Foxtel sports-streaming tipped for December
Reports suggest Foxtel will hold off stand-alone streaming to allow for further testing.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under Subscription
Foxtel is tipped to launch its stand-alone sport streaming service in December, in time for Australia’s first Test match against India due on December 6 in Adelaide.
The Australian Financial Review suggests “Project Martian,” as it is known internally, was expected in early November but has been pushed back to allow for further testing. The Subscription TV provider is keen to avoid a repeat of the #Floptus FIFA World Cup debacle that plagued Optus.
Pricing is expected to be between $19.95 and $25 per month without the need for further packages. While the stand-alone service may cannibalise full subscriptions, Foxtel expects there will be a big uptake from other Australians who love their sport.
And there is talk of “Project Jupiter” another streaming service offering drama & entertainment if all goes well with the sport service. That’s expected to launch in the first half of 2019 to coincide with the final season of Game of Thrones.
3 Responses
Foxtel have Foxtel Now which allows monthly purchases of individual packages with a cancel option, all Foxtel Now needs are more device (like built in apps for Smart TV’s) options and HD as standard, then they are all set to make some money, this current process of testing the water for what works best, including trying to revive subscription satellite TV using 4K sports as an incentive is just avoiding the inevitable conclusion that the VOD format developed by Netflix including their current pricing system is the way to go as the gradual increase in forthcoming VOD services (currently mostly offered in the USA) is showing us.
Foxtel Now does have HD as standard – maybe you’re confusing it with satellite that doesn’t? I’d like it to have 4K streaming as an option, even if we have to pay extra like Netflix.
Both Foxtel and Foxtel Now have HD as standard. There are some channels on both platforms that are SD however.
It’ll be interesting to see how Foxtel’s streaming service develops, been quite neglected for a while. Good to see them not blindly following the likes of Netflix or other markets like the US. The mixture of live linear channels and VOD is a key difference for them. Seems the current CEO views the streaming service very differently from his predecessor – I’d love to see a TV Tonight interview with the CEO on how he sees the service.