesting they’ll pay a lot less for the rights unless they can have them at the same time, they should start shifting their position

  25. – Less Ads (Viewers are unhappy about paying for television while still copping ads).

    I’ve never understood this viewpoint. People pay for magazines. Yet they have ads. People pay for movies, yet they have ads. Likewise newspapers. The subscription model is based on smaller audiences, but huge amounts of channels. They need subscriber revenue and advertising to make money, to buy and produce programming. Also, without ads shows would start not on the hour but odd start times. Hardly an attractive business model.

    – Content. Too many repeats, particularly on the movie channels (despite that fact extra movie channels were added).

    Again, this is the cable model. When you have 100 channels – who can really watch it all. Repeats give you more opportunities. Not to mention, only so much TV content is produced in the word. And if people are complaining about the advertising that pays for the content, how to they think the cable networks buy more content?

    – Adding first run Australian drama to channels that attract higher subscription fees. None of Tangle, 30 Seconds or The Jesters were available on the basic package and Spirited will similarly be seen on W.

    Australian drama is very expensive. The premium networks are generally the ones that can afford to produce it.

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