Foxtel boss: “no-one has noticed FTA channels”
March 23, 2009
Foxtel CEO Kim Williams has slated the new, Australian free to air digital television consortium Freeview, claiming that “no one has noticed” most of the FTA digital channels which are already running.
Speaking at the annual ASTRA conference, Williams said Freeview was being marketed with “over claims” of 15 new channels: “Twelve of the fifteen channels are already up and running- it’s just no one has noticed them,” he said. “They are introducing a dedicated sports channel (Network Ten’s One), which will recycle content from Fox Sports, sorry, but that doesn’t excite me.”
Williams was equally unconcerned about the launch of TiVo, Seven Media Group’s digital television recording device, into the market. “We were selling more IQs (Foxtel’s personal video recorder) in December than TiVo did in six months,” he said. “If you care enough about TV to consider a PVR, then you care enough about TV to get subscription TV. Although you can order a pizza through TiVo, but it’s a very expensive way to order a pizza.”