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Rumour: New Foxtel channels

A 3D channel, new HD and +2 channels are tipped to be coming to Foxtel in November.

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There are rumours emerging of new Foxtel channels, tipped to arrive  following the Commonwealth Games.

Multimedia website Knowfirst claims the following channels are expected in November:

*BBC Knowledge HD
*Nat Geo Wild HD
*MTV Live HD
*Speed HD
*3D Channel (for events like ESPN X Games etc – this is already on D206)

*MTV Hits SD (this was The Music Factory on Optus)
*MTV Live SD (down-converted from MTV Live HD)
*Speed SD (down-converted from Speed HD)
*Fox Sports SD (X-Box only)

*Nat Geo +2
*Nat Geo Wild +2
*Animal Planet +2
*13th Street +2

*16 Foxtel Box Office channels will be taken down for the Commonwealth Games channels, but only 8 or so will go back up.

Last week Foxtel CEO Kim Williams told Media Week that Commonwealth Games plans would be made this coming Thursday, including one “particularly exciting” announcement.

Source: Knowfirst

29 Responses

  1. @friendlycroc: Al Jazeera English is truly free-to-air and doesn’t require a Foxtel or Austar subscription. Just BYO satellite set-top box and you won’t need to pay extra for it.

  5. @ craig…I have MyStar HD and have no problems with it.Hard drive capacity is not a problem – last checked i have over 12 movies in HD as well as numerous other programs and still only at 43 percent.

    Will be interesting to see what Austar deliver from this list in HD.

    My wish is for all channels to at least be in 16 x 9.

  6. @ John Citizen and JM – SPEED is owned by News Corporation, which is also a 50% partner in Premier Media Group that broadcasts FOX SPORTS, FUEL TV, and HOW TO in Australia. I doubt very much that FUEL TV will be replaced by SPEED as FUEL TV focuses more on X-Sports (such as skating, biking, etc.) whereas SPEED focuses purely on motorsports (not only live races but also documentaries and movies regarding automotives). As News Corp. is a 50% owner of our sports channels and is 100% owner of SPEED it would be very easy for them to obtain broadcasting rights for SPEED in Aust.

  10. Sorry forgot Sci Fi on that list. I think that is the most deserving in the entertainment section as it has the most special effects that would benefit from HD.

  11. Ok that is just disappointing if it comes true. MTV Live isnt a channel anywhere in the world so I will believe it when it happens. MTV Hits would be a waste seems though we already have V Hits so it would be like watching Comedy Channel and Comedy Central…same show just a different logo. MTV will be better launch channels like MTV Dance, MTV Base, MTV Rocks, etc. that have launched in the U.K.. and are different to what is already offered by V and MAX (I have mentioned all of this on the FOXTEL Making Profit story). I believe the Nat Geo channels are in no need of +2 versions seems though their orignals arent even 16:9 yet! Save the bandwidth for new channels of HD versions! MTV in HD is just plain rediculious! There are that many entertainment, movie, sport and doco channels that have HD content and music channels make very little unless produced in the last couple of years. I must say though if SPEED is launched I will be very happy! So in short, MTV ideas suck, +2 versions suck, but SPEED good and BBC Knowledge I believe would benefit a HD version. However channels suck as Arena, LifeStyle, Comedy, LifeStyle Food, Universal, 13th Street, Movie Extra, FUEL, Nat Geo Adventure, CI, TURBO MAX and Travel and Living DESERVE HD channels before the rumored!!!!

  12. Speed is a channel owned by Fox in the US. They show Nascar and Formula One and MotoGP and that kinda stuff.
    I doubt they would have the rights to show in Australia tho so maybe it is just going to have the same name but be different.

  13. It’s all very well for Foxtel to provide more HD channels, but I have no interest in taking any of them up until they stop charging us twice. i.e. you have to pay for the SD channels if you want the HD versions, whcih makes no sense to me at all.

  14. Pretty lame channels there. There should be an all Australian channel with the best content including old dramas, sitcoms, gameshows etc. that Australia has made in the past.

  18. Good to see 13th Street getting a +2, it hasn’t been around that long but it’s already one of the most popular channels on Foxtel according to the ratings.

  24. When will Discovery channel (the non HD version) go 16:9 for those of us not with a HD box? I mean how had is it to downgrade the HD signal but keep it in 16:9?

    The reason I haven’t gone HD is you need to get the Austar MyStar HD which I’ve heard is crap and doesn’t allow recording to DVD via a 3rd part PVR. Which would limit my usability as the built in HDD is way too small.

    OT – With the new Universal Channel (previously Hallmark) I was told the reason some shows that were made in HD (or 16:9) but not on the new channel in that format is they had the 4:3 version and haven’t bothered buying the 16:9 version. Maybe it’s lack of money?

    I was looking forward to seeing some not so old shows like ‘Always Greener’ in 16:9 (in which it was made) for the first time.

  25. Those are some really low profile networks going HD there.
    Obviously cheap buy ins from Asia from networks wanting their HD signal in Oz.

    Foxtel should be making their Foxtel owned channels HD such as History, Arena, Comedy, Crime & Investigation.

    xyz should also be taking Lifestyle and Lifestyle Food HD

    Likewise Sky News

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