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Foxtel viewers unhappy over loss of TCM, increased prices.

A price hike of $4 a month, and the loss of a classic movies channel, prompts some to cut the cable.

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Foxtel is copping a barrage of criticism from unhappy customers over decisions to raise its Sports package by $4 a month and dumping classic movies channel TCM.

On social media, viewers are venting their anger, with many vowing to cancel their subscriptions and head to Netflix.

While Foxtel offers a large amount of Customer Support through a messageboard and Twitter, it leaves a trail of grievances for all to see.

The Foxtel Help Twitter account spends most of its time dealing with complaints, with very few bouquets amongst a tirade of brickbats.

From 1 February 2017, the Sports package will cost $29 per month while Platinum HD will cost $137 per month. This is an increase of $4 to the Sports package and $2 to the Platinum package across the board.

But it appears to be a tipping point for some:

@Foxtel you sent me a letter raising my bill $4 a month. I just cut you off, so you lose $116 a month #Netflix

Prices go up and so do the adverts how pathetic im paying for bloody adverts. All because i want live sport. #joke #shame

@Foxtel haemorrhaging customers so they up the monthly price for sport! Yeah, nah!!

@FOXTEL_Help Its all about priorities Taylor, especially when you have 3 kids U5 & trying to survive on 1 wage. Increases don’t help.

Almost more ads than free to air, No EPL, Added crap religious channels, now wants to charge more. Something’s gotta give @Foxtel #willbeyou

@FOXTEL_Help So how do you justify the price hike? Give me a good reason to not cancel my subscription.

@FOXTEL_Help Another $2 increase ? You guys taking the piss ?

@Foxtel Just wondering what you will be adding to my service for the extra charge? Given the loyalty discount is still in the mail?……

. @Foxtel lives in a fantasy land where they lose EPL rights then tell customers Sport package will be $4 more per month. I’m out! #TurnItUp

So you lose EPL then put our bill up? #netflix is $11 bucks a month and @Foxtel over $100. I feel a “it’s not us it’s you” moment coming! https://t.co/mKJDVyncOy

$4 more and even after the EPL going and the host of crap US sports? I don’t think so. Time for us to say goodbye @Foxtel

@Foxtel so you guys LOSE the EPL rights, yet still jack up the price of your sports package. Zero loyalty to long term customers. Pathetic

Foxtel Help responded: The decision to change the monthly cost of our Sports package certainly wasn’t one that was taken lightly. While we recognise the increasingly competitive environment of Sports broadcasting, customers rightfully expect the best coverage and this change ensures we’re able to continue to meet the expectation.

This week FOX Sports CEO Patrick Delany said sports fans had lost interest in the EPL since it had “gone invisible” since it went to Optus. But subscriber feedback suggests otherwise.

Meanwhile the loss of the TCM classic movies channel on December 13 has left others upset.

On its messageboard, the company indicated FOX Classics will absorb over 190 classic films, which will be shown throughout December and January.

TCM fans said:

@Foxtel @FOXTEL_Help If only you’d bring back TCM. It was my late night, comfort TV. I do not want Fox Classics “instead”. I’d like TCM back

@Foxtel Nice one Foxtel Take away TCM then slug us with a $4 increase on sports package..Foxtel giveth Foxtel takes away #Grinchmas

@FOXTEL_Help Added to the fact TCM was taken away from the customer now there is a $2 per month price hike. And I’m not interested in spin.

#Foxtel. Price rise..no Premier League football…no TCM! ripoff!

@RyanOak @Foxtel Not only that but how about bringing back TCM. And don’t give me some Fox Classics response.

@tcm #NotFairTCM #TCMHeartbreak Australia has just lost TCM from Foxtel w/out any notice.?Not fair TCM need my classic films – heartbroken ?

So sad to hear that TCM is no longer on @Foxtel. It was my favourite channel… Fox classics won’t fill the void.

Devastated 2 read @Foxtel will no longer show @tcm in Aus. What does a classic film fan do now? Cancel subscription @TCM_Party @JRDorian

@Foxtel what the hell? Today is the last of @tcm channel? Horrified. One of the only channels left that I watch. Why? & what replaces it?

Totally disillusioned/annoyed. @Foxtel you’ve taken away TCM and Premier League but you’ve increased the prices. WTF

So @FOXTEL_Help TCM has disappeared and I read a price rise is coming. Looks like time to cancel, you are so out of touch it’s not funny.

sorry @Foxtel price rise and dropping #TCM simply not good enough…been a customer 15 years….but not for much longer…

Just when 2016 couldn’t get any suckier, @Foxtel decide to can @TCM, thanks a bunch.

Foxtel Help replied: While we understand some customers will be disappointed TCM will no longer be a part of the Foxtel lineup, this channel no longer represented the value for investment after our most recent channel review. The price change in 2017 will ensure we can continue to invest in acquiring broadcast rights to premium sports and entertainment both locally and from around the globe.

41 Responses

  1. they give in one hand but they take triple amount in the other hand im about to tell foxtel to stick the service where it fit

    as for there set top boxs they say iq3 is the best box ever well that is load of b/s cos i live in the central west of nsw an i had the iq3 an its nothing but problems when it comes to free to air channels i had to go back to the mystarHD box to get what i want

    the iq3 is only good for the people in the city but if u live outside of the city its not good for you people

    1. Watch out for more saturation marketing by Foxtel in 2017, already they are offering glossy deals to attract new customers which is a good sign that existing consumers are quitting as streaming is getting popular, Fox Sports will be the main reason that this increasingly aging cable service makes any money, 2017 will test both the loyal consumer and the viable future of Foxtel if it is unable to compete with it’s fees and does not fast track the entertainment and sports clients hope they pay for.

      1. Good on you. Foxtel, like phone and insurance companies, rely on customer inertia to absorb price increases beyond the CPI. Sure, people have a whinge, but the only thing that Foxtel will take notice of is how many subscribers they lose.

  2. What annoys me about Foxtel is the amount of commercials they show, including there own promo’s. Foxtel makes millions from tv ad’s plus subscriptions but yet they don’t spend enough on producing local content.
    If only Netflix had the AFL channel i would cancel foxtel tomorrow. Netflix $12.95 per month is a good package. Ripped off Foxtel with another $4 increase

  3. I don’t know, I think the comments saying a $4 increase in the sport package would cause an exodus to Netflix are misguided – what sports are Netflix showing again?

    Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy about the increase, as I haven’t been about numerous Foxtel things in the past few years, but they also do a lot right for sports viewers…the V8 and F1 coverage has never been this good, Fox Footy is exceptional if you are a fan of AFL…..for A League, NRL and NBL fans I imagine it fits the bill far better than FTA.

    What the price rise has caused me to do is alter my package – I had the sport plus Entertainment+ (while I’m not sure I get $10 value per month, it’s nice to have), this rise has axed E+ for me.

    Now, if only Foxtel would bring back VH1 (which Foxtel axed about 5 years ago, was great to pass the time with their 100 countdowns) and fix ESPN Australia (which is…

  4. Clearly Foxtel gave TCM the chop because it’s basically ad -free and they couldn’t pack it full of annoying commercials and make even more money than they do now. Poor form Foxtel, once again you complete disregard for your subscribers. Just another reason to get Netflix and a VPN.

  5. I got the letter but no mention of the higher price for the sports package. Given the cost of Netflix and others Foxtel should be dropping their prices back to maybe $99 total with sports which is the main reason I have it but with no F1 or V8s until March thats 3 months of Foxtel for nothing. Really on the edge about canceling the service.

  6. I’m angry with Foxtel for ruining the Showcase channel. It used to be a premium channel with an advertising-free and watermark-free cinema-like feel about it. Now it’s been merged with Soho and full of soapies. Even worse, they are now interrupting the shows with advertising breaks and a watermark. Sure I can record on my IQ but some shows have a wonderful mood which is broken every time I am interrupted to fast-forward through the advertising. Foxtel says “some shows” at “some times” are advertising free. Gee, thanks. I’d rather pay more and not have to be constantly bombarded with repetitive advertising that I have absolutely no interest in. I’d switch to streaming but can’t get fast internet where I live.

    1. I wish they would get rid of the +2 channels and focus on making all channels HD instead, the majority of people have IQ’S now for there main lounge viewing space. So no need to catch up 2 hours later when you can record

      1. Some subscribers have old set top boxes as upgrades mean an extra monthly cost. Plainly Foxtel and Optus want money more than retaining the loyalty of long term clients with a free technology upgrade.Technicians will only replace a failed old set top box with the same old tech model which is bad customer service by any standard.

  8. Here’s the thing… I don’t have sport or movies. I don’t complain. I rarely watch shows live, right on time when they air. Personally I do the IQ recording and watch the shows when I please and I use that fast forward button for the adverts. But on occasion I do notice a few adverts but my brain switches off… in other words I do have IQ2 so I’m happy with the HD. Wish more channels were in HD… and CNN. I love CNN =D

  9. I could not believe it when I got the letter. How can they justify the sport increase when they lost EPL? I only keep the package in summer for the soccer, and you can’t even get onto the web stream any time Victory plays. Something’s going to have to give – I’m going to have to axe another part of my package.

    1. Because they added 6 new sports channels and signed new deals with A-League, NRL and AFL that come into play in the coming period that cost more than they did in the past.

  10. Foxtel in their search for a monopoly in pay TV have made a rod for their own back. I predict they will try even harder to get the anti siphoning list abolished. Streaming is the future although I don’t think that the redundancies will be that far reaching. As Optus has shown, tech support will still be sort after plus the sales team ect. Maybe the reduction will be in ad spending on FTA TV . increased online through social media and maybe Network Ten.

  11. I forgot to mention that this is not going to be good news for Foxtel or Optus , if my prediction comes true, job redundancies will be a talking point for the Australian broadcast industry, whose employment is what pay TV subscribers basically pays for

  12. Comments here basically say it all, the problem for Foxtel is that the future is streaming which is readily available to subscribers, there’s no hassle with technicians drilling holes or installing satellite dishes, you just need a fast broadband ISP. Foxtel will be reviewing it’s business plan at some point, it will likely be restructured under the Sky banner to incorporate Murdoch’s satellite resources to try to be more competitive. I suspect that Optus will be dumping Foxtel pretty soon and set top boxes will be gone. Sports fans will need to buy an app to get HD coverage with prestige sports costing more.

  13. Foxtel tends to underestimate subscribers, and doesn’t understand niche viewing and why it is important to their business. I’m talking here about TCM (I can’t speak for sports as I don’t watch it) which provided a unique offering, and did a simple thing quite well (it could have been better, as a glance at the line up on the USA version of TCM reveals, but it will do). TCM has been on the service since day 1 – although it was called TNT (Turner Network Television) then and played classic movies from the Turner archive and, oddly, WCW Wrestling (which Ted Turner also owned), Presumably management have looked at the channel and not seen high ratings and decided to can it with little thought to how that will impact on subscribers. A pathetic objection handling script was trotted out and even included a rather offensive “but don’t push the panic button” line. It also posed questions…

    1. “this channel no longer represented the value for investment after our most recent channel review”, if this is the case and going by the ratings summary I get from OzTAM daily of viewership of each channel, when TCM was axed it was rating at 0.3 total viewers. There are another 43 channels that are rating the same or lower. So, looks like another 43 channels are next.

  14. I cancelled Foxtel just before the Global Financial Crisis so I’m not familiar with its current lineup, but when I was looking for Dating Naked it was on the VH1 US website. Foxtel carries a VH1 channel but it appears to be all music videos.

  16. The cost of Foxtel is ridiculous. I have 3 boxes (standard, IQ, IQ2) and was paying on average $160 a month. When I ‘threatened to cancel’, of course being a ‘loyal customer for x years’, they tried sweetening the deal and the best they could do was knock $14 off. I got a letter the other day saying my monthly fee will go up by $2. Foxtel was great in the beginning but now it’s all bloody commercials. Of course I’m welcome to call back and review my package (currently Platinum as ‘that is the best deal currently in my situation’) and see if they can bring down my monthly cost more, short of getting rid of box, which is not an option as all are used daily. They won’t even upgrade the standard box to an IQ, unless of course I pay for it. Great way to keep customers happy Foxtel…Not.

  17. Have never suscribed to foxtel….always seemed so exspensive. Netflix $11.95 a month more than covers my needs. I love tennis and afl, so fta covers those needs.

    1. dont like the EPL soccer so didnt care about the loss love me some NFL and Baseball also not having to rely on FTA deciding to show my team on FTA also with 7 you dont know whats happening with there HD channel come next AFL season

  18. I am disappointed to read on Facebook that some Foxtel customer service staff are telling customers that TCM is gone because the station has been axed in the US. Lying to their consumers is not a good look.

  19. It’s interesting that after heavily promoting the sports package and the “new” NRL channel, they bump up the price. It would be interesting to know how many new subscribers they got through that promotion and then slug them extra costs. As for loyalty to existing customers…ha ha ha ha. If only there was a central place where live sport could be streamed without the lock-in to the rest of the Foxtel package, Foxtel would lose the majority of their customers. And don’t get me started on the Foxtel Play option. It looks like a very similar cost the to full package with sport streaming limitations due to other rights agreements for online streaming.

  20. Getting so sick of Foxtel. The commercial breaks are so long that I forget what I’m watching. You can’t even flick to another channel during the break, as that has commercials too. It’s like they’ve lined all the shows up to show ads at the exact same time.
    They need to ditch the pathetic shopping and religious channels which nobody watches, that’ll save them money. I haven’t once watched that new Binge channel, waste of space when we had a decent channel there beforehand. I guess HD won’t be offered for free any time soon.

    1. I assume that the shopping and religious channels pay Foxtel, not the other way round, so getting rid of them would cost them money. And I haven’t watched a commercial in years on Foxtel – record everything on the IQ and fast forward through it.

  24. Foxtel is like illicit drugs. Once you’ve been on it for a while you become addicted. And unlike most other countries, in Australia if your dealer (i.e. Foxtel) increases the price, you can’t take your business to another dealer (i.e. another pay TV provider) and are instead left with no choice but to accept the price increase. Gotta love monopolies.

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