40 Comments »

1. David Knox January 29, 2012 at 3:59 pm -

   This is not Foxtel’s website. You should contact them directly for customer enqs.

2. Paul January 29, 2012 at 3:52 pm -

   Could you please let me know if I ca take the lower montly os $22 plus RAI, as I am a age person and very difficult the pay astronomic cost evry month.

   thank you

3. Michelle Patea November 17, 2010 at 7:07 pm -

   I found out today that the 2 free movies with the platinum package have officially be removed as of the 01/ 11/ 2010, with no compensation or discount because of it. I joined foxtel so I could watch NZ rugby union, news, movies and the odd documentary, only to find that foxtel will removed the NZ news from it’s advertised time if and when it suit, they can’t even supply rugby union games between NZ and England. So from one New Zealander to all others “Is it really worth paying to watch Foxtel?”

4. Eros Salinas April 20, 2010 at 6:49 pm -

   I used to be a Foxtel customer years ago and I cancelled the service due to the lack of flexibility in their packages. I have watched Foxtel at work and I can’t understand how people will actually pay to get inundated with ads. If all customers started cancelling their services Foxtel will change their tune very quickly, it is up to you people give them the flick.

5. Calvin March 23, 2010 at 5:09 pm -

   I’m sure many would have received a letter in recent days (as I did) indicating that the decision to remove UKTV and W from the old Digital Basic customers has been put on hold. All I can say is that they must have been deluged with customers threatening to disconnect (as I did).

   However, the tone of the letter still indicates that this reprieve is temporary while “we look into a package that better suits your needs and enables you to have the channels you love”. This could mean anything! Particularly so as the old digital basic package is largely incompatible with the new structure.

   Any opinions on what we should expect or what’s the minimum Foxtel should offer?

   I’m happy to upgrade to a new package but only on the basis that (say) the Drama and Lifestyle package , which contains UKTV and W, is thrown in for a minimal or (preferably) no cost.

6. Bas January 16, 2010 at 4:54 pm -

   Foxtel is complete s**t and a nuisance.
   We are cancelling sometime next week and getting a bigger internet quota.

   How does it make sense that free to air tv has less dd breaks and a more up-to-date episodes than Foxtel? I loved watching Discovery channel, at least they didnt have so many add breaks, maybe to announce shows coming up (which is a waste of time anyway) but not the F**king Shamwow adds and the thousand insurance adds they have got now!

   I am losing my mind here!

   peace out
   –Bas

7. joanne December 30, 2009 at 6:01 pm -

   Foxtel should look at retraining some staff,,some are rude and obnoctious,,3 times i was asked by the same person if i wanted to add broadband to my package, in the end i asked him “what part of No dont you understand.
   I am very disapointed in the service they provide. I had a complaint I spoke to 7 yes 7 people befoe i came off the phone more confused than i was when I first rang them… disconnection i think is the next step.

8. George Mcintyre December 30, 2009 at 9:03 am -

   I downgrade to the basic package +16 sport = $58 from $84
   i to am sick of foxtell uping the price at will i been with fotell tel for quit some time well back when it was analog .
   since the the price increase steadily every year i thought with more and move subscibers maybe they would of put prices down but oh no to have al pros and cons u need to pretty well off 2 witch in not so i get crap shows +sport i realy miss bbc and uktv and ci but to get then i back up to my 84 a month
   As for iq u rent it for $10 a moth so 120$ year
   some time i wich every one i mean every one said no to fox untill the listern to the subcribers bet it be a shock to then if every said we dont wont fox in the end we pay for foxtel to operate like to know who comes up with the packages
   m remote on its last legs said $65 for new one i said i been with u for like 5 years and i have to pay for new remote but some one just joining up get a new one so much for loyalty oh well the foxtell for u i think maybe $40 bacis and $1.50 per channel u wont.

   i also see in fine print u need to pay for sd channels fisrt to beable to hd channels they get u every way they can cant some look into this commpany come on kev we struggleing out thier and u wont us to buy tvs and stb and all this items but no good if u cant aford to run them i say by 2015 we be pay over 200$ a month for basic foxtel unless we make a stand or some one looks into thier priceies like accc well they a joke any way love to work for them they do noting and get payed

9. Under Scrutiny October 9, 2009 at 8:17 pm -

   There must be a couple of hundred thousand or more of Foxtels customers just getting the same communication that John got and will see the huge impact its going to have on their pockets in order to see the very same channels they see now. For these digital basic customers their miniumum cost increase is in the order of $30 plus per month. Foxtel should not be allowed to chnage the package structure in this way. We cant get competition as Australia is too small population wise. We dont have good regulation or protection from such practices. We dont have the will to act as consumer group who could easily move their monthly revenues by $5 million a month just simply by adjusting our packages. Its time for the Aussie consumer to get of their bottoms and act unless they want to be perpetually screwed.

10. David Knox October 9, 2009 at 2:37 pm -

    John UKTV and W haven’t been part of the additional My Escape package not Basic for some time. Maybe your plan was really old? I agree the free IQ offer is for New subscribers only.

11. John October 9, 2009 at 2:19 pm -

    I’m fuming at the moment! I just received an email from Foxtel staing “we have made some changes to our package and pricing structure … [and] your current Digital Basic will increase by $2 per month”. Added to this “UKTV and W. will no longer be available in the Digital Basic package [but] as a valued customer we will continue to provide UKTV and W. at no additional charge for up to 6 months”.

    I phoned Foxtel today to ask what “up to 6 months” means to be told the whole Digital Basic package will be terminated within 6 months and that I will be required to move to a new (more expensive) package. No mention of this in the letter!

    I also protested that new subscribers can get IQ free yet as an existing subscriber, I must pay! I was told I get get IQ or IQ2 free but there is an ‘installation fee’ – not free in my book!

    Why can’t there be a basic monthly subscription fee and then a single fee per channel I want instead of being forced to take a bundle of channels, mostly of stuff I’ll never watch.

    We need some real competition to get full flexibility and value.

12. friendly croc October 6, 2009 at 8:24 pm -

    “Foxtel Next Generation and the iQ Value Pack options mean every subscriber will get an iQ for free, forever changing the way they experience television,” he said.

    iQ Value Pack: SD Platinum $120

    Build Your Own: SD Platinum $110, + iQ $10 = $120

    I’m confused as to how exactly that is an “iQ for free”? Where is the value, it’s the exact same price?! What am I missing?

    Is it just semantics? Since the iQ Value Pack technically doesn’t charge a separate fee for the iQ it’s “free” even though it’s completely obvious the $10 fee is included in the Value Pack price.

    I’m very disappointed. Shame on me for actually thinking “an iQ for free” meant, well, an iQ for free. :/

13. David Knox October 3, 2009 at 12:05 am -

    My understanding is you get it automatically.

    Looking closer at Foxtel wording it seems the price increases are imposed to the majority of customers. You can “stay on your current package” but it comes with a price increase. A bit sneaky in its wording really.

14. sav001 October 1, 2009 at 7:09 pm -

    Hi David, just to clarify, was that a Yes for getting it automatically or having to pay extra for it?

15. David Knox October 1, 2009 at 6:13 pm -

    Yes u will.

16. sav001 October 1, 2009 at 5:36 pm -

    Hi David, do you know if you already have the sports package,do you get eurosport automatically?

17. srdjan savic September 30, 2009 at 7:10 pm -

    HI David, I was wondering if you already have the sports package, will you automatically get eurosport or do you have to pay extra for it?

18. Marco September 30, 2009 at 6:00 pm -

    Timeshift channels are *awesome* for when there are too many good shows on at once, and the IQ2 can only handle 2 recordings at once. eg tonight at 7.30 if i want to record Hey Hey and Celebrity Masterchef, but also Jay Leno on Comedy, then I can record all 3 by setting the IQ2 to record the 9.30 broadcast of Jay Leno on Comedy+2. The +2 channels can be an absolute godsend, particularly if they show is not given multiple repeats throughout the week. If not for the +2, I would have to choose a show to not record or stay home and have to watch one live. But I rarely if ever watch live TV anymore – hence IQ2 + timeshift channels=TV Heaven.

19. Peter September 30, 2009 at 5:13 pm -

    Im dreaming here, but wouldn’t it be great if they’d just charge us for each channel we want, with a minimum charge of say $50.Have a bunch of channels for $2 each, another bunch for $3 each ect ect, then we can just pick the channels we want that add up to at least $50 and be done with it. I have the ‘get started’ and ‘my sport’ packs, which cost $56 a month, but have never watched more then half the channels which come in the get started pack!

    If their mission is to ensure all subscribers have an iQ, why do we still need timeshift channels? If you want to watch something 2 hours after it airs, record it on the iQ and watch it 2hours later if thats the problem!

20. Michael September 30, 2009 at 5:11 pm -

    My Son (9) and i were watching channel 10 today, when a foxtel from telstra ad was shown, after the ad finished he asked me “why is foxtel so expensive.”
    i think that sums it up.

21. David Knox September 30, 2009 at 3:53 pm -

    Assuming you are happy to pay the $100 IQ upgrade too. Note these prices are for new subscribers.

22. Kathy September 30, 2009 at 3:47 pm -

    @craig – I spat the dummy yesterday here about much the same thing, hence fully support your comments.

    David you are a very patient man, and you have done a great job when it comes to your responses to these questions. I would give anything to see your reaction and/or body language though when reading some of this stuff The bonus’s of being able to hide behind a screen.

    Let’s hope Foxtel reward you well for all your efforts.

23. Jason September 30, 2009 at 3:46 pm -

    Family iQ $72
    Get Started, Kids & Music, Drama & Lifestyle, Knowledge & Adventure, IQ

    So currently I get these 3 packages (but not the IQ) for appox $65 per month – the price goes up to $72 (with an IQ) but $42 + (3 x $16) = $90 so there’s some sort of discount still happening. It’s more like I’ll be forced to pay an extra $7 a month for IQ

24. David Knox September 30, 2009 at 10:44 am -

    Kids & Music added. Weird I recall writing it yesterday….

25. Craig September 30, 2009 at 10:29 am -

    geez people, this is a tv blog, not the Foxtel information centre…check their website or ring their call centre if you want further information, you cant expect David to research every single variation of Foxtels packages and provide you with exact costings…thanks for all the info though David, great job, as always.

26. Richard W September 30, 2009 at 10:06 am -

    There is no mention of the Kids & Music package in the “Build Your Own” section? Can you confirm this is $16 also? Any new channels here as well?

27. Rod September 30, 2009 at 9:24 am -

    Still too much junk in the basic package. I would happily spring for the sports and drama packages if I didn’t have to pay for a pile of unwanted channels to start with.

28. Luke W September 30, 2009 at 1:59 am -

    I would like to see more finer details of the packages for existing subscribers. I stuffed up what I said before. My current setup is an IQ2 and two IQ1s. That is $121 for Platinum HD, $10 IQ2 fee and $30 of discounted multi-room fees. A total of $161 per month. I simply wish to know how much more I have to pay to get the extra SD and HD channels. I think it still means a $4 increase to $165 a month, but having to ring up Foxtel to do that is a pain. Should be automatic as long as they send out a letter letting you know that they plan to do this.

29. David Knox September 29, 2009 at 10:18 pm -

    These plans are for new subscribers from Oct 1. Existing customers can stay on their current plan, or if they alter their plans they move to new prices. Not sure a “free iQ” is even on offer for existing subscribers even if they move to new plans. Will need to check.

30. Rod September 29, 2009 at 9:35 pm -

    So does that mean if you have an existing package you need to do something and you get a free iQ This time around?

31. Jack September 29, 2009 at 8:37 pm -

    Existing subscribers will not have a price increase if they stay on their current plan. plan. For example if you are subcribed to the Platinum HD package at $131 the $4 price increase will not be applied.

    The new charges will only be applicable if existing subscribers change their plan or change address.

    Details can be seen on the Telstra website. Foxtel sales reps have also confirmed this information over the phone.

32. Ryano September 29, 2009 at 8:31 pm -

    Foxtel is a rip off. Think I might simply unsubscribe. Im over paying to watch ads (seems to get worse by the year) and besides Fox Sports and the news channels, the Foxtel platform ads little value to my TV needs.
    If Fox Sports was on SelecTV I would get that, but for some reason you can only get it on Foxtel. Basically Foxtel/Fox Sports is a monopoly and anti-competitive, but obviously they seem to get away with it thanks to the Murdoch and pals influence.

33. Luke W September 29, 2009 at 8:30 pm -

    Good deal for me. I currently have the HD Complete package, which is $131, so a $4 increase for all those new HD and SD channels is justified in my opinion. I just can’t wait for Channel Seven to come onto my foxtel box (i’m on satellite and i’m sick of having to use the VCR to record Channel Seven while all my other programs are on the IQ). November 15 is going to be a big day in my household!

34. Kuttsywood September 29, 2009 at 8:28 pm -

    This is the reason Foxtel should lose the content monopoly. Other operators have to get sub-par channels, when they should have the right to access the Foxtel database.

    Pay television would become cheaper, and competition would be encouraged.

    PVR’s are the future, but it’s the MyStar model, that the industry should follow, where retransmission agreements are a unneeded business expense, with the access to the terrestrial transmissions. Foxtel’s subscriber base may grow if they developed a iQ (iQ3?) based on the MyStar architecture, to eliminate the need for Foxtel to sign retransmission agreements with networks, and Foxtel can provide more channels for viewers.

35. Matt September 29, 2009 at 8:23 pm -

    @bazza, there is no chance in hell foxtel will be removing advertising,people complain about this often enough, but if it wasn’t for advertising(kind of like how cinemas run ads before the main feature- no ads before film begins= much higher ticket prices), the subscriptions would be much higher than they would be- the ads help the lowering of the costs.

36. bazza September 29, 2009 at 8:02 pm -

    Still too expensive. When they let me buy channels at a time, or packs of channels for under $15 base price, I’ll toy with the idea of cable again. Oh and they’ll have to remove the advertising too, they don’t get paid twice for the one lot of content.

37. Marco September 29, 2009 at 8:00 pm -

    I’m on basic plus IQ2, so currently pay $50 a month. But having UKTV, W and Fox8 on HD is enticing, meaning at the very least I have to pay an additional $16 for the package W and UKTV are in (Drama & Lifestyle), plus the $42 for basic, plus $10 for IQ2, plus $16 for HD, adding up to $84 already. For another $16 I get all the channels of Kids & Music plus Knowledge & Adventure, plus the Showtime suite of channels, and also the various Showtime channels that are in HD. At $100 for all that a month, I’m sold! Goodbye cinemas!

38. David Knox September 29, 2009 at 7:04 pm -

    Jason, yes that’s correct.

39. Michael Quinn September 29, 2009 at 6:55 pm -

    Could they make it anymore complicated?

    Any word on new Austar packages?

40. Jason Fraser September 29, 2009 at 6:53 pm -

    I think where you mention “no more Showtime” and “no more Fox Sports, BBC” they’re just being renamed… Showtime becomes Showtime Premiere, Fox Sports HD becomes Fox Sports 1 HD and BBC becomes UKTV HD.

    It also looks like Showtime Greats is being replaced with the Showtime Action/Comedy/Drama trio.

    At least… that’s what I’ve been inferring from the information put on Foxtel’s website.

    I have to say though, that I’m a little disappointed in the dramatic increase of $14 for Platinum iQ (it’s a big increase compared to the increases in the other packages). I can understand why the increase, just disappointed that it’s *that* much of an increase…

    ~Jason

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