Aussie take up of Fetch TV on the rise, CEO reveals.
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Fetch TV, which operates an IPTV service in OZ, selling through iiNet, Internode Optus and Adam Internet, has seen a “dramatic” rise”in subscription numbers, CEO Scott Lorson told The Australian.
And it’s all thanks to telcos bundling services.
iiNet, for instance, now offers the internet TV service which includes free-to-air channels and optional extras, as a combo deal for $99 with broadband, phone and the Fetch TV service.
Fetch TV’s standalone service starts at $10 per month. Optus has been selling Fetch services for less than 12 months, bundled with broadband or mobile services.
“We’ve seen a dramatic acceleration in the take-up of the service driven by the commencement of bundling activities by our partners,” he said. The increase is thought to be in the region of 20,000 new subscribers in a matter of months.
Lorsen also said Fetch was “delighted with customer feedback and product use information we’re seeing.”
Foxtel is also said to be eyeing a major ‘treble play’ deal like its BSkyB colleagues in the UK, something which Foxtel’s 50% owner, Telstra, backed today.
“I think that you have seen BSKYB their model, and in an NBN world I think yeah that is a good position,” CEO David Thodey said at an investor call in Melbourne, today.
“More ‘triple-play’ bundles of a home phone, high speed internet and high definition television” in an NBN world is something NBN Co Head of Product Development, Jim Hassell, has also predicted.
The news of Fetch’s ascendancy into Aussie living rooms comes as it was revealed $667 million was invested into Australian content by subscription television channels in 2011-12.
This marks a 13% jump on last year’s investment Australian Subscription TV and Radio Association (ASTRA), said today.
But Aussie programmes are not just being shown at home.
Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet, Grand Designs Australia, Camp Orange, Kings Cross ER, Killing Time and Australia’s Great Flood are reaching viewers as far afield as Canada, Europe, South Africa and Asia.
Highest rated programs include Live: Australia’s Next Top Model, Selling Houses Australia, Christmas Lights Spectacular, Grand Designs Australia and Rove LA.
