Telstra CEO David Thodey has suggested that cable TV operator Foxtel – owned 50 percent by Telstra – could be considering offering triple-play bundled TV, phone and Internet services in Australia, similar to those offered by BSkyB in the UK.
Foxtel’s other major shareholder, News Corp, is also a major shareholder in BySkyB – though its involvement in recent scandals in the UK has seen an end to its bid to take full control.
In Australia, News currently own 25 percent of Foxtel but is set to move up to 50 percent after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission gave it the green light to buy James Packer’s Consolidated Press Holdings, which holds the remaining 25 percent.
“I think that, just like BskyB has done it in the UK, I think there’s an opportunity for Foxtel to do that and we will continue to look at what’s the right thing for Foxtel because that’s our responsibility – to get the best returns from that asset,” Channel News reported David Thodey as saying. “It’s purely a financial issue for Foxtel.”
Telstra, which owns half of Foxtel, already offers the pay-TV service on a T-bundle with phone and BigPond broadband service, starting at around $100 pm.
