back to article Foxtel cries wolf at the threat of fast broadband

Foxtel Australia boss Richard Freudenstein has picked up the IPFI megaphone and asked Australia's federal government to protect his business model from the rampant piracy that will doubtless emerge from the rollout of the National Broadband Network. Speaking to the ASTRA (Australian Subscription Television and Radio …

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  1. Esskay
    Unhappy

    Ironic

    That the same pay-TV service that has been slowly stealing content away from Free-to-Air channels for years, is now crying foul when someone does it to them. The difference, of course, is that when the content is stolen *by* Foxtel, it then costs $50 a month to see it. When it gets stolen *from* Foxtel, it's made avaliable for free.

  2. Thorne

    Boo Hoo Cry Me A River

    Considered Foxtel is channels which means you get to watch what they want to play and the NBN will allow you to watch what you want when you want, I can't really feel sorry for them.

    Maybe they need to embrace the NBN and have an on demand system

  3. flibbertigibbet
    Devil

    Spin, spin, spin

    I'd lay odds piracy is only a minor concern, and here is being used as a foil for what their real problem is: competition.

    They have an effective monopoly on terrestrial pay TV because of their tie in with the owners of that cable. With the NBN anyone can set up a pay TV network, and undoubtedly quite a few will try their had at it.

    There goes the cosy monopoly. Now that's really going to hurt.

  4. Neoc
    FAIL

    I am a Foxtel SD subscriber.

    Really, I am. Because there is no other cable companies. Except it isn't a cable company any more, forcing people to move to satellite reception. And Austar doesn't count, they're basically an arm of Foxtel by now.

    So what do I get for my money? Yes, I get access to *some* channels I want to see, and a s*tload I could not care about. And only so long as I watch them on Foxtel-approved hardware (i.e., their own) because they've now locked things down to not only having a Foxtel decoding card, but it must be in a Foxtel decoder.

    Which means I can't watch Foxtel through my HTPC the same as I can free-to-air. So, more hardware, more remotes, and having to swap inputs on my amp.

    But what about their website offering? Only if you watch through a web browser - forget trying to get it streamed to any HTPC software.

    "On demand"? Don't make me laugh - I'd have to upgrade to a more expensive-to-hire Foxtel box. *And* connect it to my ISP. I don't think so. Ditto with HD or recording options.

    Portable devices? Absolutely, so long as by "portable" you mean "iOS".

    So no, as far as I am concerned Foxtel is NOWHERE near having made things easy for me to watch where, when and how *I* want.

  5. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge

    The Death of Foxtel?

    Bring it the fuck on.

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