Foxtel separates Freeview channels
Why aren't all the Free to Air channels on Foxtel aligned together in the EPG?
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under Subscription
Last week TV Tonight looked at the problem of Free to Air Networks not airing their full suite of channels to Foxtel’s satellite subscribers.
But today the question of Foxtel’s EPG menu is addressed.
Since the introduction of Free to Air digital channels such as ABC2, GO! and 7TWO none have been aligned on the menu of the Electronic Programme Guide alongside other Free to Air channels:
126 ABC2
129 GO!
127 7TWO
179 SBS TWO
723 ABC3
202 ABC News 24
210 ONE (Cable only)
The channels are available but not particularly obvious to subscribers.
So is Foxtel reluctant to align them alongside other Free to Air channels because it might reiterate to subscribers that there are now more Freeview channels available?
A Foxtel spokesperson tells TV Tonight, “The category of ‘Channels 9, 7, 10, ABC and SBS’ was a special category created for the existing Broadcasters as at the date of Digital launch.
“The category is limited to those channels as it is at odds with the general structure of the genres in the Foxtel EPG, namely, channels are listed under categories and grouped according to genre and channel type. For example 7TWO is considered an entertainment channel and as a result in the line-up of GE channels. One HD is a HD channel on HD bandwidth so sits in the channels that are also HD.”
But if the menu category is “Channels 9, 7, 10, ABC, SBS” then surely ABC2 and SBS TWO should be grouped here?
All the channels remain accessible if viewers select them by their channel number or via their genre groupings.
But it would be nice one day if Foxtel could see fit to align them beside the other FTA channels.
Wishful thinking?
31 Responses
Foxtel, We pay you $1,000 every year so stop treating your customers like idiots and stop making excuses. If you did a survey I’m sure the majority of foxtel customers would want (a) All FTA broadcast on IQ (b) listed under “Free to Air” (c) Free to Air HD channels available for free (d) Foxtel HD channels free if you already subscribe to the same SD channel (e) BBC World News grouped with “News”. If you can’t do any of these things please delete the channels I can’t get from my EPG guide
Good call David!
What gets up my nose with Foxtel is the crap from last weeks story from the TV executives along with Foxtel on the satellite feed issue with FTA digital channels that affects subscribers outside EST. It all goes through the same optus communication satellite. Also, IQ gets up my nose being charged extra to watch HD even for FTA channels such as News 24 on Fox satellite. Its an absoluet joke!
@Jen13: It’s a win-win. It’s in Foxtel’s best interests to keep their viewers glued to the iQ, whether they’re watching a pay TV channel or not. Moreso, it’s in the Freeview networks best interests to not lose viewers. Then there’s the end user who benefits greatly. Only someone with an iQ would know that it’s great being able to watch FTA through the same remote with the same glorious features.
@Armchair Analyst: Get up, disconnect the box, and plug in a Freeview one? Are you crazy? Viewers want a device that does everything. That’s why nearly all Austar boxes come with a Freeview tuner. That’s why the Freeview networks pay millions of dollars to lease satellite space for inclusion on the Foxtel platform.
Foxtel has its problems, but getting Freeview channels on their platform certainly isn’t one of them.
Why should Foxtel do anything to make it easier for FTA viewers?
They exist for their customers.
I’m like Michael, I can read and also I can remember where the stations are in the Foxtel IQ EPG! It’s not rocket science.
Anyway, with the exception of ABC2, you can just forget all the secondary FTA stations in my opinion.
Some like GO or 11 have a brief stint at being relevant, but it doesn’t take long before they start to copy theit main stations and stick it to the viewers. eg The Vampire Diaries – need I say more?
I spoke to foxtel about this once before and they came with the “Lack of Bandwidth” was their excuse why they haven’t done this..
however Channel 9 has always been listed in the EPG regardless if they are braodcast or not (i.e Adelaide, until recently) and how come their channel number is 100 – the first channel number in the foxtel range and not 109(rhetorical)
Armchair Analyst that is so silly. Saying that people who want Pay TV want Only pay tv is like saying people that buy the sports package want Only the sports package.
In my opinion if people decide to connect to pay tv then they have made a decision to only watch pay tv. I dont see the reasoning behinf having free to air channels on pay tv. So if people who want to watch free to air aswell as pay tv then they can just get up and disconnect their box and connect their freeview box simple.
@Michael, I like your idea of all the FTA channels being changed to 001, 010, 011, 002, 022, 023, 024., 003, 032, 007, 072, 073, 009, 090 and 099. If Foxtel want to give their own channels priority then just stick these all at the end of the EPG menu after 999. No worries about that.
@Peter Young
You can set favourite channels on Foxtel…press Active=>Setup=Favourite Channels and then press the yellow button on your remote flag all your fave channels.
Then from your TV Guide page, pressing the yellow button will display an EPG which only lists your favourites…Or while watching a channel you can scan through just your faves by pressing the yellow button.
I can read.
So I can find any channel i’m looking for.
I think it would be much easier if Foxtel could group channels together. Such as Fox8 – Ch 108, Fox8+2 – Ch109 and Fox8HD – Ch110. It would be so much easier to find channels. The way they have it listed now is too confusing. They can do it with Turbo and Turbo+2. Why can’t they do it with all the other channels? I realise that this may be a problem for the Free to Air channels but the could open up the channels 001 to 099.
The placing of BBC World is another example where channel aligning placement is incorrect.
hear hear! This is the biggest thing that annoys me about Foxtel although it works to their benefit because I often forget that some of the good first-run content on the digitals such as Family Guy, American Dad, Dexter etc is on simply because I dont browse through the Electronic Guide, nor the HD channels guide
Absolutely agree David, all freeview channels should be grouped under the ‘Free to air channels’ category. It’s unfair to say 7Two is an entertainment channel primarily, I think it’s fair to say Seven, Nine, ABC1, etc. are freeview channels and general entertainment. But free should have priority over the other.
“…it might reiterate to subscribers that there are now more Freeview channels available” – I think that’s part of the reason why they don’t want to group them together. I don’t mind it though, I know where the channels are. Where are the other FTA channels on your list: 131 ELEVEN, 207 7mate, 209 GEM – aren’t they available through ‘Cable only’ like ONE is?
And I assume that’s a screenshot of your Foxtel EPG, David… seeing as Underbelly is listed on Nine and it was only taken last night. I see you’re a fan of the orange background, I prefer the blue one… much easier on the eyes.
Perhaps if Foxtel offered the commercial Freeview channels on satellite (in Adelaide) they might get a few more takers.
It’s something I’d definitely like to see. I would watch free to air through my foxtel box rather flick over to teh tv tuner as I do now. I would also prefer to have Channel Nine on 109 rather than 100 and SBS on 103 rather 104, to match the channel numbering on my TV set and avoid confusion.
It would be nice to get the free to one hd channels through foxtel without having to buy the foxtel hd package.
Better still, they should align the channel numbers the same as you find them away from Foxtel.
One, Ten, and Eleven should be 001, 010, and 011.
ABC1, ABC2, ABC3, and ABC News 24 should be 002, 022, 023, and 024.
SBS1 and SBS2 should be 003 and 032.
Seven, 7Two and 7mate should be 007, 072 and 073.
Nine, GEM and GO! should be 009, 090 and 099.
That way the networks can actually advertise their channel numbers with some confidence that people aren’t confused.
Say Nine announces that an overrunning sporting event is switching to GO! so that Nine can go to the news, and say “hey everyone, just switch over to channel 99 to keep watching”…
If you don’t know it’s 129 on Foxtel – (lets say your an overseas visitor) – you’ll not find it.
Consistency!
Wishful thinking indeed, what I have done is added the additional free to air channels to my favourites option in the guide to make searching a bit easier. So if Foxtel think not having the channels grouped together is stopping me from watching and recording well it hasn’t.
Finally someone talking some sense. Foxtel spokesperson’s response is clearly illogical. I shouldn’t have to trawl through their inconsistent EPG structure just to find freeview channels.
Lets make some changes Foxtel!
Frankly I’d be happy if I could just get Freeview on my Foxtel Cable box.
I just wish Foxtel could supply a remote control with single click buttons to say your 10 favorite channels or the ability to block/skip all channels not part of your package.
You’re spot on David.
Foxtel does not want to draw attention to and remind people that there is now 15 FTA networks, and list the new digital networks with the old legacy networks.
Seven, Nine and Ten are all “general entertainment” channels too – so by Foxtel’s own rules they should be listed alongside other Gen Ent Channels.
The category needs to be renamed “Broadcast Networks” and list All FTA networks avail Over the air.