Foxtel customers can look forward to subscription rates falling below the $100 mark, with the company reportedly planning to reduce the price of its premium pay TV service to compete with their cut-rate competition.
The news comes as the company readies their Triple Play package, which includes broadband internet and fixed-line telephony services bundled with their television product, and amid increasing competition from US-based video-on-demand giant Netflix.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the Triple Play package will be structured to cut the price of a traditional premium Foxtel subscription to below $100. There is also speculation that the company may give customers more options to pay for their exclusive shows on different devices.
Though the Australian cable television powerhouse has been talking about its new bundle for a while now, the joint venture between News Corp and Telstra looks to be imminent. Reports indicate they are gearing up for a massive advertising campaign and have hired several hundred extra call centre staff.
While the Triple Play package could potentially be a push into a Netflix-like subscription format for the company, Foxtel are still heavily promoting their currently available IPTV services, such as Foxtel Play and Foxtel Go. It seems only time will tell just how competitive Foxtel choose to get.
Foxtel is currently led by Richard Freudenstein, who was responsible for making British pay TV outlet BSkyB the second-biggest internet service provider in the UK in just five years. Part of his aggressive campaign included giving away free broadband to pay TV subscribers.
However, it appears much of the company’s focus now lies with the rollout of their long-awaited iQ3 set-top box and digital recorder. The IP-enabled device is set to launch later this year, about 12 months behind schedule.
In the meantime, Netflix currently enjoys more than 200,000 unofficial Australian subscribers, which has helped them test the waters for a potential official launch in Australia, where torrenting and illegal streaming reign supreme for many households looking to get premium content.
