Freeview catch-up? Here’s the catch.
Promised in 2009, Freeview is now saying its catch-up service will launch in the first half of 2014 -but there is still no website catch-up.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News
Freeview announced this week that it will launch FreeviewPlus, an upgrade of its EPG service, in the first half of 2014.
Described as a new, user-friendly EPG, it will also offer catch up content on TV screens.
This will be available to free-to-air enabled television sets, PVRs or set top boxes that carry Freeview certification for the new service. Viewers will also need broadband.
“From next year, Australian TV viewers will be able to enjoy one of the most sophisticated and yet easy-to-use free-to-air TV services in the world,” Liz Ross, general manager of Freeview, said.
However the announcement still does not fulfil former statements, which date back to 2009 for a universal online catch-up from Freeview. This was due to launch in 2009, then 2011. Now it will be 2014 but not via the Freeview website.
In March 2009 then-chairman of Freeview, Kim Dalton, said a catch-up website supported by Seven, Nine and TEN and the ABC and SBS would launch by December.
“Freeview intends to offer its own TV online and on-demand service,” Dalton said at the time. “This will be the most extensive online TV service in Australia.”
“The box with an internet connection is probably 24 months away,” Freeview then-CEO Robin Parkes also said at the time.
After delays, the catch-up TV service was then supposed to be turned on in the last quarter of 2010.
By 2011 Parkes said, “It’s absolutely not dead…. But it’s not just about the networks getting together. There are so many external factors – unmetered downloads, the NBN and so-on. I expect it won’t be this year.”
She was right on that score. According to the latest info, it will be by mid 2014.
Similarly the Freeview EPG was first due in May 2009 but didn’t arrive until September 2010 -only available to those who had purchased FreeviewEPG branded sets. Those who had the bought the earlier Freeview branded sets missed out on the new EPG, contrary to earlier advice.
Now the updated EPG and catch-up will be available to those with FreeviewPlus branding. Once again, those with Freeview and FreeviewEPG branded equipment are understood to not have access to this. And to think how many of us have already upgraded to new TVs due to Digital switch-off…
Meanwhile that promised Freeview catch-up website is off the radar altogether.
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11 Responses
Freeview is not only a joke, it is a complete waste of space. Paraphrasing Andrewb – what do they actually do? I mean, apart from spreading misinformation and confusing everybody with their stolen-from-Ford “15 new channels” ads when we already had 6 of them (ABC2 started march 2005), trying to get people to needlessly spend money on new TVs/STBs that won’t ad-skip and won’t work with the next version of their EPG (twice now), and generally failing to even go close to delivering on promises. Even the govt (either one) is not this shambolic.
Too little, too late, too full of fail. Apart from sport (and Homeland ‘cos we feel sorry for Ten) this household has already shifted its viewing habits away from live commercial TV.
Well this is the only country in the world where the main networks are not available in HD, so the channels working together to make access to on demand content easier would be a miracle.
As davodavo6666 it’s been around in the UK some time and we’re now at the point where all channel providers, whether subscription or free, provide an on demand service via the TV with all of the major FTA networks available.
UK have had this for years, my cousins only use catch up there and are happy to watch the ads.
What a joke.
@bill-oops thought it was Foxtel sorry 🙁
As and older not very techie person…once you got to …you need this..and you have to have that….I turned into Santas Little Helper…blah..blah…blah…lost!
@laurie
What does this have to do with Foxtel Go? I might be wrong but it sounds more like Foxtel’s catch-up/on-demand which works pretty well (although none of the shows are in HD)
Freeview for years cause nothing but confusion and don’t really seem to deliver anything.
Who remembers in early 2009 their ads promoting “15 channels?” – prior to the launch of all the digital channels? (ONE started March 26 2009).
Not holding my breath…
Biggest problem since Freeview first announced this is there are so many other legal services now, they waited too long.
Foxtel Go is no better,if you have Android other than Samsung then its a nogo!!
You’d think they’d be trying everything they can to get an online hub up and running as soon as possible. People are already discovering the joys of Netflix and Hulu, their viewing habits for online watching are starting to take shape and become fixed. The more they delay this the harder it will be to convince people to go with Freeview.