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New movie channels for Foxtel

Foxtel reveals its revamped suite of movie channels available from January 1st.

Foxtel has announced its new movie channel offering available for subscribers from January 1st, 2013.

The move follows Foxtel’s recent acquisition of Showtime PMP assets and news of the closure of Movie Network Channels.

Foxtel will offer a Foxtel Movies & Premium Drama package consisting of seven Foxtel movie channels (all in HD & SD), retain showcase as a dedicated premium drama channel with HBO titles, World Movies and two +2 time shifted channels.

It will also include an increased On Demand offering with additional movies available to watch at no extra cost to movie subscribers.

Richard Freudenstein, Foxtel Chief Executive, said: “This is the first step in a revolutionary change to the way Australians will be able to experience movies.

“Our research told us customers want one destination for their movies, as well as simple navigation to find the movie they feel like watching. The seven dedicated and intuitively themed movie channels will ensure we make it as easy as possible for people to find and watch the movie they feel like watching.

“Additionally, our better Foxtel On Demand offering perfectly complements the channels, giving customers a virtual movie library at their fingertips, with hundreds of titles available at any time – providing amazing value for movie subscribers.

“We also understand the value of offering first-class television drama and showcase will continue to be the leader in strong appointment-to-view premium US programming.”

Current subscribers to both movie packages will automatically receive all seven new Foxtel movie channels as well as showcase: the home of HBO, World Movies and the two +2 channels (Premiere and showcase), with the seven new Foxtel movie channels and showcase in HD for HD subscribers.

For Foxtel customers who currently subscribe to ‘one movie package’ changes will be outlined at www.foxtel.com.au/foxtelmovies

Updated:  TCM (Turner Classic Movies) moves to basic package for all subscribers.

It is also interesting to note that Foxtel has retained showcase with its HBO drama series as a movie channel despite other HBO dramas airing on SoHo. This means in order to view shows such as Game of Thrones, Dexter and Breaking Bad customers must subscribe to the movies package.

401
Premiere HD or SD
Premiere +2 SD
(402)
Foxtel Movies Premiere is the channel for every movie lover! A whole channel dedicated to big Hollywood blockbusters and recent releases. Foxtel Movies Premiere is the place to catch the hottest movies with the biggest stars.

406 Action/Adventure HD or SD
A high-octane mix of recent releases and favourites that deliver an adrenaline rush every time you watch. Foxtel Movies Action/Adventure will also keep your heart racing with a killer selection of sci-fi and horror movies late at night.

407 Comedy HD or SD
Comedy has many faces, and we’ve got all of them… get 24/7 laughs with Foxtel Movies Comedy.

408 Drama/Romance HD or SD
Immerse yourself in life’s passions with this emotionally charged channel. From powerful epics to grown up fairytales and moving tear-jerkers Foxtel Movies Drama/Romance will open your mind and touch your heart.

409 Thriller/Crime HD or SD
Foxtel Movies Thriller/Crime is the home of edge of your seat suspense and intrigue. Take a walk on the wild side and gaze into the unknown. Serial killers, gangsters and those who hunt them await you.

405 Family HD or SD
Foxtel Movies Family has an entire universe of characters ready to have fun with the young at heart.

410 Masterpiece HD or SD
Foxtel Movies Masterpiece offers a mix of critically acclaimed independent films, digitally remastered Australian treasures and timeless classics. Simply put: Masterpiece is the crème de la crème of landmark
cinema.

403 showcase HD or SD
showcase +2 (404)
showcase delivers premium series drama from HBO and the world’s leading producers, outstanding original Australian drama, independent films and feature length documentaries as well as featuring express screenings of the world’s hottest series broadcasting within hours of the international premiere.

430 World Movies SD
World Movies is Australia’s destination for international cinema, featuring foreign film, documentaries, indie flicks, and exclusive access to international movie stars.

36 Responses

  1. I enjoyed the concept of Starpics. On Demand seemed to be a guide to the new channels where the ‘rebranding’ looked like it had already part occurred. Would Universal channel get an ‘upgrade’ or expand to Universal movies? An MGM and Disney deal will be needed for value add. Hopefully Platinum customers will be shielded from increases in the short term while they try to get to ‘as good as before’ mode

  2. @ Ashton – if you look at the channels offered by Sky Movies in the U.K. you’ll see that Foxtel have mimiced the majority of them, with the exception being that they morphed Indie, Classics & Modern Greats into Masterpiece, and that they haven’t launched Sci-Fi/Horror. I’m willing to bet that next year after Optus 10 launches, there will be another flood of new channels like when Optus D3 launched 3 years ago, and Foxtel will launch a couple more movie channels (e.g. Foxtel Movies Sci-Fi/Horror, MGM HD, Disney Cinemagic, etc.) and finally expand their HD entertainment channels (e.g. TV1 HD, Arena HD, SF HD, etc.).

  3. I’m glad to see my predictions were right that Foxtel would replace Showtime and Movie Network channels with dedicated channels to specific genres with each having a HD feed, and with a reduction in timeshift channels. It is however disappointing that Foxtel did not reduce the price as they were implying they would, and they TCM has been removed after being in Australia for nearly 2 decades, and resulting in Turner Broadcasting now only having Cartoon Network and Boomerang in Australia. And in regards to all those complaining about there only being movies scheduled from the Showtime networks, the Movie Network shareholders were told not to negotiate with Foxtel about movie rights in the hopes that Foxtel would buy Movie Network as they did Showtime, but Time Warner and Village were reportedly starting negotiations with Foxtel which left Movie Network to die. I would be willing to bet that Time Warner and Village movies will be scheduled before the end of January and the other Movie Network shareholders as well as independent studios to be scheduled by April.

  4. I’m going to take the wait and see approach… we don’t actually get much information from a small press release…

    Could be better, could be worse… who knows?

  5. As suspected. They’ve screwed us. Can you imagine how much they’ve cut their overheads by eliminating Showtime and Movie Network, and now they cut their costs again by offering fewer channels! Even if they manage to get all the movies across from Movie Network’s studios I bet Foxtel have just made themselves a huge profit on it all. What utter cr@p the CEO is saying. There is no way this is a better deal for subscribers. Put as much lipstick on this pig as you like Mr Freudenstein but it’s pretty clear what you’ve done!

  6. How is this “a revolutionary change to the way Australians will be able to experience movies?” We will be paying the same price for less channels. Having two networks wasn’t confusing, it was fantastic. Didn’t like the Sunday night premier movie on one station? Simply watch the other. We are now given less choice, less channels and the loss of two time shift channels. Terrible Foxtel, just terrible!

  7. Weren’t these concerns expressed by the Gov Bod when Foxtel and Optus “merged”? Same argument when Foxtel “acquired” Austar?

    Murdoch’s creeping claw of greed continues to stretch across the land…

  8. I take back what I said earlier. That’s worse.

    Reading comprehension fail on my behalf.

    Time to get serious with Foxtel and find out what they are willing to offer to keep us on.

  9. jase72 December 9, 2012 at 6:54 pm –

    I will be scrapping the whole film package if none of the TMN appear on the film channels by the end of Feb(seems unlikely they will be on in January).

  10. So before we have 12 movie channels not including time shifted channels as our movie packages now it’s 9 but same price.
    Haha they have done it again.

  11. so we are going from 9 movie channels to 7. And no confirmation yet that we will get any TMN movies. I will demand a decrease in my subscription if we do not get any TMN studio movies.

  12. 15 channels down to 11. Sounds fair. Not. Also we lose 2 premiere movies on Sunday nights.

    I guess the 1 good thing is that they are now all in some form of HD (as bad as it is) except for the soft core porn channel.

  13. what a joke. there are 2 movie packages that are pretty much offering the same thing.

    why is thriller/crime and ion adventure in the family package? comedy and romance would be a better fit.

    why not just offer showcase as its own independent channel? and have the other channels package together as Foxtel Movie Network for $21 a month.

    I don’t subscribe to the movie channels because they are a waste of money. with these changes they are an even bigger waste of money.

  14. Having a look at the January Guide for the film channels, there are no films from any of the Movie Network Studios, listed so far, so either the guide they have is a rough one only showing the Showtime aligned studios or Foxtel has not as yet worked out with Warner Brothers/Disney/MGM etc for their films to be shown on the new Foxtel film channels.

  15. Those channel numbers will be wrong for the regional viewers – all our HD channels are in the 200s.

    Unless Foxtel have worked out a way of getting them aligned like the metro viewers have.

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