Austar in talks with SPEED
Austar is currently in negotiations with Premier Media Group over plans to bring SPEED to viewers in Regional Australia.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under Subscription
Austar is currently in negotiations with Premier Media Group over plans to bring SPEED to viewers in Regional Australia.
It follows the motoring channel’s launch on Foxtel on November 1st but not on Austar.
Irate subscribers have been venting their anger at Austar’s own Facebook page.
A spokesperson from Austar told TV Tonight. “I know it’s deeply frustrating for customers not to have a definitive answer, but we hope to have one one way or the other soon.”
Meanwhile some viewers have also noted bugs with the MyStar box.
“There are a range of software updates sent down the pipes on a very regular basis – in fact the next one is due to drop on Thursday,” sais the Spokesperson. “These give new functionality, such as EPG updates, new technology like On Demand, and also provide fixes for any issues that arise as a result of this new technology.
“Suffice to say if there are customers who are experiencing issues they are likely to see an improvement from Thursday.”
30 Responses
This is not acceptable. Surely the Ombudsman is involved with this? The only sport I watch is motorsport and Austar take my money to screen FoxSport, but can’t provide me with what I paid for. Can I get out of my contract because what will be televised has been misrepresented? Absolutely amateur company Austar.
just wanted to watch wsbk not on free to air not on austar not happy jan pi**ed off actually i am cutting off sports on austar not worth watching and neither are there movie channels
Austar sucks! Had to give up Foxtel in WA for Austar s@$t.Will miss out on beloved SBK tomorrow.Sack the execs and get the right programs to your fading customers .Arghh
I know this post is like “beating a dead horse”, but here’s my complaint with Austar. I like the Doco Channels. When I signed up for MyStar HD, I was told those channels would be offered in HD “by the New Year.” That was a year ago! Subsequent calls and emails to Austar fail to address the question, “Why weren’t these channels introduced, when their inclusion was a selling point for HD?” I also lament the non-inclusion of the Speed Channel and the additional MTV channels, offered by Foxtel. I seem to remember, when 111 Hits was offered on Foxtel, many programs that had been available on one of the Austar channels “migrated” to the new channel, and we “went without.” Until everyone complained. Finally, Austar caved in and brought us 111 Hits. Austar should be more pro-active and realize, their country customers aren’t technically-stupid idiots, who have no clue as to what’s potentially available. I could rant further but I’ve made my point. And I’ve let Austar know to lift their game or, after ten years, I will cancel my subscription. Would jump to Foxtel straight away if they were available!!!!
Austar are taking us for suckers again. They have had months to negotiate speed channel and have refused foxtel’s deman as Austar is content with their monopoly.
Time for the govt to allow competition. Foxtel for me.
Motor racing fans……it’s all about dollars, specifically the dollars (or cents in this case) per month that Premier Sports are asking Austar to pay per subscriber. Austar is playing hardball and may well lose out with subscriber exits mounting every day. Austar doesn’t seem to realise just how well motor racing rates on TV (free to air & pay TV) in regional Australia…..40% higher on a pro rata basis than in Foxtel coverage areas. So wake up Austar or face the consequences.
cancelled my austar after 10 years only had it for motorsport better motorsport coverage on free to air
David Knox…are the Austar people made aware of the wiews and comments of their existing and ex customers..? I am 70 yrs old and was involved in motor sport in Australia and overseas between 1956 and 1985.I used to attend every meeting everywhere until health prevented it. Now ,apart from ONEHD (for how long now Packer is in is anyones guess) the only access to NASCAR and o’seas motor sport has been FOXSports on Austar and I am in an area where I have no choice.Fortunately my son in Sydney has Foxtel and can now HDD record the offering on SPEED burn them on to disc and send them to me.I would have waited for AUSTAR to get up to speed (pardon)but there was no one prepared to confirm any plans and I only had motorsports as an interest.I was not prepared to pay around $80 p/month for a load of repeat crap american football and soccer. Now my problem is solved and goodbye and good riddance to Austar..
I am cancelling my Austar account due to the motor sport fiasco.The morons running this set up have to be ex pollies.The staff have no idea of future plans and you cant get to any of the management staff for any sensible feed back.I am sick of them collecting money and spending up on execs salaries and not the customers needs.
Is Speed Tv going to happen for Austar customers now or next year?
I am sick of not getting what we pay for in the country as opposed to our City counterparts – bring in competition to keep them honest!
why are austar customers still paying the same price when we cant get nascars.If they cant provide this service why cant everyone get foxtell.
This is what happens when there is no competition in the marketplace.
Will be interesting when the NBN is fully rolled out – with all Australians on the same infrastructure….what will Austars future be then.
I have yet to meet a happy Austar customer.
Does anyone know if Austar are breaching their contract with not supplying us with the Motor Sport which we used to get on Fox Sports? now they are not giving us “Speed”
They are not.
@Knowfirst – I did bang my head when I got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning! I concede your point re regional economics but they do have to do a bit more than just flick a switch. There is still infrastructure required to get the feed to the satellite and they will have to increase the bandwidth of their upload which must have an effect on the infrastructure at the uplink station.
The satellite itself isn’t an infinite conduit for data transmission so presumably there are costs involved there too. It’s not as if they can just send a tech up to whack a couple of expansion cards in it or upgrade the channel converter.
Austar should try spending less on their CEOs and more on programming, new channels and services.
Is it possible to have foxtel installed at a metro friends house (via sat), then the next day take the Foxtel IQ and plug it into an austar dish in the country? Assume you pay the bill at the friends house how would they know?
I am absolutely sick of Austar saying their “in talks” with all the networks that they are currently not broadcasting their channel, when they have 5 of the top 10 most highly paid execs in Australia with Porter getting over $5 million last year alone. Austar either need to get caught up to Foxtel in regards to channels, services, hardware, etc. or need to consider selling Liberty Global’s >54% share in the company to a company that would make the most of its position and treat their customers with respect and with their needs and wants in mind instead of their own agendas.
Yes but its Darwin, no-one cares…. they didn’t even get access to the digital pay-tv channels until about 18 months ago… stuck on the old channels.
Actually they have a cable system in Darwin Adam.
Austar rolled out almost the same HD channels as Foxtel 12 months ago. What i think happened here is that Austar were being tight and now are suffering the backlash of people who had Austar for its motorsport content.
Any news on MTV Hits? Only get to see it on mtv active :[
Squirrel, have you fallen out of one too many trees?
They use the same satellite. They use the same infrastructure.
They’re just useless operators run by a Texan who has no idea of what regional people want or need.
@Secret Squirrel what do you mean roll out infrastructure they use sattelite not cable there is no infrastructure
@DAN – they always have a choice. They can choose not to pay for television. Sure it might be frustrating not having the same as the big cities but I don’t think that it is realistic to expect to always have the same products and services, and at the same price, as the metros.
It’s simple economics. It costs more to roll-out infrastructure or truck in goods to relatively small populations spread out all over the place. Getting angry about it would be like Perth people being annoyed that they are much further from the centre of federal Govt than Sydney and Melbourne.
i do feel sorry for those who have no choice for pay tv but aus sh*t you really are getting a raw deal and i bet you pay the same as foxtel subscribers do but you dont get tem same choice