Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, formed through a joint venture between
TelstraTelstra or Telstra Corporation Ltd , is an Australian telecommunications and media company, formerly owned by the Australian government...
,
News CorporationNews Corporation is the world's second largest media conglomerate as of 2008 and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009...
and
Consolidated Media HoldingsConsolidated Media Holdings is an Australia investment company focused on subscription television.-About CMH:Consolidated Media Holdings is a joint venture partnership between Consolidated Press Holdings and the Seven Network Limited....
.
History
In October 1995, Foxtel commenced a 20 channel service, delivered over the Telstra Hybrid Fibre Coaxial network.
In May 1998, Australis Media, the owner of a
satellite televisionSatellite television is television delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by a satellite dish and set-top box. In many areas of the world it provides a wide range of channels and services, often to areas that are not serviced by terrestrial or cable providers.-History:The...
service known as Galaxy, was declared insolvent. Foxtel immediately commenced supplying programming to Galaxy's subscribers on an interim basis. In 1999 Foxtel was able to significantly boost its customer base by acquiring Galaxy subscribers from the liquidator of Australis Media and to commence offering its services on a satellite platform.
In 2002, a Content Sharing Agreement between Foxtel and
Optus TelevisionOptus Television is the cable television division of Australian telecommunications company Optus.-History:Its immediate predecessor was Optus Vision, a joint venture between, Optus and US West with small shareholdings by media companies Publishing and Broadcasting Limited and Seven Network...
was approved by the
ACCCThe Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is an independent authority of the government of Australia. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Trade Practices Commission and the Prices Surveillance Authority to administer the Trade Practices Act 1974...
Foxtel's shareholders comprise
TelstraTelstra or Telstra Corporation Ltd , is an Australian telecommunications and media company, formerly owned by the Australian government...
(50%, through Telstra Media Pty Ltd) and
joint ventureA joint venture is an entity formed between two or more parties to undertake economic activity together. The parties agree to create a new entity by both contributing equity, and they then share in the revenues, expenses, and control of the enterprise...
company Sky Cable Pty Ltd that is owned by News Corporation (25%) and
Consolidated Media HoldingsPublishing and Broadcasting Limited was one of Australia's largest companies, with interests primarily in media and gaming. The company demerged in late 2007, spinning out its gaming interests into Crown Limited...
(25%). It shares many features with the
Sky DigitalSky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E....
service in the United Kingdom, including iQ, the
electronic program guideAn electronic program guide or interactive program guide or electronic service guide is a digital guide to scheduled broadcast television or radio programs, typically displayed on-screen with functions allowing a viewer to navigate, select, and discover content by time, title, channel, genre, etc...
, a similar remote control, and Red Button Active.
Foxtel grew rapidly in 2007, with most of Foxtel's highest-ever rating events being broadcast that year, including the
2007 AFC Asian CupThe Asian Football Confederation's 2007 AFC Asian Cup finals were held from July 7 to July 29, 2007. For the first time in its history, the competition was co-hosted by four nations: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The tournament was won by first-time champions Iraq, who defeated Saudi...
quarter final between
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
and
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, which drew an average of 419,000 viewers, an Australian pay television record.
Availability
Foxtel transmits its cable service via
TelstraTelstra or Telstra Corporation Ltd , is an Australian telecommunications and media company, formerly owned by the Australian government...
hybrid fibre-coaxialHybrid fibre-coaxial is a telecommunications industry term for a broadband network which combines optical fibre and coaxial cable. It has been commonly employed globally by cable TV operators since the early 1990s...
cable into the
BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
,
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
,
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
,
AdelaideAdelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth-largest city in Australia, with a population of more than 1.1 million. It is a coastal city situated on the eastern shores of Gulf St. Vincent, on the Adelaide Plains, north of the Fleurieu...
and
PerthPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. With a population of 1,650,000 , Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average....
metropolitan areas. Foxtel also transmits its satellite service into these cities as well as the state of
Western AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Australia's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.2 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state.The state's capital...
and the cities of
NewcastleThe Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, Geelong
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
, Central Coast,
CanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth largest Australian city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
and
Gold CoastThe Gold Coast is a city in the southeast corner of Queensland, Australia. It is the second most populous city in the state and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is also the most populous non-capital city in the country...
. However, satellite service is not available at user sites where Telstra cable is available, and Gold Coast is available on HFC Cable only. Foxtel on Mobile, launched on Telstra's Next G Network in late 2006 and is now available within Telstra Next G (HSDPA/850 MHz) coverage areas, which covers 99% of the population.
Telstra's network and Foxtel were created to combat the threat posed to Telstra's local call business by the combination of
Optus VisionOptus Television is the cable television division of Australian telecommunications company Optus.-History:Its immediate predecessor was Optus Vision, a joint venture between, Optus and US West with small shareholdings by media companies Publishing and Broadcasting Limited and Seven Network...
(now known as Optus TV) content bundling with
OptusSingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications...
' local telephony services; Foxtel was the content arm of Telstra's defence strategy, while Telstra's multimedia broadband network was originally the sole delivery system.
In 2005, Foxtel and Optus Television agreed to a content-sharing arrangement. Programming competition between the two companies has now dissipated.
AustarAustar is an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity is Subscription Television but it is also involved with internet access and mobile phones. It commenced operations in 1995....
, a regional pay television operator, also carries most Foxtel programming. Austar sells satellite-delivered services to regional Australian markets that are not serviced by Foxtel.
Foxtel is Australia's largest pay television operator. Its programming is currently delivered to over 1.5 million Australian homes either directly or by Foxtel's wholesale customers. Foxtel is available to over 70% of Australian homes. In April 2008, Foxtel's penetration into Australian homes reached 30%. This penetration rate is low compared with market penetration rates in
North America4. Miami
5. Philadelphia6. Toronto
7. Dallas
8. Boston
9. Houston
10. Atlanta}}|}Northern America is the northernmost region of the Americas, and is part of the North American continent. It lies directly north of the region of Middle America; the land border between the...
(over 90%) and in
EurozoneThe eurozone is an economic and monetary union of 16 European Union member states which have adopted the euro currency as their sole legal tender. It currently consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal,...
countries. This is due to the fact that Australian pay-TV fees are more expensive than the US ones.
Foxtel announced its maiden annual profit in 2006, more than 10 years after it commenced services. The installation and maintenance of Foxtel services is Telstra's responsibility. In many markets Telstra has outsourced installation and maintenance to large communications contractors, including ABB Communications and Siemens-Thiess Communications Joint Venture.
In 2007,
Network TenNetwork Ten, or Channel Ten, is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
formed an agreement with Foxtel to allow them to carry a digital version of Ten's programming. Included in the deal is
electronic program guideAn electronic program guide or interactive program guide or electronic service guide is a digital guide to scheduled broadcast television or radio programs, typically displayed on-screen with functions allowing a viewer to navigate, select, and discover content by time, title, channel, genre, etc...
data, which allows Foxtel iQ users to schedule recordings on Ten. Before the agreement, Ten was carried in an analogue format on cable only.
In 2008,
Seven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by the Seven Media Group. It dates back to 2 December 1970, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Sydney and Melbourne. It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
finally entered an agreement to allow Foxtel to carry its SD signal
In 2008 the first Pay TV package comparison site
YouCompare.com.au/PayTV was launched to allow Foxtel packages and pricing to be compared to
SelecTVSelecTV is an Australian satellite based subscription television broadcasting service headed by CEO Jim Blomfield . In April 2006 the company said it had 2000 customers. In August 2006, 50.1% and control was purchased by WIN Corporation. WIN Corporation has since acquired 100% ownership and full...
Services
Although originally launching in 1995 with just a cable service, Foxtel has branched out into many new services since its inception.
Foxtel Digital
Foxtel launched its digital service (Foxtel Digital) in March 2004. The service is loosely based on another of News Corporation's subscription providers, BSkyB. Features of the digital service include:
- Channels with widescreen
A widescreen image is a film, computer or television image with a wider and shorter aspect ratio than the standard Academy frame developed during the classical Hollywood cinema era. Silent film was projected at a ratio of four units wide to three units tall, often expressed as 4:3 or 1.33:1...
- Selected movies with Dolby AC3 5.1 channel
Dolby Digital is the marketing name for a series of data/audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories.- Versions :Dolby Digital includes several similar technologies, which include Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby...
surround soundSurround sound encompases a range of techniques for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. The three-dimensional sphere of human hearing can be virtually achieved with audio channels above and below the listener...
- Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast of that event to their homes. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
and Near Video On Demand services
- Interactive television
Interactive television describes a number of techniques that allow viewers to interact with television content as they view it.-Definitions of interactive television:...
services including multiple camera angle sports, news, games and others
- An interactive television and AIR radio guide
An electronic program guide or interactive program guide or electronic service guide is a digital guide to scheduled broadcast television or radio programs, typically displayed on-screen with functions allowing a viewer to navigate, select, and discover content by time, title, channel, genre, etc...
- "+2" timeshift channels of popular channels, showing programs two hours later than the original channel
Like many other News Corporation-owned digital platforms, Foxtel uses
NDS GroupNDS Group is a DRM and conditional access firm. Its major shareholders are Permira, who hold 51%, and News Corporation who hold approximately 49%. The company is headquartered in Staines, United Kingdom. The CEO of NDS is Abe Peled....
encryption system, electronic program guide and digital video recorder services, the
OpenTVOpenTV is an interactive television company founded in 1994. Its main business is the provision of middleware for the cable and satellite markets...
interactive platform, and primarily runs on Pace Micro Technology set-top boxes.
Foxtel's satellite service transmits exclusively from the
Optus C1 satelliteThis is a list of the satellites operated by Optus, an Australian telecommunications company.-A-Class:*Satellite Type: Hughes HS-376*Design Life: 7 Years for A1 & A2 - 10 Years for A3...
on a frequency of 12.438 GHz and adjacent frequencies. The
TelstraTelstra or Telstra Corporation Ltd , is an Australian telecommunications and media company, formerly owned by the Australian government...
hybrid fibre-coaxialHybrid fibre-coaxial is a telecommunications industry term for a broadband network which combines optical fibre and coaxial cable. It has been commonly employed globally by cable TV operators since the early 1990s...
cable carries Foxtel at frequencies of approximately 560 MHz (downstream) and 2.4 MHz (upstream).
As of April 2007, all Foxtel subscribers are using the digital set-up, making Foxtel Digital synonymous with the standard Foxtel service.
Foxtel HD+
Foxtel announced their
High DefinitionHigh-definition television is a digital television broadcasting system with higher resolution than traditional television systems...
service called Foxtel HD+ on January 30, 2008, and became officially available on May 19, 2008. The service offers five channels in High Definition,
Fox Sports HDFox Sports is an Australian group of sports channels. They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation, and Consolidated Media Holdings. Its main competitors are ESPN, which has little local content and the free-to-air digital channel One HD...
,
ESPN HDESPN Australia/New Zealand is a 24 hour sports channel offered in Australia and New Zealand.Initially, ESPN was known as Sports ESPN on the Optus Vision cable television system, and focused on sports aired by its home network in the United States, including American football, baseball, and basketball...
,
BBC HDBBC HD is a high-definition television channel provided by the BBC. The service was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007...
,
Discovery HDDiscovery HD is the international name of the high-definition television channels from Discovery Communications.The international Discovery HD first launched in Korea on February 2005 as a programming block. In December 2005, Discovery HD Japan and Discovery HD Canada launched as 24-hour channels,...
and National Geographic Channel HD, as well as Foxtel Box Office HD and a retransmission of the free-to-air networks high definition channels (
ABC1ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 10 May 2004. On 9 July 2004 it was launched on Telewest's digital...
,
SBSSBS One is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally. As of 2007, SBS One has a 5.5% audience share.-Origins:...
,
SevenThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by the Seven Media Group. It dates back to 2 December 1970, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Sydney and Melbourne. It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
,
NineThe Nine Network, or Channel Nine, is an Australian television network based in Willoughby, a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney. For nearly 40 years between 1956 and 2005, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
and
TenNetwork Ten, or Channel Ten, is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
) to cable customers and satellite customers after the launch of the
Optus D3Optus D3 is an Australian geostationary communications satellite, which will be operated by Optus and is intended to provide communications services to Australasia. D3 was the third Optus-D satellite to be launched...
satellite so that they can receive the retransmission of the HD free-to-air channels). Foxtel are to launch several more HD, and SD channels after the launch of the
Optus D3Optus D3 is an Australian geostationary communications satellite, which will be operated by Optus and is intended to provide communications services to Australasia. D3 was the third Optus-D satellite to be launched...
satellite. These new channels will be available after November 15th 2009, as listed on the Foxtel website.
Foxtel HD+ is broadcast in MPEG-4 and provides channels in both 720p and 1080i.
Foxtel Download
On 1 October 2009, Foxtel launched an online download service which allows all cable and satelite customers to access Foxtel content via their computer. The service is free for customers, who can download programs from channels within their subscription package. There is currently one live streaming channel, ESPN, while the remainder of the service provides episodes of programs from 38 channels. CEO Kim Williams has highlighted that Foxtel plans to expand its live streaming channel range later in the year to coincide with the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and the launch of thirty new channels for Foxtel Digital and HD.
Foxtel On Demand
Foxtel On Demand is a service offered by Foxtel to iQ subscribers that allows people to watch selected shows and movies whenever they want. Foxtel On Demand was launched on 8 February 2007, with a variety of programmes and included the entire second season of
Love My WayLove My Way was a Logie Award winning and critically acclaimed Australian television drama series. It won the AFI award for Best Television Drama Series for each of its three seasons ....
.
The service is available to all Foxtel iQ customers as part of the service, however the programming able to be played is typically restricted to the channels that the customer is subscribed to. For example, customers not subscribed to the movie channels are not be able to view the stored movies.
On January 30 it was announced that the upcoming HD+ service would feature High definition on demand movies from Foxtel box office which are available for 48 hours from the time of purchase. Currently box office only features standard definition movies screening every half hour which are available from the time of purchase until 6am. Like on the current Foxtel IQ On Demand, these movies will also be pre-downloaded to the hard drive, though the bigger hard drive in the IQ2 allows for a wider selection.
Operation
The On Demand service provides programs determined by Foxtel. The iQ box uses a separate partitioned section of the hard drive to download and store the programs and movies. In the On Demand menu, the user has the ability to preview the program before watching, a synopsis, rating, and the duration left before the program is removed from viewing. At present, Foxtel is providing new material every Thursday, and each program has a duration of seven or 14 days before being deleted.
Mobile Foxtel
Launched in late 2006 to coincide with
TelstraTelstra or Telstra Corporation Ltd , is an Australian telecommunications and media company, formerly owned by the Australian government...
's NextG 3G Mobile phone network, Mobile Foxtel (previously Foxtel By Mobile) offers 12 standard channels of programming for a small subscription fee, optimised for mobile devices. At present the channels available are:
SKY NEWS HeadlinesSky News is a 24 hour international news service with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New Zealand. Sky News previously operated...
,
Sky News Business ChannelSky News Business Channel is an Australian 24 hour cable and satellite business news channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television subscription platforms, owned by Australian News Channel Pty Ltd.-History:...
,
CNNCable News Network, almost always referred to by its initialism CNN, is an U.S. cable news network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first network to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television network in the United States...
, FoxSportsNews,
FOX8Fox8 is an Australian cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms. It is the most watched subscription television channel in Australia...
,
The Comedy ChannelThe Comedy Channel is an Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television.-History:...
,
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
, E! Entertainment,
Fashion TVThis article is about the worldwide television speciality channel, For the Canadian television speciality channel, see; FashionTelevisionChannel, for the Canadian television program, see; FashionTelevision....
,
Discovery MobileDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable TV channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It provides documentary programming focused primarily on popular science, technology, and history...
,
Disney ChannelDisney Channel is a cable television channel specializing in television programming for children through original series and movies as well as third party programming. It is marketed to mostly children; however, in recent years the diversity of viewers has increased with an older audience,...
, Union Extreme Sports, Cartoon Network,
TV1TV1 may refer to:* TV1 , Australian cable and satellite television channel* TV ONE, New Zealand television network* TV1 , defunct Estonian television channel* TV1 , Lithuanian television channel...
, National Geographic and
EurosportEurosport is a European sports satellite and cable network, available in 59 countries and broadcasting in 20 different languages. It is owned and operated by the TF1 Group....
news.
With the exception of CNN, Fashion TV, Eurosportsnews and FoxSportsNews, which are direct simulcasts of the actual channel and Sky News channels which are taken from the Sky News Active service, all channels are pre-produced loops that do not directly correlate to the full scale satellite/cable channel. At present, a limit of 200 minutes per month, with 15 minutes per session, may apply to the service, although this has not been strictly enforced.
Foxtel magazine
Foxtel's magazine, simply titled
Foxtel, is the television listing magazine for Foxtel subscribers. It offers daily listings for most of the 130 channels offered on the platform, and is the only medium that subscribers can find information and recommendations on programming for the entire month.
Foxtel's magazine is Australia's highest-circulating paid-for monthly magazine, reaching over 815,000 homes every month. It is published for Foxtel by
ACP MagazinesACP Magazines , a member of the PBL Media group, is an Australian media company that was founded in 1933. It publishes the Australian Women's Weekly and the Australian edition of Woman's Day...
, and distributed to Foxtel subscribers (who choose to pay for this service) by the postal service.
Foxtel iQ (current model)
Foxtel has also launched Foxtel iQ, a timeshifting personal digital recorder, in which subscribers are able to record programs onto a hard drive inside the set-top unit for later viewing. Foxtel iQ includes a feature called Series Link, which lets the viewer choose to record all future episodes in a given television series. However, not all programmes are available with the Series Link feature. Foxtel iQ also allows viewers to use the rewind or pause features during television programs. Two new services, On Demand and Remote Record, launched in 2007. Remote Record was launched on 1 January 2007 and allows users to log in to the interactive TV guide on the Foxtel website and then command their IQ at home to record shows, while On Demand was launched on 8 February 2007. This service is based on
Sky+Sky+, or Sky Plus, is a personal video recorder service for Sky Digital, and is very similar - in principle - to the TiVo service. Launched in September 2001, Sky+ allows the user to record, pause and instantly rewind live TV. The system performs these functions using an internal hard drive inside...
, which was launched on News Corporation's UK television platform
SkySky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E....
in 2001.
Pace Micro Technologies are the set top box provider for iQ, of which they claim that the cable version of iQ is the first DVB-based cable
digital video recorderA digital video recorder or personal video recorder is a device that records video in a digital format to a disk drive or other memory medium within a device. The term includes stand-alone set-top boxes, portable media players and software for personal computers which enables video capture and...
.
Foxtel iQ2 (High Definition)
Foxtel's second generation Foxtel iQ, Foxtel iQ2 launched alongside the Foxtel HD+ service in mid 2008. Equipped with a 320Gb Hard Drive, iQ2 is capable of recording 30 hours of HD and 90 hours of SD content and offers
HDMIHDMI is a compact audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed digital data. It represents a digital alternative to consumer analog standards, such as radio frequency coaxial cable, composite video, S-Video, SCART, component video, D-Terminal, and VGA...
connectivity
The iQ2 is equipped with four tuners, allowing users to record two programs at once while watching a third live. The fourth tuner is reserved for on demand content.
Foxtel iQ1
Foxtel have been stating in their online blog that a minor upgraded version of the original iQ will be launched alongside the iQ2 to be called the iQ1, Foxtel's plan is to have all customers migrated to the iQ1 or iQ2 within the next few years. This unit has HDMI output, at launch it only worked for picture and not sound. Foxtel later updated the boxes to allow sound.
Encryption
Like the UK's Sky, Foxtel Digital utilises
NDS GroupNDS Group is a DRM and conditional access firm. Its major shareholders are Permira, who hold 51%, and News Corporation who hold approximately 49%. The company is headquartered in Staines, United Kingdom. The CEO of NDS is Abe Peled....
services, including their
VideoguardVideoGuard , produced by NDS, is a digital encryption system for use with conditional access television broadcasting. It is used almost exclusively on digital satellite television systems operated by News Corporation, which owns the majority of NDS...
encryption system (for both cable and satellite). This is a change from previously using Irdeto and more recently Irdeto 2 on their satellite service.
Advertising
Originally Foxtel commercial advertising was very limited, and in many programs non-existent. At the time, Australian Government legislation prevented the company from broadcasting advertisements during programs. Since legislation lapsed Foxtel have gradually increased advertising across its platform. Certain programming on select channels is still broadcast commercial-free (i.e. Showtime during movies and Fox Sports during selected games).
In May 2009, an advertising campaign created by Three Drunk Monkeys for FOXTEL’s ‘End Of Financial Year Sale’, positioned "EOFYS" as a fictitious holiday season.
Third Party Access
Foxtel prevents users from using their subscription card in a third-party decoder, and requires all users to watch the service on a supplied set-top box, included with the subscription, however some users have reported being able to watch certain channels on a computer with a DVB-C card and using sasc-ng to decrypt the video content using card readers to read the decoding keys stored on the card used in Foxtel's iQ.
Foxtel-owned channels
- 111 Hits
111 Hits is an Australian cable and satellite television channel which is currently available on the Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television subscription platforms....
- Bio.
Bio. is an Australian general entertainment channel available on Australia's Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television pay television services.- Series Programming :*Airline*The Dog Whisperer*Fashion File*Inside Edition...
- Crime & Investigation
- FBO
- Fox Classics
FOX Classics is an Australian cable and satellite channel that specializes in showing classic movies and television series from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and some content from the 80's and 90's.-History:...
- FOX8
Fox8 is an Australian cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms. It is the most watched subscription television channel in Australia...
- The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel is an Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television.-History:...
- The History Channel
- W.
W. is an Australian cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms.-History:W. began under the name FX in 1998 as a re-launch and re-positioning of the channel. It re-launched as W. in 2003 shortly before Digital broadcasting began. W. has...
- XYZnetworks
XYZnetworks owns, operates and distributes eleven subscription television channels in Australia. XYZnetworks is jointly owned by Foxtel and Austar...
(50%) - joint venture with AustarAustar is an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity is Subscription Television but it is also involved with internet access and mobile phones. It commenced operations in 1995....
, producing:
- Arena
- Channel V Australia
Channel [V] Australia is an Australian subscription television music channel, and also the newest Channel [V] channel. It is available on Foxtel, Optus TV and Austar satellite and cable services...
- Country Music Channel
Country Music Channel is an Australian cable and satellite music television channel owned and operated by XYZnetworks. It airs on Foxtel and Austar...
- LifeStyle Food
LifeStyle Food is an Australian food channel, solely dedicated to food, wine and restaurant society. As of yet, it is the only channel from a global context that is subject specific to food...
- Max
- Nickelodeon Australia
Nickelodeon is the Australian counterpart of the Nickelodeon network in the United States.-History:Nickelodeon was launched on October 23, 1995, on the newly launched Foxtel and Austar cable/subscription television platforms, offering live action shows and cartoons. Nickelodeon was also added to...
(50%)
- Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. Australia is a 24-hour children's channel in Australia designed for pre-schoolers. Nick Jr. was a morning programming block on Nickelodeon until 2004, when Foxtel Digital arrived and made Nick Jr. into a full 24-hour kids channel...
(50%)
- The LifeStyle Channel
For the defunct British television channel please see Lifestyle .The LifeStyle Channel is an Australian television channel dedicated to the subjects of home, garden, kitchen and family...
- The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel is an Australian 24 hour cable and satellite channel that broadcasts weather news and information. The Weather Channel is available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television.-History:...
- Main Event Television (33.3%)
- Adults Only
- Main Event
Main Event is Australia's only pay-per-view channel. It transmits through Foxtel, Optus Television and Austar, which jointly own the channel...
External links