The telco have added Foxtel on T-Box for its ADSL customers in “selected areas” of NSW and Victoria, which gives its broadband users access to 30 new channels. However, its reach is limited to just NSW and Vic, for now, and follows the switch-on of the service for cable customers in June. This comes as the telco said in July it would scrap its BigPond movie rental service. But all is not lost – BigPond Movies service is “coming soon” for tablets, it announced yesterday, as well as iPhone free app, which it says is Australia’s ‘first’ and gives T-Box users the ability to change channels, record and even mute the sound by shaking their smartphone. The app, which puts the T-Box remote on a smartphone screen allows users browse through channels, record a program from anywhere in their home, meaning if you’re in the bath and realise ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ has just started on the box, this is your job. But not to worry Android’s, a version of the app for the green man will be available “soon”. The new IPTV services come as research indicates more than 67% of Aussies haven’t hired a DVD in the past month due to “more convenient” way accessing movies, say Telstra, who are going gung ho on internet content as Optus makes a play for the IPTV user with TV Now mobile service. Read TV Right Now: Optus Free-To-Air Lands On Phone “Internet-enabled entertainment is fast becoming the norm as products like the Telstra T-Box and smart TVs become part of the furniture in living rooms across the country,” says Telstra executive director of media, J-B Rousselot. “The technology has evolved from being a novelty for technology enthusiasts into something anyone can understand and use.” |
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| The telco say they are “delighted” with the early take-up of the service, however, with less than 10% of Telstra cable customers switching on the FOXTEL T-Box service.
Since the launch of Telstra’s T-Box, more than 200,000 devices have been sold and 1.8m BigPond movies downloaded. And its a booming market if its internal research is to be believed. 34% of Aussies now have an IPTV product like a smart TV or set top box on their shopping list for the “immediate future.” “There’s no question the future of home entertainment is digital and the new services launched today, as well as the live AFL content arriving next year, is set to accelerate demand for the service even more,” Rousselot added.
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