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COPYRIGHT 2005 Australian Consumers' Association
Nothing worthwhile again on the box tonight? You might have five or six free-to-air television channels to choose from, but the offerings are often mediocre or worse, especially during non-ratings periods. So what about pay TV? For a monthly subscription fee, which depends on the number and variety of channels you choose, it's delivered directly to your home by cable or satellite.
Since its introduction in Australia in the mid 1990s, the number of pay TV subscribers has grown to around 1.6 million, or just over 26% of households. If you want to add yours to the statistics but don't know where to start, read on. We've gathered the necessary information to help you make your choice.
Who provides pay TV?
The three major pay TV providers are Foxtel, Optus and Austar. Also see Otherpay TV providers, page 20.
* Foxtel, jointly owned by Telstra, News Ltd and Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd, is the major and most powerful player on the Australian pay TV scene, with the largest number of subscribers and the widest reach on its cable and satellite networks. Foxtel services the metropolitan cities of Australia including Newcastle, plus the Central Coast (NSW), Gold Coast, Geelong and regional WA.
Foxtel controls most of the programs available on pay TV through ownership or distribution arrangements. Foxtel Digital is also resold through some other telcos (Telstra, AAPT, TransACT--only the satellite service--and, from early 2005, Primus), which 'bundle' pay TV with their other services (see What 'rewards 'for 'service bundling'?, page 20).
* Optus, owned by Singapore telco SingTel, bundles its pay TV packages with phone and internet services and delivers via its own cable network to customers in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
* Austar provides subscription TV, internet and mobile phone services, mainly by satellite, to subscribers in rural and regional centres in eastern Australia, Hobart and Darwin. Austar Digital is also resold through Telstra, Network Communications and Telesavers.
Can I get it anywhere?
The paragraphs above list the area availability for the three major pay TV services. The easiest way to find out whether your area is equipped for Foxtel, Optus or Austar is to do their online postcode search or call them.
Optus TV isn't available in multi-dwelling units (flats). If you want to receive Foxtel or Austar in a unit or townhouse complex, certain infrastructure (cable or satellite) needs to be in place before your individual unit can...
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