Thinking about cancelling Kayo today and hoping they give me a better deal

 

For those that have done this, how long before they email with a new deal? 

19 hours ago, whatwhat say what said:

The protected nature of the games probably precludes ppv

I think we can expect a LOT tourism advertising

And the Saudi Premier League lol

27 minutes ago, SthSea22 said:

Thinking about cancelling Kayo today and hoping they give me a better deal

 

For those that have done this, how long before they email with a new deal? 

They're not really into it unlike Foxtel with their IQ box. You might get a $10 off offer during the AFL off season but I've not heard of much more.

Try it and see as it's easy to rejoin

2 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

They're not really into it unlike Foxtel with their IQ box. You might get a $10 off offer during the AFL off season but I've not heard of much more.

Try it and see as it's easy to rejoin

Cheers

 

Previous deal was with Telstra (Free for 12 months)

Some hints coming about the future of Foxtel which could be relevant to ESPN

As many would know HBO is about to launch its own Australian streaming service. Many thought that this would be a big blow to Foxtel and Binge. Still could be but Foxtel has softened the blow by giving access to HBO with ads for "free" on the Foxtel products.

Could it be we will see ESPN on Kayo with ESPN ads in the future.

Streaming with ads seems to be the big model in USA as the streamers find they simply can't grow/make money from subscriptions alone

On 20/02/2025 at 12:49, SthSea22 said:

Thinking about cancelling Kayo today and hoping they give me a better deal

 

For those that have done this, how long before they email with a new deal? 

They will know your viewing preferences and that you watch footy so unlikely to offer a deal over the season.

35 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

Some hints coming about the future of Foxtel which could be relevant to ESPN

As many would know HBO is about to launch its own Australian streaming service. Many thought that this would be a big blow to Foxtel and Binge. Still could be but Foxtel has softened the blow by giving access to HBO with ads for "free" on the Foxtel products.

Could it be we will see ESPN on Kayo with ESPN ads in the future.

Streaming with ads seems to be the big model in USA as the streamers find they simply can't grow/make money from subscriptions alone

The good news is that Foxtel’s 1.4m residential subscribers will have not have to pay to get access to the new Warner content, that will be available for Foxtel customers the same day that it’s posted to Max according to Foxtel management.

Binge, which has 1.6 million subscribers, who will lose access to the majority of the HBO library from March 31.  

That is still a big blow for them, Imagine they'll lose a significant chunk of those Binge subscriptions. 

ESPN may keep the exclusivity up with Foxtel/Kayo - we'll find out in a few months. Speaking of ESPN they've just mutually ended their 35 year deal with Major League Baseball.  Streaming Wars very fluid. 
 

19 minutes ago, roy11 said:

ESPN may keep the exclusivity up with Foxtel/Kayo - we'll find out in a few months. Speaking of ESPN they've just mutually ended their 35 year deal with Major League Baseball.  Streaming Wars very fluid. 
 

I hope so.

ESPN have clearly lost interest in the MLB. They went from showing 3 games a week down to 1 in recent years so it's no surprise they've finished up.

 

 

daz n now having a solid sook about piracy of the epl, following them taking the french and italians to court over their apathy towards streaming piracy

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6161947/2025/02/26/sports-streaming-piracy-premier-league/

The main problem in the UK, Herm said, is not illegal streams but ‘jailbroken Fire Sticks’, which are smart TV devices that have been modified so they give users access to premium channels for free.

“The Amazon FireStick is a big problem here,” said Herm. “We think it accounts for about half of the piracy in the UK.

“People think that because it’s a legitimate brand, it must be OK. So they give their credit card details to criminal gangs. Amazon is not engaging with us as much as we’d like.”

On 27/02/2025 at 17:28, roy11 said:

The good news is that Foxtel’s 1.4m residential subscribers will have not have to pay to get access to the new Warner content, that will be available for Foxtel customers the same day that it’s posted to Max according to Foxtel management.

Binge, which has 1.6 million subscribers, who will lose access to the majority of the HBO library from March 31.  

That is still a big blow for them, Imagine they'll lose a significant chunk of those Binge subscriptions. 

ESPN may keep the exclusivity up with Foxtel/Kayo - we'll find out in a few months. Speaking of ESPN they've just mutually ended their 35 year deal with Major League Baseball.  Streaming Wars very fluid. 
 

So the message is don't sign up for any long term deals with anyone.

14 minutes ago, old dee said:

So the message is don't sign up for any long term deals with anyone.

more and more the norm that people wax on, wax off with their streaming subscribers these days

personally the only one i would keep on consistently is prime, cos it's an add-on with amazon's free shipping

that they have inserted ads into their programs as their standard package means that more and more people are turning to piracy

it's the same with sports telecast - see above with daz n's whinge about pirate streams

On 27/02/2025 at 18:11, whatwhat say what said:

The Amazon FireStick is a big problem here,” said Herm. “We think it accounts for about half of the piracy in the UK

I spend around half the year in Asia and pre-loaded streaming boxes are the norm. They have decimated the local streaming/iq box competitors.

From my observations with live sport the streams vary between excellent and constant drop out. F1 is not bad but AFL via BT Sports in the UK is very flaky

Have always been curious as to how they work. Is there a big server farm/relay in China/Russia or do they have an inbuilt hack of some kind?

1 hour ago, Diamond_Jim said:

I spend around half the year in Asia and pre-loaded streaming boxes are the norm. They have decimated the local streaming/iq box competitors.

From my observations with live sport the streams vary between excellent and constant drop out. F1 is not bad but AFL via BT Sports in the UK is very flaky

Have always been curious as to how they work. Is there a big server farm/relay in China/Russia or do they have an inbuilt hack of some kind?

yeah i have no idea either

i presume the jailbroken firestick approach is using a kodi plugin to used farmed credentials etc. to push that stream to the consumer or somesuch

i've watched some nba, premier league, and champions league via streaming links online, and the quality is better than that which is available on espn via kayo (4k vs 720p) on a webstream browser, but does have a nasty habit of freezing when you don't want it to do so

 

Edited March 1Mar 1 by whatwhat say what

UPDATE: Disney has today confirmed that ESPN will launch on Disney Plus on March 26th in Australia and New Zealand on both tiers.

The offering tips off with the NBA Playoffs in April, NCAA March Madness, MLB Opening Day, and even more premier sporting events streaming soon, such as the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and UFC Fight Night.

In addition to the ESPN offering that will be on Disney+, ESPN is available via Foxtel, Kayo Sport, Fetch TV, and Sky NZ at least for the foreseeable future.

 

 

5 hours ago, roy11 said:

least for the foreseeable future.

i.e. until the end of the nba playoffs, i assume

Saudi Arabia is now confirmed as paying out the Foxtel/Telstra debt in return for a stake in Dazn. (For those interested Foxtel was effectively sold for nothing with foxtel and Telstra getting loans repaid. Not sure if they got interest if any on the loans prepaid). Similarly FIRB approval is imminent.

Going forward an interesting comment from Dazn which could come true with Saudi money...

DAZN has been known for buying up local rights deals in different markets across its near-decade long existence. However, during a panel discussion in Melbourne on Thursday, co-founder James Rushton signalled a change in strategy, noting the company’s desire now to control rights deals on a global basis.

“One of the things that DAZN is looking to do as a business is to try and buy rights globally. We much prefer to own all rights in all markets,” Rushton said.

https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/foxtel-s-petrodollar-fuelled-sale-close-to-the-finish-line-20250312-p5lj02.html

4 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

“One of the things that DAZN is looking to do as a business is to try and buy rights globally. We much prefer to own all rights in all markets,” Rushton said.

 

Wonder how easy/profitable that would be for the sporting organizations;

Just look at the PL for Example

https://www.premierleague.com/news/3703577

4 hours ago, roy11 said:

Wonder how easy/profitable that would be for the sporting organizations;

Just look at the PL for Example

https://www.premierleague.com/news/3703577

not at all, unless the saudis throw mega mega bucks at the big sporting orgs

the benefit for them to sell by region is it allows them to negotiate at an individual level

Stan edging close to buying EPL off Optus.

But more interesting to see Stan (and Paramount) sniffing around the F1 who are in their final year of rights with Foxtel (who want to renew).

AFL locked away Saturday fixtures behind Kayo, but Kayo could be losing content. Curious to see how that one plays out.

15 minutes ago, roy11 said:

Stan edging close to buying EPL off Optus.

But more interesting to see Stan (and Paramount) sniffing around the F1 who are in their final year of rights with Foxtel (who want to renew).

AFL locked away Saturday fixtures behind Kayo, but Kayo could be losing content. Curious to see how that one plays out.

we will end up like US sports with the blackouts, a complete a joke

Stan CEO announced yesterday that they would be seriously bidding for F1.

If Kayo were to lose F1 and NRL its future would definitely be questionable.

The only certainty is that subscription prices will go up or we will see more ads. Perhaps both

Here's an ABC News article on Kayo's new owner. Made his initial big money buying distressed aluminum smelters when the Soviet Union collapsed

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-08/len-blavatnik-dazn-warner-foxtel-nrl-afl-soviet-oligarch/105253268

"Over the past decade, Blavatnik has been working towards his dream of creating the "Netflix of Sport" through his sports streaming service, DAZN (pronounced "Da-Zone"). Today, it's becoming a major player in the global sports scene, with around 20 million paid subscribers and 300 million monthly users across more than 200 countries."

Edited May 8May 8 by Diamond_Jim

Kayo standard price to increase by $5 per month from 1 June.

This will bring the price to $30 per month.

Kayo hasn't published its breakdown between premium and standard subscribers but it will add millions to the bottom line.

If and when they add $5pm to the premium level that will be around $100M per year extra revenue

https://eftm.com/2025/05/price-rise-kayo-standard-jumps-to-30-from-june-dazn-cashing-in-on-their-best-new-asset-262777

Edited May 16May 16 by Diamond_Jim

Seems to be some backlash over the Saturday night FTA blackout.

Strangely enough it centres on interstate markets suggesting to me that Melbourne audiences are simply bunnies.

There's a few nuggets in the Age article below. One was the viewing audience in Sydney on Kayo for Essendon v Sydney on a Saturday night. It was 10k. So much for almost fifty years of AFL investment into the Sydney market. The other is the frank admission that if they were negotiating the media rights deal today the AFL would need to take a price cut. (Have we see maximum AFL revenue?)

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/the-true-cost-of-the-afl-abandoning-free-to-air-saturdays-in-its-4-5-billion-tv-deal-20250523-p5m1lr.html

It has been such a pleasure not having to listen to BT, Hamish and the other channel 7 boofheads this year. I think I'm actually watching more footy because of it.

Question about Kayo, does anyone else regularly get the stuttering frames? It seems to only happen on the Android TV (not apple tv, iPad etc) and not sure but possibly only when watching the 4K games. I don't get the drop in quality making it blurry but I do get the stuttering and it happens multiple times every single game. Really frustrating, it must be the Android TV app I'm presuming but wondering if anyone else gets it.

22 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I don't get the drop in quality making it blurry but I do get the stuttering and it happens multiple times every single game. Really frustrating, it must be the Android TV app I'm presuming but wondering if anyone else gets it.

It's rather good these days. I've found since 4k that it takes maybe 30 seconds of buffering before the stream starts but once it does no problem.

Could be short drops on the wifi signal. With other streams you don't notice it because they cache 5 minutes or so ahead. With Sports streams the cache is only seconds