Clearly our prediction that all Franklins stores would soon be rebranded as IGA was a little premature. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) just announced it is going to appeal the Federal Court decision which said that Franklins could be sold off to Metcash despite ACCC objections, and it looks like the Foxtel/Austar merger is a factor. More »
In practical terms, pay TV seems simple in Australia: you get Foxtel if you live in a big city, Austar if you live in a rural area, and essentially the same channels on offer through either service. Despite that, the ACCC doesn’t seem too keen on letting Foxtel pursue its plan to take over Austar — and the NBN plays a key role. More »
When we asked readers last week why they chose pay TV, the most popular response was not to have pay TV at all. But amongst those who were paying, the chief reason was sporting access — a finding which matches up with the ratings for pay TV generally. More »
Many Lifehacker readers favour Channel BT over pay TV, but there are more than 1.6 million households which pay for Foxtel, and another three-quarters of a million which have Austar. Oddly, having lots of extra channels isn’t necessarily a major incentive for choosing to pay for TV. More »
Foxtel’s announcement today of Internet-driven video-on-demand (VOD) is the newest addition to an increasingly crowded marketplace. Planhacker rounds up what you’ll pay for movie and TV rental downloads. More »
With the recent launch of the Foxtel IQ2, the imminent (and much-delayed) appearance of Tivo in Australia next month, and Sony promising its own PlayTV personal video recorder (PVR) option before the year is out, there are more big-name PVR choices for Aussies than ever before. Getting your favourite TV programs automatically recorded for playback at a time that suits you is an obviously appealing concept, but despite the arrival of these new entrants, you still have two basic choices: a fairly pricey system that works well but is hard to customise, or a much cheaper and more flexible option that may not deliver on the simplicity and reliability front.
Although Foxtel started installing HD-equipped iQ2 boxes in early June, the company has set June 22 as the official date for the launch of the Foxtel HD+ service. The occasion will be marked with an HD broadcast of the World Cup qualifier between Australia and China.According to Foxtel, more than 15,000 homes have already had the iQ2 box installed. We’d love to know how many wanted HD, and how many just wanted the iQ2 itself (320GB is a lot of shows). But what we’re really looking forward to is seeing how people tweak the iQ2 as it becomes more widespread.
