Fetch adding Free-to-Air via the internet to their TV Guide

Fetch TV is planning to make Free to Air channels available on Fetch boxes via the Electronic Program Guide in June. This means if you’ve got no antenna or poor reception, your Fetch box can “tune” into Live TV via your internet connection.

Currently these channels are available via the respective TV apps like 9Now, 7Plus, ABC etc, but Fetch plans to integrate them directly into the EPG.

Scott Lorson, CEO of Fetch TV, said” “Households with no or poor FTA reception represent a large and growing segment, and include homes in digital terrestrial black spots, multi-dwelling units with no FTA access, new estates where antennas are not permitted, homes with no or broken aerials, and even rooms where no aerial socket is present.  Australian families without FTA reception are looking for solutions.” 

“Fetch recognises the importance of access to FTA channels and apps, with FTA viewing continuing to represent the majority of all TV viewing. We also know that the EPG remains at the centre of content discovery and channel navigation, and we are keen to extend this convenience to all customers.” 

Importantly the Free TV channels available via the internet are not the same as those you get on an antenna. There are some markets that don’t even have streams, some regional and metro news clashes and sports broadcasts not available online. This is a problem Hubbl faced at their launch but Fetch hopes that will change with government legislation in the future saying “We continue to advocate for the anti-siphoning legislation to include the FTA IP feeds or “digital twin”, given the critical role that FTA IP feeds will play in preserving access to FTA channels and sport into the future.  We also welcome efforts to extend access to regional news, and preserve logical channel numbering (1-99) for the FTA channels.”