Foxtel: introducing 30 new channels

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rugrat

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#249725 22-Aug-2009 19:48

Maybe people not interested in HD ticket because only additional 4 channels, also how much sports is HD.

I'm happy with movies as just about all are HD.

TV1-TV3 don't need HD ticket.

Mate just got Mysky HDi, but doesn't have HD tv, he got it for the recording capability.

Still waiting for phone call for upgrade, I only got box connected to existing setup, so need the works, cable and quad LNB.

Guess they can't start using new satellite until all ground work done.

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hairy1

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#249731 22-Aug-2009 20:31

From the annual report, there are 85,700 Hdi boxes in service.

18,000 are paying the $10 fee and another 35,000 are paying for multiroom so 58% are getting HD either way so it is over half.

I would think most of the multi-room installations are mysky 1 owners who got the upgrade deal when hdi was released.

My views (except when I am looking out their windows) are not those of my employer.

Dingbatt

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#250016 24-Aug-2009 09:53

rugrat: Maybe people not interested in HD ticket because only additional 4 channels, also how much sports is HD.

I'm happy with movies as just about all are HD.

TV1-TV3 don't need HD ticket.

Mate just got Mysky HDi, but doesn't have HD tv, he got it for the recording capability.

Still waiting for phone call for upgrade, I only got box connected to existing setup, so need the works, cable and quad LNB.

Guess they can't start using new satellite until all ground work done.

Went into the Sky office in Christchurch a few weeks ago to ask about having my lnb/cable updated for the new satellite. I was told by a rather rude customer services lady that "it wasn't a priority for Sky at the moment". It may not be their priority, but it will be mine if I am missing out on something I am paying for once D3 comes on line.

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allstarnz

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#250424 25-Aug-2009 16:30

I'm not entirely sure that Sky will actually use D3 as primary transponders for channels, I have received conflicting theories on this. If anything, for now it'd be HD only channels, as hardly any customers have got the right rig to be able to properly switch over to 156E right now. The thought was that the transponders Sky have a are low powered backups if D1 goes belly up unexpectedly.

I guess we'll find out for sure in due course.

Not really much in the way of excitement there really. The only things i'd like is ESPN in HD, Sky Sport 4, and Sky to get the rights to rebroadcast Setanta and Eurosport Asia Pacific (this last one is a pipe dream, as too much conflicts with Skys own content rights)

NzKaizer

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#252428 1-Sep-2009 23:08

The box in itself is highly worth it. The recording functions alone make it worth while, I just wish the hard drive was bigger or changeable so I could store all my favourite movies on there. Each godfather is taking up 10% o.0

As for the HD ticket, I can understand how many people cannot validate the cost. Simply because not even all shows on the HD channels are in HD. Its only some and few in between, or as people see it. Change the server so that 90% of Sky channels are in HD and 90% of the content is in HD then you will see those HD ticket subscrber number go up many fold.

login

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#252758 2-Sep-2009 21:40

That's interesting (the statistics on HD uptake). From my point of view the lack of plenty of good HD content is probably one good reason for this. If Sky will make available the Discovery, Nat Geo and History channels in HD then that would very likely improve the uptake of HD.

Also, commercial customers do not seem to have a HD option as there is only a MySkyHDi box that can currently provide HD whereas a plain HD-capable box is probably all commercial customers want. For example, how many hotel/motel operators are prepared to stick a MySkyHDi box in every room just to provide HD content? (No answer required, it's a rhetorical question).

Another problem is the marketing by Sky of HD. When people ask me about HD costs their eyes start to glaze over - there are just far too many options, each with their own separate additional costs. It's over compartmentalised. People consider they are paying plenty already. My suggestion would be to scrap the $10 per month HD ticket cost altogether and if anyone has a MySkyHDi box give them HD for no extra cost. I realise it's already free if you get multiroom but my suggestion is to drop the price of multiroom to $15 instead of $25 as it's already overpriced anyway.

And another thing while I think of it. When I see Sky's advertised pricing I want to see it in $ per month - not $ per week! We pay monthly, not weekly, and its the monthly cost we are interested in.

So in summary, I think it's up to Sky. They have painted themselves into a corner with their plethora of pricing options and this has very much hindered the uptake of HD.

ockel

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#252813 3-Sep-2009 07:54

At a little over 3% of household penetration in ~1 yr this seems like a reasonable level of adoption.
I recall that Statistics NZ has estimated the penetration of HD televisions at ~30% so HDi penetration of 9% of addressable homes seems even more reasonable.

By way of comparison Freeview acheived 6.3% penetration in its first year.

Rugrat: on average 20hours of sport per day is in HD. And approx 90% of movies are in HD. This compares to FTA which has on average less than 10 hours HD per day across the 3 channels.

All pay tv operators around the world start with few channels of HD and gradually add over time. BSkyB started with 4 (or 6?) and now has around 30. Similarly in the US. And all operators persist with a separate charge for the HD ticket (and PVR) as a way of differentiating value to customers. This hasnt stopped penetration growing and I doubt NZ will be any different.

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DarkKnight08

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#259583 30-Sep-2009 02:41

looks like Foxtel will now have 4 HD Sport Channels and 13 new HD Channels by 15 November:

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,28383,26142218-10229,00.html
New channels, downloads for pay TV
Service to launch November 15
Available on Foxtel and Austar

PAY TV subscribers will have access to 12 new channel brands, including movie, sport and lifestyle offerings, and a new free downloading service, as part of a push to win over customers.

Foxtel today revealed plans for new channels to launch on November 15, including 12 new channel brands with fresh content, and 15 channels extended to high definition.

Regional Austar subscribers will also have access to the channels as part of the "Next Generation" service.

The 12 new channel brands will be Lifestyle You, with talent such as MasterChef's Sarah Wilson, racing royalty Kate Waterhouse, and TV presenter Antonia Kidman, a murder mystery channel 13th Street, an ad-free station called Kids Co, The Style Network, Discovery Turbo Max, Nat Geo Wild and new sports channel, Eurosport.

New movie channels will include Showtime Drama, Showtime Comedy, Showtime Action, Family Movie Channel (FMC), and Starpics, aimed at showing blocks of movies from one actor.

All three Fox Sports channels, and six movie channels, will be among 15 channels available in high definition.

There will also be eight new time shift channels, allowing viewers to watch content a couple of hours later.

Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams said it was the biggest announcement for Foxtel since the launch of digital in 2004.

It's reported to have cost the provider $50 million.

"Foxtel Next generation not only offers our subscribers more viewing options, it uses technology to take the Foxtel experience online," Williams said.

As part of the announcement Foxtel announced a free online TV and movie download service called Foxtel Download, to allow viewers to download and watch up to 400 hours of movies from 38 channels on their computers.

Every event from next year's Winter Olympics and Commonwealth Games will be shown through Foxtel's multi-channels and will also be able to streamed online.

The Weather Channel will have more interactive functions and there would be a new service called Sky News Local.

A record-me service will allow viewers to record programs from promos or advertisements.

As part of Next Generation, packages will increase by a few dollars a month, but subscribers will be given a recording player IQ, for free.

Earlier in the day, Austar revealed their plans for regional subscribers, who would now have access to HD television for an incremental $5 a month.

Their offering includes 15 new standard definition channels and 13 new high definition channels.

Further channels and a catch-up service will be announced in early 2010.

Foxtel is partially owned by the parent company of news.com.au's publisher.

clevedon

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#259592 30-Sep-2009 07:17

Yeah saw that on Aussie Sky News last night, hopefully Sky NZ will follow soon with their announcement of their upgrades too.

DS9

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#259742 30-Sep-2009 14:43

All I could find from Sky's Annual Report of any future developments was this:

Finally ?i? in HDi stands for internet
capability. As mentioned earlier we now
have over 80,000 MYSKY HDi boxes in
the field. When we have a critical mass in
the field of around 200,000 we will start
downloading content on demand.

No mention of additional channels.

I aim to misbehave.

old3eyes

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#259953 1-Oct-2009 08:44

DarkKnight08: looks like Foxtel will now have 4 HD Sport Channels and 13 new HD Channels by 15 November:

Saw in a Ozz news group that if you take the new basic package with DVR and HD it's now going to be around A$88 nearly double what it is now..

Regards,

Old3eyes

clevedon

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#259958 1-Oct-2009 08:53

old3eyes:
DarkKnight08: looks like Foxtel will now have 4 HD Sport Channels and 13 new HD Channels by 15 November:

Saw in a Ozz news group that if you take the new basic package with DVR and HD it's now going to be around A$88 nearly double what it is now..

I'd pay double our basic NZ Sky package tomorrow if we could get another 13+ extra HD channels.

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