Foxtel from Telstra is about to get more expensive with the telco announcing new pricing for its sports and Platinum HD packages. The price hike kicks in tomorrow and affects some (but not all) existing customers. Let’s take a look at the damage.
From 28 March 2017, Platinum HD subscribers will need to pay an extra $2 a month, while sports customers will see prices jump by $4. This works out to an annual price hike of $24 and $48, respectively.
So what about bundled customers? If you have the sport or platinum package included in the fixed price of your home internet bundle you will not be impacted by the price change. However, if the sport or platinum package has been added on top of your bundle inclusions you will need to pay the new price.
On the plus side, Foxtel is purportedly doubling down on new content which may help justify the revised pricing. As Telstra explained on its blog:
“Our supplier Foxtel recently made a decision to invest more in great content. This translated into higher costs in providing Foxtel from Telstra to our customers.”
This apparently includes a “recently strengthened” HBO partnership, a dedicated NRL channel that includes every game of every round of the NRL and Super Rugby and continued investment in local programming. Examples of the latter include Wentworth, A Place to Call Home, The Kettering Incident, Selling Houses Australia, Gogglebox and Real Housewives of Sydney. (It’s worth noting that Gogglebox is available on free-to-air television.)
The revised pricing will come into effect on your next bill after 28 March 2017. Affected customers should already have received notification of the price rise from Telstra.
[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/03/how-to-watch-the-nrl-and-afl-on-the-internet/” thumb=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2014/06/173720364-1-410×231.jpg” title=”How To Watch NRL And AFL Footy Matches Online” excerpt=”The footy’s back for another season but if you want to watch your favourite AFL and NRL teams play online then you’re at the mercy of Foxtel and Telstra.”]
[Via Telstra]
Comments
8 responses to “Telstra Just Jacked Up Its Foxtel Pricing”
So, not only are they holding a monopoly on HBO shows, but now we have to pay extra to support the practice?
Disgusting.
That is probably exactly the issue; paying HBO hand over fist for exclusivity; then passing costs to customers.
I had Foxtel for years and if they continue hiking up the price, I will be forced to cancel the service.
I wonder how many before networks they went to and asked to block iTunes rights until they show all the eps. Witch ain’t right. just cause I don’t wanna watch it on Foxtel.
Got the letter in the mail about this a back in December from memory (the increase came into effect from Feb I think?!?!)
So with most sport that I’m interested in watching (AFL, F1, MotoGP etc) all in their off season, we removed the sport package for 3 months until last week when the above 3 sports started up again.
I would normally watch A-League on Fox over the summer, but not enough to justify the $25 (now $29) per month.
It’s no wonder more and more people are turning to online streams.
What a coincidence. This month I jacked down my Foxtel costs by canceling it.
More content is not the answer. More shows I won’t watch doesn’t fix a broken pricing model.
Surprise, surprise, torrent sites get blocked and the prices go up. And the courts didn’t see that was going to happen.
If I were a torrenting man, I would have noticed that the blocks don’t seem to be working….if I were a torrenting man that is. If I were, I would certainly not be torrenting shows I get at reasonable cost…..If I were.