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Foxtel

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Foxtel
Company typePrivate
IndustrySubscription Television
Founded1995
HeadquartersSydney, New South Wales
Melbourne, Victoria
Key people
Kim Williams, CEO
Bruce Akhurst, Chairman
ProductsFoxtel
Foxtel Digital
RevenueUnknown (2005)
Number of employees
Unknown (2005)
Websitewww.foxtel.tv

Foxtel is a cable television and satellite television company in Australia, formed through a joint venture between Telstra and News Corporation. Half of News Corp.'s stake was later sold to businessman Kerry Packer's Publishing and Broadcasting Limited. The current ownership is 50% Telstra, and 50% to a joint venture company which is itself 50% owned by News Corp and 50% by PBL.

Service Availability

File:Foxtel magazine.PNG
A typical subscriber guide

Foxtel transmits its cable service into the Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth Metropolitan areas. Foxtel transmits its satellite service into some of these cities, as well as the Newcastle and Canberra Metropolitan areas. It also transmits its satellite service to many areas of Regional WA.

Telstra's network and Foxtel were created to combat the threat posed to Telstra's local call business by the combination of Optus Vision (now known as Optus TV) content bundling with Optus' local telephony services. Foxtel was the content arm of Telstra's defence strategy. Telstra's multimedia broadband network was originally the sole delivery system.

The Installation and Maintenance of Foxtel services is Telstra's responsibility. In many markets, Telstra has outsourced Installation and Maintenance to large communications contractors, including ABB Communications and Siemens-Thiess Communications Joint Venture.

Subscriber Numbers

Currently, Foxtel have residential and wholesale connections to 1.16 million locations

DateNo of customersMarket Reach
April 1998300,0002.5 Million Homes
April 1999500,0004.5 Million Homes
March 2000600,0004.5 Million Homes
August 2000650,0004.5 Million Homes
August 2001750,0004.5 Million Homes
March 2002785,0004.5 Million Homes
June 20041.1 Million (incl. Wholesale)
>250,000 Digital Customers		4.5 Million Homes
June 20051 Million (excl. Wholesale)4.5 Million Homes

Foxtel Digital

Foxtel launched its digital service (Foxtel Digital) in March 2004. The service is loosely based on another of News Corporation's Subscription Providers, BSkyB. Features of the digital service include:

Like many other NewsCorp owned digital platforms Foxtel uses NDS the OpenTV interactive platform and runs on primarily Pace Set-top boxes.

Foxtel iQ

File:Foxtel iQ.svg

Foxtel has also launched Foxtel iQ, a timeshifting personal digital recorder, in which subscribers are able to record programs onto a hard drive inside the set-top unit for later viewing. Foxtel iQ also allows viewers to use the rewind or pause features during television programs.

Pace Micro Technologies are the Set Top Box provider for iQ - of which, they claim that the cable version of iQ is the first DVB based Cable personal digital recorder.

Encryption

Like BSkyB, Foxtel Digital utilises NDS services, including their Videoguard encryption system (for both Cable and Satellite). This is a change from previously using Irdeto and more recently Irdeto 2 on their Satellite service.

TVN Explanation

Although TVN Racing is available to Foxtel subscribers it is not a Foxtel channel, due to Foxtel's exclusivity agreement with Sky Racing. To subscribe you need to contact TVN directly, and not Foxtel. TVN has reached an agreement with Telstra to carry the channel available on their cable, and unless you subscribe to the channel it is not visible. This is due to the fact that it's not registered with Foxtel in anyway.

Channels on the Foxtel Digital service:

General

Movies

Sports

Interactive Gaming

News, Weather

Documentaries & Infotainment

Kids

Music

Foxtel air Digital Audio

  • Channel 830 - Air active - Hits, Radio 2, Pop, Groove, Rock, Jukebox, New Wave, Home Grown, Urban, Dance, Anthem, Soul, Easy, Lounge, Café, Spa, Blues, Light Classical, Sound Tracks, Crooners, Today’s Country, Classic Country, BBC World Service, Special Events, Edge, ‘70s, ‘80s, Alt-rock, Classic R&B, News and More
  • Channel 867 - SBS AM
  • Channel 868 - SBS FM
  • Channel 875 - ABC NewsRadio (Satellite Only)
  • Channel 876 - ABC Parliamentary News Network (Satellite Only)
  • Channel 877 - ABC Radio National (Satellite Only)
  • Channel 878 - ABC Local Radio (Satellite Only)
  • Channel 882 - ABC Classic FM (Satellite Only)
  • Channel 883 - ABC Triple J (Satellite Only)
  • Channel 884 - ABC DiG Radio
  • Channel 885 - ABC DiG Jazz

Foxtel Box Office - PPV Movies

  • Channel 901 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 1
  • Channel 902 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 2
  • Channel 903 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 3
  • Channel 904 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 4
  • Channel 905 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 5
  • Channel 906 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 6
  • Channel 907 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 7
  • Channel 908 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 8
  • Channel 909 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 9
  • Channel 910 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 10
  • Channel 911 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 11
  • Channel 912 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 12
  • Channel 913 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 13
  • Channel 914 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 14
  • Channel 915 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 15
  • Channel 916 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 16
  • Channel 917 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 17
  • Channel 918 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 18
  • Channel 919 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 19
  • Channel 920 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 20
  • Channel 921 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 21
  • Channel 922 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 22
  • Channel 923 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 23
  • Channel 924 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 24
  • Channel 925 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 25
  • Channel 926 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 26
  • Channel 927 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Channel 27

Other

  • Channel 928 - Main Event
  • Channel 928 - FOXTEL BOX OFFICE Preview Channel
  • Channel 941 - Antenna (Greek) (formerly known as Antenna Pacific)
  • Channel 942 - RAI International (Radiotelevisione Italiana) (Italian)
  • Channel 955 - Adults Only (Late Night to early morning only), Main Event (Special Occasions Only) and when neither are running, there is a second broadcast of Fashion TV
  • Channel 960 - Adults Only Select 1
  • Channel 961 - Adults Only Select 2
  • Channel 998 - Test Channel
  • Channel 999 - FOXTEL Digital and Foxtel IQ Help Channel
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