Foxtel won’t give their highest paying customers Chromecast support

Just when they were doing well, two steps forward, three steps back, Foxtel have dudded their most loyal, highest paying and largest customer base.

A few weeks ago I tried the new Foxtel Now streaming service, it’s a huge leap forward for them given it’s HD streaming and Chromecast capabilities.

Then today, their success in streaming the big fight on the weekend paid dividends with a good take-up, and signs they would be able to introduce the concept of pay-per-view streaming to their existing streaming apps.

But then, as a paying Cable Foxtel subscriber I discovered something that surprised me.  They’ve dudded us.

If you’ve got a Cable or Satellite Foxtel subscription you’re paying big bucks.  As little as two years ago it was reported that average revenues per user were $93 a month.

Their Platinum package is $137 a month!

To their credit, there’s no contract required any more.  Cable and Satellite customers also get free access to the new Foxtel App – renamed just “Foxtel”, it was “Foxel Go”.

I assumed, call me crazy – that Foxtel would give their biggest customers the same app access as those paying as little as $10 a month on Foxtel Now.

Nope.  Want Chromecast?  Not available.  It is basically click for click the exact same app, just without Chromecast.

A Foxtel Spokesperson told EFTM “The Foxtel App (previously the Foxtel Go App) is a companion app for our cable and satellite customers for viewing Foxtel on the go. App casting is designed to give subscribers a big-screen experience, so for cable and satellite customers, their Foxtel set-top box and TV is their source of a big screen experience and also offers the benefits of recording and playing back, bookable promotions, program startover functionality, and many more PVR features.”

But don’t worry – they’re not getting anything better when on the mobile device – “On iOS and Android the Foxtel App and Foxtel Now streams are identical, however on these mobile devices we are serving SD streams (HD via mobile is done through Chromecast only)”.

Come on – really?  At our peak Foxtel usage, we had the Platinum pack, plus an extra box in another room.  Funny thing is, like many, we have more TVs around the house, and a $50 Chromecast Dongle could mean watching Foxtel in any room.

Nope. Foxtel want you to ring up, get another box installed.  Pay that installation fee, pay extra for that box every month.  What a complete joke.

Foxtel’s biggest value customers should be given every single possible product.  Nothing less.

Otherwise, more people will be doing this:

Except they won’t be sticking to Cable or Satellite, and regardless that Average Revenue Per User looks set to plummet.

Foxtel are hoping to hell that people want IQ recording more than they’d want multi-room access, possibly they are right – but that tide will turn.