Today is the annual conference of the Pay TV industry at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre where executives and decision-makers from across the sector will gather to talk, listen and brainstorm.
It begins with the Women In Television breakfast at 7:15am headed up by Sandra Levy from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. Former Victorian Premier, and ASTRA Chairman, welcomes the delegates at 9:45, ahead of Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries keynote address. Survivor creator Mark Burnett’s Plenary Address at 11:30am via videolink after he was unable to attend.
Afternoon sessions include such topics as “If Content is King Who Are the Future Rulers?”, “The Power of the PVR,” “Striving to Be Different: STV’s Customer Service Focus”, “Winning the Hearts and Minds of Consumers” and “New Media: Disruptive or Advantage?” The day ends with the ASTRA Industry Excellence Awards and drinks (of course).
But while the heads of the Pay TV industry are gathering, what are the issues that are pressing to the audience?
Last August in TV Tonight’s ‘Audience Inventory’, readers identified a number of issues that needed addressing including:
- Adding all Free to Air Channels (Seven, 7TWO and GO! have since been added but some cities and regionals are still without, while ONE is only available to select subscribers depending on their package).
- More Diverse Packaging Options (These have had a shake-up but like Pay TV’s “Use it or Lose It” campaign, many subscribers would prefer to pay just for the channels they actually view).
- Widescreen for All Channels (this is still an outstanding issue, although the Comedy Channel will change on April 1).
- Less Ads (Viewers are unhappy about paying for television while still copping ads).
- Adding New Channels (Foxtel added new channels in November).
- An Improved EPG (also upgraded in November).
- iPhone Application (added in December).
Since that time a number of other issues have become prevalent with ongoing complaints or questions.
- Search Function (pictured). In January Foxtel advised TV Tonight this inoperative function would be rectified “in coming weeks.” So far it isn’t.
- iQ Series Link. Readers are continually asking why their Series Link function has been dropping out causing them to miss episodes of favourite shows.
- Content. Too many repeats, particularly on the movie channels (despite that fact extra movie channels were added).
- Customer Service. Outsourcing a Call Centre always has its limitations.
- Ovation Channel. Longtime viewers of the channel aren’t taken with the idea of losing the channel, even with STVDIO to replace it, or with the ‘option’ of paying extra every month to access it.
- OPTUS TV Magazine. Last edition was published in February. Subscribers are unhappy there is no magazine Guide anymore.
- Monopolies. Regional viewers have long protested that in the bush they have the choice of one provider, Austar.
- Fastracking. While American Idol gets a same day turnaround, other shows still take their time in arriving. Dexter and True Blood are just two shows viewers want to see sooner rather than later.
- Adding first run Australian drama to channels that attract higher subscription fees. None of Tangle, 30 Seconds or The Jesters were available on the basic package and Spirited will similarly be seen on W.
- Some confusion over which subscribers were lucky enough to receive the Winter Olympics channels free when other long-term subscribers felt overlooked.
On a positive note, viewers were complimentary about Foxtel’s Winter Olympics coverage, there have been no significant complaints about the new Download offering and IQ subscribers like it so much they couldn’t live without the thing.
If you have any other issues you would like directed to Pay TV execs, let’s hear it.
Just a follow-up to the young’uns here wanting to know when Nick and Nick Jr’s logos will change – this weekend.
Time to market needs to be addressed. I quite like Saturday Night Live, but showing new episodes six months late, especially on such a topical show is pathetic. Leno and Letterman are next day, SNL should be too or at worst the next Saturday.
Kuttsywood-agreed, Nick has been airing a KCA promo which has the new logo.
In this day and age of technology and sites like this one,you are always going to get complaints no matter what the subject………My response will be positive Here It Goes
1.People saying to many repeats particularly on the movie channels.You have got to remember that this will always happen as there are so many movie channels available but not enough movies available simple.You could change your Foxtel package around from time to time instead of having all the movie channels on all the time.Something i would like to see though is The Box Office Movies be scraped and those movies go directly onto the movie channels straight away.I think this move would be great idea for the future
2.iQ-Series link that’s not a problem there are ways around this
3.Too Many ads.Well depends what your watching Fox 8,Arena have always been this way.But then if your watching a movie you have no ads.Watching sport apart from ESPN are generally not to bad when it comes to ads.Watching The AFL Football only has ads at quarter time half time etc,no interuption whatsoever.
4.Customer service-Have never had a problem
5.Ovation Channel well at least it’s still available to the ones that want it.STVDIO will cover alot of the programs anyway.
Thanks for reading
AA says:
March 18, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Would like to know when Nickelodeon Australia will adopt the logo used by Nick in the US.
Answer – very, very, very soon! As will Nick Jr.
The Foxtel service that frustrates me the most is the fact you can only purchase the HD channels if you purchase the SD channels first… Why! it makes no sense, if you purchase the HD channels, your not going to watch the SD version of the channel anymore, so i ask again Why?
This thread is greatly admired Mr. Knox, but unless they sent you a well deserved invitation to attend the conference and represent the viewing audience, will they even care less to read people’s complaints. Can you get an interview with ASTRA’s chairman. Nevertheless I agree with these :
1) iQ Series Link drop outs, plus the fact that Series Link doesn’t even work a lot of the time. Like I’ve wanted to Series Link things on GO and SBS HD and it won’t do it, so I had to do a custom Series Link, that one can access via the Active section. I set the Oscars to record (using iQ2) from Nine HD and it only stupidly recorded the first 30 minutes. It thought the part where Richard Wilkins is outside at the start was it. I believe TiVo also had the same problem with the Oscars.
2) Fixing this : Cancellation Code [6], as someone mentioned already. For those that don’t know, Foxtel’s iQ platform has a major flaw that’s largely been
ignored – it’s handling of power interruptions.
3) The need to make all of Foxtel’s channels available in HD. If it’d mean an increase in all their fees, so be it. Ads I don’t care about, as most viewers record everything from Foxtel and fast forward them.
4) The need (sooner, rather than later) for the Rudd government to force Telstra to sell out of their Foxtel stake. Murdoch has already said he’d gladly buy up their stake, ahead of others like Kerry Stokes who’d love to take it.
I’m not too fussed about the ads. There are still less than free to air and those we do have aren’t that annoying.
iQ Series Link – I’ve had this drop out twice in the last couple of weeks, once with Xena and again today with Sanctuary. Fortunately, the next issue solves that.
“Content. Too many repeats, particularly on the movie channels (despite that fact extra movie channels were added).”
I’d add “particularly on the scifi channel” to that. Some of the shows on scifi are repeated three or four times a day, on both scifi stations.
Omg Geoff, keep up the great work on the K & J show – we love u!
Less Ads would be good, especially when such a large quantity of the ad break time on Foxtel are for the same in house ads we see over and over and over.
A major concern for my Dad and brother during the Winter Olympics was Viewer’s Choice being taken away from the English Premier League for the Winter Olympics coverage. This, especially the lack of advertising about the move made them very angry as EPL coverage is the only reason they got Foxtel in the first place.
great summary david. Good to see my whining hasnt gone astray. They have to get IQ fixed imo – too many glitches. adds and repeats dont worry me. I would like to just buy the sports HD channels though – nothing else.
@mac – the news text thing is also starting to bug me. Especially when looking for a quick scan of the headlines (presumably that’s why it’s there) and you need to go out and re-launch a few times before it works. Funny that that never occurred until they “upgraded” to the sky local service.
I wouldn’t worry about there not being an Optus magazine anymore…you won’t need it.
(1) In Perth we still only have ABC & SBS FTA channels on satellite. Not that theres anything worth watching on FTA anyway but I recently bought a Topfield box for the FTA channels but it is way more inferior than the IQ box.
(2) Foxtel website should have EPG one month not 13 days. Magazine has a month so why not the EPG.
(3) discounts for loyal customers not new customers. i’ve had satellite since it was galaxy and have had no reward for loyalty. How about a free 2nd IQ box or a free move package once a year.
(4) Broadband bundling. In UK my brother has a virgin+ box with free phone calls and free broadband which includes all the bbc iplayer and itv players etc. Its still cheaper than my foxtel bundle with nothing included.
Apart from that I am very happy with my foxtel iq (couldn’t live without it), my favourite channel is UKTV.
Yes Geoff has been with us a while!
@Russell
Great to see such an open an honest review, well said. I am with you 110%.
@Geoff Field – the Kyle and Jackie O’s newsreader
Welcome to TV Tonight – It is fantastic that we finally see one of the media/tv/radio members join us, and more importantly, under a ‘real’ identity, rather than hiding.
What about all the constant Pixelation and skipping on almost every program i try to record?
My green button doesnt work for iSuggest in the guide funtion now. I think Foxtel may have done an update which has accidently disabled the green button which prevents series link and other green button options in menus.
As Travis mentioned, my IQ continually skips during playback…. a second or two at a time….
Would like to know when Nickelodeon Australia will adopt the logo used by Nick in the US.
I would say cost is top of the list, they need a way to reduce it but that then feeds in to problem 2 the number of ads now on channels like Fox8, I’ve seen 5 minute ad breaks some times with less than 5 minutes before the next break, this is getting worse than FTA.
I don’t mind the repeats, it give you a chance to catch the show at the time you want to see it and really if you can’t find something new to watch with the 100 plus channels then maybe you’ve been watching too much TV
Foxtel owned and operated channels have been creating facebook & twitter pages they are just not answering as much of the questions to the issues and leaving it for announcements. If it is known issues why not have a general blog simular to what software programs have when they release a new version of it.
When they send an update to the box put it on the site to have full transparency and when happens a technical issue update or what is happening with the issues left to be resolved..
Geoff Field – Austar do have the local FTAs. You need the Mystar box, not the ordinary box. If your mum can receive the local 7, 9 and 10 now, she will receive them on the MyStar, as well as 7TWO and GO!
Thanks Daniel
I’m a technophobe !
Just wish it was easier for my mum to access all the stations, I’ll have to give her remote lesssons again – cheers
@Geoff Field, Austar can’t put fta channels on the satellite because there are way too many broadcasters to put on a satellite. Each regional variant is only allowed to broadcast within a specific area. Southern Cross TEN, WIN and Prime have several markets in several states. Austar would have to put up on a satellite, every single broadcaster in every single market. If you don’t like how the govt decided the licencing laws and areas, take it up with Conroy.
I agree with regards replays of programs being a plus – but within reason. Recently I wrote to the Movie Network Channels to point out several instances where a movie title had been played across three of their movie channels (yes one was a timeshift) within a matter of hours (on one occasion the same movie was playing on two channels at the same time – Starpics and Movie Extra). To their credit they did reply and apologised for the incidents highlighted, and stated that their policy is not to repeat the same film across more than one channel within such a short timeframe. Here’s hoping they stick to that policy.
TV1 might want to look at the prevalence of repeats on their network also. Hogan’s Heroes has been stuck fast in the 6.30pm weeknights timeslot for nigh on seven years!! Whilst some of the titles they tease viewers with in their ‘shortcut’ segments (‘Goodtimes’) are rarely if ever aired in full.
I can’t believe Austar doesn’t include free to air channels.
I got Pay tv put on for my elderly mum, and the last thing she needs is confusion switching to and from pay to free to air.
C’mon Austar, get it together or you’ll lose customers
@russel, i don’t know why people would be unhappy about replays either, i would prefer to be given several opportunities to watch a movie than just one chance and if i miss it too bad. plus it would be impossible to fill 24 hour movie channels without repeats.
in terms of bugs, it’s really starting to annoy me that clicking on text in sky news active doesn’t work most of the time.
Agree with DanR with the fasttracking. It was good news yesterday when it mention here that Breaking Bad would screen on Foxtel 3 and a bit weeks after screening in the states compared to Mad Men season 3 which started on Foxtel 3 weeks ago when it first screened in the states last August.
One HD (or SD) on Foxtel Satellite.
Cancellation Code [6]
For those that don’t know, the iQ platform has IMO a major flaw that has largely been ignored – it’s handling of power interruptions. A half descent PVR will at the very least keep an “in progress” recording up to the point of the interruption. An even better PVR will then continue the recording when power is restored (either as a new file or with a jump in the recording where the interruption occurred). Not an iQ! To it’s credit it does recommence a recording, but it does not save the part recording up to the interruption. Rather frustrating when this occurs with only a few minutes to go in the program.
What’s worse is that it is not limited to power outages. It functions exactly the same whenever Foxtel decide to force download a software update or just randomly remote reset boxes – resulting in the infuriating error code: “Cancellation Code [6]“
my iQ was not letting me record winter olympics, so guess who missed out on the gold medal ice hockey match? thats right me. and foxtel’s response when i called them up to do some trouble shooting – call back in 24 hours if your still having the same problem. thank you foxtel for taking my $125 a month, if it wasnt for my boss paying half i would cancel.
Finally Russell, someone who thinks about a situation before running their mouth (or keyboard) off. I agree 100% with what you said, I’d rather sit through a few ads and watch a few repeats than suffer the haphazard scheduling and mistrust of the viewers that the FTA networks seem to have currently.
Nick changing their logo to match the US. It has to happen, there is no avoiding the new logo. It’ll be all over the US KCA’s, why not switch to the new logo now.
Same with the introduction of Disney XD and or either TeenNick or Nicktoons.
I’d like them to fix the IQ error…when you record a program, occasionally it will skip forward 3 or 4 seconds of the program with a fuzzy image and no sound.
Fast tracking is a Must for pay tv, especially for hot shows like True Blood, Dexter, Entourage, Mad Men, Project Runway, Top Model, etc, etc …. it’s getting increasingly tough to justify the high costs of Foxtel when all your mates are watching “illegal” downloads and you’re feeling left behind by doing the “right” thing. I know some US broadcasters have rules about when overseas territories can broadcast their shows but if the likes of Foxtel start suggesting they’ll pay a lot less for the rights unless they can have them at the same time, they should start shifting their position
- Less Ads (Viewers are unhappy about paying for television while still copping ads).
I’ve never understood this viewpoint. People pay for magazines. Yet they have ads. People pay for movies, yet they have ads. Likewise newspapers. The subscription model is based on smaller audiences, but huge amounts of channels. They need subscriber revenue and advertising to make money, to buy and produce programming. Also, without ads shows would start not on the hour but odd start times. Hardly an attractive business model.
- Content. Too many repeats, particularly on the movie channels (despite that fact extra movie channels were added).
Again, this is the cable model. When you have 100 channels – who can really watch it all. Repeats give you more opportunities. Not to mention, only so much TV content is produced in the word. And if people are complaining about the advertising that pays for the content, how to they think the cable networks buy more content?
- Adding first run Australian drama to channels that attract higher subscription fees. None of Tangle, 30 Seconds or The Jesters were available on the basic package and Spirited will similarly be seen on W.
Australian drama is very expensive. The premium networks are generally the ones that can afford to produce it.