Facing a leakage of customers onto the international Netflix video streaming service, among others, Australia’s Foxtel has decided to embrace the inevitable – and will make Netflix and the Australian Stan streaming service available to its subscribers.
Foxtel CEO Peter Tonagh said Foxtel is responding to customers by allowing third-party applications from the rival services onto its next set-top box.
“Our customers also want access to content that we don’t own or don’t license … If our customers want to have Netflix, then they’ll be able to have Netflix on our box,” Tonagh told a meeting of American Chamber of Commerce in Australia.
“The reason we do that … is not because there is a commercial benefit for us, but because it provides a much better experience. We intend with our next set-top box to have a much more open platform.”
Tonagh also said Foxtel would relaunch is Foxtel Play Internet delivery service with much cheaper entry prices from as low as $10 or $15 a month, he said.
Premium sport or movies will be available as an additional package.
