Channel Seven and the current affair TV program Today Tonight are openly promoting the accessing of Foxtel content illegally over the internet. This is the same network that 4 years ago was wining about illegal use of their 2004 Olympics content by online providers and other TV stations.

Foxtel CEO Kim Williams has openly labelled their actions “irresponsible” he has also said that the network is promoting “illegal” activities. Other Foxtel executives told ChannelNews and SmartHouse that Seven Media were struggling from bad media for their new TiVo PVR and had “now resorted to dirty practises in an effort to hurt Foxtel. This is a network that has no morals and is openly advocating the means by which consumers can engage in ilegal activities”.

Today Tonight is the same program that only a few weeks ago was forking out millions after being found guilty of defaming Mercedes Corby who was accused by the TV network of attempting to smuggle marijuana into Bali. The head of Today Tonight is Peter Meakin who last year was sentenced to at least 14 months’ periodic detention for drink driving and dangerous driving. Meakin, 64, was also banned from driving for eight years.

Last Thursday Today Tonight put to air a story that indicated that if consumers visited a web site called www.dontpaytv.com that they could escaping the increasing costs of pay TV. The site that sells a $50 piece of software tells consumers how to access pay TV sites like Foxtel and get the content for free over a broadband connection.

However they forgot to tell consumers that for all content downloaded that there was a broadband cost that could run into hundreds of dollars a month in additional download fees.

Then on Friday the network revisited the story telling viewers that they could download pay TV for absolutely nothing if they visited web site called www.joost.com or www.tvunetworks.com .

Seven advised consumers to take the following steps.

Step 1: choose the site which will enable you to download your favourite program. Just search for “free tv” and you’ll get thousands of options.

Step 2: choose what you want to watch.
Step 3: The best things in life really are for free.
But there are some download sites on the internet that offer movies and TV shows illegally.
While it is not illegal to use the site the content on the Pay TV networks including Foxtel is copyrighted and to download them and watch them is illegal.
Earlier this year several people in Melbourne and Sydney were charged by the Federal Police for producing illegal Foxtel SIM cards. These matters are still before the courts.