Jump to content

The Foxtel Footy Channel

Featured Replies

Rhett

I agree with Diesel. I have no interest whatever in the raft of Foxtel packages. I want to pay for individual channels (ie Footy). The way Foxtel is currently marketed I either pay for a pile of stuff I don't want or I get nothing (and pay you nothing). Please tell your marketing gurus that that model is not the wave of the future.

and me too

 

I doubt that any provider in the history of pay television has ever offered users the option of taking a single channel... the logistics involved would be ridiculously complicated when you consider how many channels there are and the number of permutations you could end up with if the viewing public had carte blanche. For simplicity's sake, they need to operate from a basic service than can be built upon.

I would say the cost of individual channels would probably mean you ended up paying an equivalent amount or thereabouts.

Hi Rhett,

Good on you for answering questions. I've had the Xbox 360 subscription in the past. Will the AFL channel be available through xbox and will it show live games or just replays?

Thanks

 

I doubt that any provider in the history of pay television has ever offered users the option of taking a single channel... the logistics involved would be ridiculously complicated when you consider how many channels there are and the number of permutations you could end up with if the viewing public had carte blanche. For simplicity's sake, they need to operate from a basic service that can then be built upon.

not that complicated at all hardtack - haven't you heard of computers?

the reasons are not ones of complexity - merely commercial monopoly and greed

as diesel said why should I pay for something i don't want especially when it is the majority of the cost?

I've heard that you have the packages because essentially paying for a channel you may not want subsidises the cost of someone getting another channel that they would like and vice versa.

Selecting individual channels would, I assume, vastly increase the cost.


Andyc3068 - It's a good question - and at the moment, no full prices/content have been announced. However this AFL link probably begins to answer your question.

http://www.afl.com.au/2012%20broadcast%20information/tabid/18527/default.aspx

Once I receive further information I will post it.

Rhett Bartlett

Opinions are mine

FOXTEL Employee

@rhettrospective

not that complicated at all hardtack - haven't you heard of computers?

the reasons are not ones of complexity - merely commercial monopoly and greed

as diesel said why should I pay for something i don't want especially when it is the majority of the cost?

Yes, to an extent it is about commercial monopolies and greed... but do not for one minute believe that just because something is computerised it suddenly becomes simple. I work for the world's leading database software provider and believe me, they can sometimes make the most simple looking processes ridiculously convoluted and complicated.

As alluded to by big_red, the costs of being able to create your own programming schedule by selecting individual channels, would end up costing as much, if not more, than the standard packages they already have in place.

 

I've heard that you have the packages because essentially paying for a channel you may not want subsidises the cost of someone getting another channel that they would like and vice versa.

Selecting individual channels would, I assume, vastly increase the cost.

If you are right then it will be the death knell of Pay TV. On the internet I can download (and pay for) a single music track, I don't have to buy an album. And that is for an album of a performer I actually like. On PayTV it is like having to download an album of tracks from performers you don't like just to get one track of a performer you do.

Of course you can expect to pay more per channel if you only select one or a few - depends on what their real set-up costs are compared to what they charge for installation. But at the moment Foxtel doesn't give you that choice!

Wouldn't the fact that I had the equipment installed and a good experience for one channel, make it easier for Foxtel to sell me more.

Regardless of what any of us think about the programming options/packages/pricing on Foxtel, I get the feeling that Rhett isn't in any position to influence Foxtel's policy on such matters.


Yes, to an extent it is about commercial monopolies and greed... but do not for one minute believe that just because something is computerised it suddenly becomes simple. I work for the world's leading database software provider and believe me, they can sometimes make the most simple looking processes ridiculously convoluted and complicated.

As alluded to by big_red, the costs of being able to create your own programming schedule by selecting individual channels, would end up costing as much, if not more, than the standard packages they already have in place.

looks like I'll be missing out on Foxtel-AFL then

and Foxtel will be missing out on some easy money - c'est la vie

and offering a single only package like Foxtel Sports would not stress the worlds leading db software provider I'm sure (at least 35 years IT technical experience tells me)

nobody's asking for individual channel selection, just the ability to select an existing package without the base and probably for a 6mth contract and at a reasonable price

FFS this is the 21st century!

Note for Foxtel ppl:

I wont be subscribing until I can get the Footy Channel ONLY! I don't have to buy the whole menu at my local eatery and pay TV should be no different! Otherwise guess I will not watching not much footy on the TV this year with 7 being habitually crap!

Would you subscribe if the FOX FOOTY channel alone was $50 a month?

Foxtel's packages for the basic plan + footy channel I would consider fairly cheap.

It depends how much you want to watch your team every week (When you are not at the "G" of course)

...

and offering a single only package like Foxtel Sports would not stress the worlds leading db software provider I'm sure (at least 35 years IT technical experience tells me)

nobody's asking for individual channel selection, just the ability to select an existing package without the base and probably for a 6mth contract and at a reasonable price

I actually wasn't suggesting that there was any connection between Foxtel and the db software provider... was just stating that sometimes what might be considered simple, isn't always so.

It is possible to purchase the basic raft of programs for $45pm and get the Sports channels on top of that for $16 extra per month (I doubt it would be much cheaper if you could get individual channels).

Also, I may be wrong, but as far as I am aware (and from memory after talking with Foxtel reps), it should be possible to deactivate the sports channels for as long as you like, so you would only pay the extra while you have it activated, presumably for the duration of the footy season.

no wait on the gold coast for foxtel at the moment..24hour turn-around for installation.

can't wait for the season to begin!


I actually wasn't suggesting that there was any connection between Foxtel and the db software provider... was just stating that sometimes what might be considered simple, isn't always so.

I didn't say there was a connection, just that I don't think [Oracle?] would have even the slightest problem handling such a simple requirement

It is possible to purchase the basic raft of programs for $45pm and get the Sports channels on top of that for $16 extra per month (I doubt it would be much cheaper if you could get individual channels).

Also, I may be wrong, but as far as I am aware (and from memory after talking with Foxtel reps), it should be possible to deactivate the sports channels for as long as you like, so you would only pay the extra while you have it activated, presumably for the duration of the footy season.

You are missing the point entirely. Ah well forget it. My loss and Foxtel's loss

Internet TV will ultimately offer better choices

Understand where you and sue are coming from but at the end of the day their business plan clearly suggests they see better opportunities in making people get full packages. Yes it may remove people from you from the package, but I can guarantee constantly heading to a friends every weekend to catch games or hearing about how much better the coverage is will probably see you signing up for the basic package + sport this time in 4 months.

Understand where you and sue are coming from but at the end of the day their business plan clearly suggests they see better opportunities in making people get full packages. Yes it may remove people from you from the package, but I can guarantee constantly heading to a friends every weekend to catch games or hearing about how much better the coverage is will probably see you signing up for the basic package + sport this time in 4 months.

Yep, that's their business plan. But it is dated. I will be very amused if Optus wins the court case.

In the meantime I will pop along to my local club and watch Foxtel for $0 usually with a group of supporters of each side which makes it a bit more like going to the footy than watching at home anyway. (I'd go to the match but sadly I don't live in melb.)

Yep, that's their business plan. But it is dated. I will be very amused if Optus wins the court case.

In the meantime I will pop along to my local club and watch Foxtel for $0 usually with a group of supporters of each side which makes it a bit more like going to the footy than watching at home anyway. (I'd go to the match but sadly I don't live in melb.)

Absolutely. Wholeheartedly agree with the atmosphere comment, I just found id go to the pub was a few beers and a Parma and be spending more in 2 weeks than getting foxtel for the month!

However at the end of the day it isn't for everyone and I understand your point I'm just mentioning I can't see it happening for a while.

I'm moderately sure Austar does a more flexible package than Foxtel an theyll be showing foxfooty. Maybe look up their website it's also cheaper too!

Rhett

I agree with Diesel. I have no interest whatever in the raft of Foxtel packages. I want to pay for individual channels (ie Footy). The way Foxtel is currently marketed I either pay for a pile of stuff I don't want or I get nothing (and pay you nothing). Please tell your marketing gurus that that model is not the wave of the future.

Spot on Sue!

I have no idea why so many others think differently i.e. you get this & this etc. etc. or "it only costs" per week/per month, whatever! Fox habitually fail to address this issue? Perhaps it's because pay TV had a captive market using this model in other countries for decades before it came to Australia?

In 2012 we have technology which can deliver pay per view, we have the internet, we have 3G/4G communications. I am a fan of ABC's iview and have watched games on Bigpond (albeit on delay). Foxtel already employs all these innovations so this whole tiered pay TV concept belongs to another era.

My circumstances mean I don't watch much TV and sure don't need 24 weather, mind numbing re-runs or Fashion TV piped into my abode. I would however watch a fair bit of their footy channel, so Foxtel.....put up!! Surely a small return on your investment is better than none you'll otherwise be getting from me?


Spot on Sue!

I have no idea why so many others think differently i.e. you get this & this etc. etc. or "it only costs" per week/per month, whatever! Fox habitually fail to address this issue? Perhaps it's because pay TV had a captive market using this model in other countries for decades before it came to Australia?

In 2012 we have technology which can deliver pay per view, we have the internet, we have 3G/4G communications. I am a fan of ABC's iview and have watched games on Bigpond (albeit on delay). Foxtel already employs all these innovations so this whole tiered pay TV concept belongs to another era.

My circumstances mean I don't watch much TV and sure don't need 24 weather, mind numbing re-runs or Fashion TV piped into my abode. I would however watch a fair bit of their footy channel, so Foxtel.....put up!! Surely a small return on your investment is better than none you'll otherwise be getting from me?

and spot-on Diesel

summed it up nicely

I'm happy to pay the extra for the time being. My missus has told me my Birthday gifts are accounted for the next ten years (hopefully inflation will help me out a little and cut in half).

$50 for all games and a 24 hr footy channel means a lot and is reasonable value in my opinion. Being in WA, I have to watch Friday night footy from 8.30pm (the game is already finished), listen to and read news reports that are heavily biased towards Freo and WCE and be subjected to local radio stations cutting from the MFC Vs ? game at 3 qtr time to go live to Subi.

I've put up with this for 5 years since returning to Aus and it has worn very thin.

I can't wait to watch the boys play live, record the game without ad breaks, and access the latest AFL news 24 hrs a day (web aside). The Missus however, doesn't share my enthusiasm.

If you are right then it will be the death knell of Pay TV. On the internet I can download (and pay for) a single music track, I don't have to buy an album. And that is for an album of a performer I actually like. On PayTV it is like having to download an album of tracks from performers you don't like just to get one track of a performer you do.

Of course you can expect to pay more per channel if you only select one or a few - depends on what their real set-up costs are compared to what they charge for installation. But at the moment Foxtel doesn't give you that choice!

Wouldn't the fact that I had the equipment installed and a good experience for one channel, make it easier for Foxtel to sell me more.

Its not about set up costs its about what FOXTEL would have to buy the channel for from the distributor if it is potentially going to 80-90% less people. Its also about how much less advertising revenue they could obtain from advertisers when there is less opportunity for people to be watching a channel. This is without considering other complexities like managing and marketing individual channel options for 200+ channel service. Higher channel costs and less advertising revenue would mean you would likely end up paying a similar price for the handpicked package that you want.

 

Spot on Sue!

I have no idea why so many others think differently i.e. you get this & this etc. etc. or "it only costs" per week/per month, whatever! Fox habitually fail to address this issue? Perhaps it's because pay TV had a captive market using this model in other countries for decades before it came to Australia?

In 2012 we have technology which can deliver pay per view, we have the internet, we have 3G/4G communications. I am a fan of ABC's iview and have watched games on Bigpond (albeit on delay). Foxtel already employs all these innovations so this whole tiered pay TV concept belongs to another era.

My circumstances mean I don't watch much TV and sure don't need 24 weather, mind numbing re-runs or Fashion TV piped into my abode. I would however watch a fair bit of their footy channel, so Foxtel.....put up!! Surely a small return on your investment is better than none you'll otherwise be getting from me?

Looking at what is charged for other events ie: Boxing lets assume a PPV match is charged at $20. So watching one match per round would cost you $80 per month. Rather than access to 36 matches per month plus footy shows plus plus a whole bunch of other channels you could choose to watch (or not) for under $70 per month.

Its not about set up costs its about what FOXTEL would have to buy the channel for from the distributor if it is potentially going to 80-90% less people. Its also about how much less advertising revenue they could obtain from advertisers when there is less opportunity for people to be watching a channel. This is without considering other complexities like managing and marketing individual channel options for 200+ channel service. Higher channel costs and less advertising revenue would mean you would likely end up paying a similar price for the handpicked package that you want.

yadda yadda yadda

btw Fox AFL is supposed to be ad free isn't it?


Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Featured Content

  • PREVIEW: Essendon

    As the focus of the AFL moves exclusively to South Australia for Gather Round, the question is raised as to what are we going to get from the  Melbourne Football Club this weekend? Will it be a repeat of the slop fest of the last three weeks that have seen the team score a measly 174 points and concede 310 or will a return to the City of Churches and the scene where they performed at their best in 2024 act as a wakeup call and bring them out of their early season reverie? 
    Or will the sleepy Dees treat their fans to a reenactment of their lazy effort from the first Gather Round of two years ago when they allowed the Bombers to trample all over them on a soggy and wet Adelaide Oval? The two examples from above tell us how fickle form can be in football. Last year, a committed group of players turned up in Adelaide with a businesslike mindset. They had a plan, went in confidently and hard for the football and kicked winning scores against both home teams in a difficult environment for visitors. And they repeated that sort of effort later in the season when they played Essendon at the MCG. Unfortunately, performances like these went against the grain of what Melbourne has been producing from virtually midway through 2024 and extending right through to the present day. This is a game between two clubs who have faltered over the past couple of years because their disposal efficiency is appalling. Neither of them can hit the side of a barn door but history tells us that every once in a while such teams have their lucky days or come up against an opponent in even worse shape and hence, one of them will come up trumps in this match.

    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • PREGAME: Essendon

    Facing the very real and daunting prospect of starting the season with five straight losses, the Demons head to South Australia for the annual Gather Round, where they’ll take on the Bombers in search of their first win of the year. Who comes in, and who comes out?

      • Clap
      • Like
    • 258 replies
    Demonland
  • NON-MFC: Round 05

    Gather Round is here, kicking off with a Thursday night blockbuster as Adelaide faces Geelong. The Crows will be out for redemption after a controversial loss last week. Saturday starts with the Magpies taking on the Swans. Collingwood will be eager to cement their spot in the top eight, while Sydney is hot on their heels. In the Barossa Valley, two rising sides go head-to-head in a fascinating battle to prove they're the real deal. Later, Carlton and West Coast face off at Adelaide Oval, both desperate to notch their first win of the season. The action then shifts to Norwood, where the undefeated Lions will aim to keep their streak alive against the Bulldogs. Sunday’s games begin in the Barossa with Richmond up against Fremantle. In Norwood, the Saints will be looking to take a scalp when they come up against the Giants. The round concludes with a fiery rematch of last year's semi-final, as the Hawks seek revenge for their narrow loss to Port Adelaide. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons besides us winning?

    • 17 replies
    Demonland
  • CASEY: Geelong

    There was a time in the second quarter of the game at the Cattery on Friday afternoon when the Casey Demons threatened to take the game apart against the Cats. The Demons had been well on top early but were struggling to convert their ascendancy over the ground until Tom Fullarton’s burst of three goals in the space of eight minutes on the way to a five goal haul and his best game for the club since arriving from Brisbane at the end of 2023. He was leading, marking and otherwise giving his opponents a merry dance as Casey grabbed a three goal lead in the blink of an eye. Fullarton has now kicked ten goals in Casey’s three matches and, with Melbourne’s forward conversion woes, he is definitely in with a chance to get his first game with the club in next week’s Gather Round in Adelaide. Despite the tall forward’s efforts - he finished with 19 disposals and eight marks and had four hit outs as back up to Will Verrall in the second half - it wasn’t enough as Geelong reigned in the lead through persistent attacks and eventually clawed their way to the lead early in the last and held it till they achieved the end aim of victory.

    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • REPORT: Geelong

    I was disappointed to hear Goody say at his post match presser after the team’s 39 point defeat against Geelong that "we're getting high quality entry, just poor execution" because Melbourne’s problems extend far beyond that after its 0 - 4 start to the 2025 football season. There are clearly problems with poor execution, some of which were evident well before the current season and were in play when the Demons met the Cats in early May last year and beat them in a near top-of-the-table clash that saw both sides sitting comfortably in the top four after round eight. Since that game, the Demons’ performances have been positively Third World with only five wins in 19 games with a no longer majestic midfield and a dysfunctional forward line that has become too easy for opposing coaches to counter. This is an area of their game that is currently being played out as if they were all completely panic-stricken.

    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • NON-MFC: Round 04

    Round 4 kicks off with a blockbuster on Thursday night as traditional rivals Collingwood and Carlton clash at the MCG, with the Magpies looking to assert themselves as early-season contenders and the Blues seeking their first win of the season. Saturday opens with Gold Coast hosting Adelaide, a key test for the Suns as they aim to back up their big win last week, while the Crows will be looking to keep their perfect record intact. Reigning wooden spooners Richmond have the daunting task of facing reigning premiers Brisbane at the ‘G and the Lions will be eager to reaffirm their premiership credentials after a patchy start. Saturday night sees North Melbourne take on Sydney at Marvel Stadium, with the Swans looking to build on their first win of the season last week against a rebuilding Roos outfit. Sunday’s action begins with GWS hosting West Coast at ENGIE Stadium, a game that could get ugly very early for the visitors. Port Adelaide vs St Kilda at Adelaide Oval looms as a interesting clash, with both clubs form being very hard to read. The round wraps up with Fremantle taking on the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium in what could be a fierce contest between two sides with top-eight ambitions. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons besides us winning?

    • 273 replies
    Demonland