FetchTV, who is trying to give Foxtel and Telstra BigPond a run for their money in the subscription TV market, has been left in an embarrassing situation after a PR executive said that statements made by the company in a syndicated press release were not “true”.
The release, which was sent out yesterday morning, claimed that FetchTV had content deals with several content providers including Discovery Networks, National Geographic, MTV Networks, Fox International Channels, and E! Entertainment Television. Also included in the release were content deals with BBC World News, CNBC, ABC, Roadshow Entertainment, Disney Media Distribution, MGM, and content from Lions gate.
The press release also said that included in the monthly subscription will be Movie Box from The Movie Network channels (Warner, Roadshow, Disney & MGM), featuring thirty video-on-demand movies available at all times, with a new movie added daily from a library of new and classic titles including the likes of Harry Potter, Legally Blonde, Spy Kids and Reservoir Dogs.
Shortly after SmartHouse got the release, an executive representing FetchTV, Helen Yeatman Of n2n Communications, contacted 4Square Media saying, “I am begging you to take down the FetchTV story. What have I got to do to get this story down as there are statements in the story that are not true?”
She then claimed that the release should never have syndicated and that FetchTV had not signed content deals with several of the movie and TV content companies listed in the press release.
FetchTV, who have partnered with iiNet, claim that for $30 a month consumers will get a new set top box access to content from the above listed companies as well as access to HD movie content at an additional charge.
Despite these claims iiNet has not yet posted the FetchTV offering to their website.
In Australia, FetchTV has no website and are not listed in Telstra’s white pages, despite their claims that they are an Australian operation backed by a Malaysian billionaire. Communication from the company describes them as wholesale subscription TV provider to leading Australian ISPs.
They claim that the FetchTV service is unique in that it provides access to digital free-to-air channels, subscription channels, video on-demand and interactive content via an unmetered broadband connection. Content is instantly delivered to the TV in SD and HD quality, with no downloading delays.
Our attempts to content FetchTV CEO, Scott Lorson, were unsuccessful, with PR executives quizzing SmartHouse as to why we wanted to talk to him, and what questions we wanted to ask.
Recently it was revealed that FetchTV had attempted to bid for the rights to the AFL in Australia.
