Foxtel Now (Formerly Foxtel Play) is an Australian
internet television
Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...
service which offers subscriptions to over 50 live channels and hundreds of
video on-demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...
titles. The service is owned by
Foxtel, and officially launched on 11 August 2013 as Foxtel Play.
The service is available on internet connected devices such as computers, game consoles and selected smart TV's and Blu-ray players. In addition, Foxtel Now subscribers have access to Foxtel's
Foxtel Go
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...
app for smart phones and tablets.
History
On 14 March 2013 at the
Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association
The Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA) is the peak industry body representing the subscription media industry in Australia.
ASTRA's main activities are to represent the industry with government, regulators and the ...
(ASTRA) conference, Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany announced that in August 2013 the company would launch a new service named Foxtel Play. The service is an
internet television
Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...
alternative to Foxtel's existing
cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
and
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioi ...
pay television
Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, b ...
service, allowing consumers to subscribe without a lock-in contract and access it via a range of internet compatible devices (as opposed to requiring a new iQ4
set-top box
A set-top box (STB), also colloquially known as a cable box and historically television decoder, is an information appliance device that generally contains a TV-tuner input and displays output to a television set and an external source of sign ...
).
The service launched on 30 July 2013, nearly two weeks ahead of its official launch of 11 August 2013. At launch, the service offered over 40 live channels and hundreds of
video on demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...
titles, with subscriptions starting at $25 a month and 6 subscription packages on offer.
Australian singer
Guy Sebastian
Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...
was the ambassador for Foxtel Play.
In October 2016, Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany announced that Foxtel Play would receive a new package structure with lower pricing from December that year, to coincide with the company's closure of streaming service
Presto. The service would be available from $10 per month for each of the Documentary, Lifestyle, or Kids packages, and for $15 per month for either of the Drama or Entertainment packages. Sports and Movie packages would be available to subscribe as an addition to at least one starter package. As well as access to linear channels, the service would also make associated on-demand and catch up content available to subscribers.
Amidst rumours of an impending rename of the service, Foxtel announced in May 2017 that it would be removing 19 channels across its various Foxtel Play packages. A re-allocation of resources towards more on-demand content, based on a review of customer viewing habits was provided as the reason for the reduction in linear channels; however, pricing for the service's entry level packages was to remain unchanged. On 6 June 2017, Foxtel announced a company wide rebrand, which was to include the renaming of Foxtel Play to Foxtel Now from 7 June 2017. Other changes included the addition of
high-definition (HD) availability and
Chromecast support on the service.
Foxtel Now was not the same product as Foxtel Play. Foxtel Play, irrespective of device, supported playback only in
Standard Definition
Standard-definition television (SDTV, SD, often shortened to standard definition) is a television system which uses a resolution that is not considered to be either high or enhanced definition. "Standard" refers to it being the prevailing sp ...
(SD). The re-branded Foxtel Now product supports playback in both SD and HD, however has not been rolled out on all Foxtel Play compatible devices yet.
Foxtel announced their intention to roll out the Foxtel Now product to other devices throughout the second half of 2017, but only the PlayStation 4, Telstra TV and Sony TVs have had Foxtel Play apps upgraded to Foxtel Now.
On 9 November 2017, Foxtel unveiled the Foxtel Now Box. A custom-made
Technicolor
Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades.
Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...
Skipper running Android TV, the box is the flagship device for the Foxtel Now product. The launch included a small controversy, as Foxtel had previously promised the box would ship with the Netflix app available. The Netflix logo was included on some promotional material, which was deleted. During the launch event, Foxtel hinted that it was Netflix who was slowing the process, not yet having certified the box. However as of November 2019, the Netflix app has been made available through the Foxtel Now box, and all newer models of the box are now sold with the app pre-installed.
On 16 September 2019, Foxtel announced that their mobile application will close on 17 September, and most of its mobile subscribers will be integrated into Foxtel Go mobile app. the Set-top Box brand Foxtel Now Box, its app on Video Game consoles, and its website was not affected by their changes.
Streaming channels
The following is a list of the subscription packages on offer and the respective channels included:
Pop & Lifestyle (starter packs)
*
Fox Funny
Fox Funny (formerly 111 funny, pronounced as "triple one") is an Australian pay television channel focused on airing popular American sitcoms from the mid-2000s to present, complementing the 1980s–2005 schedule of sister network Fox Comedy.
Hi ...
*
FOX8
*
MTV
*
Fox Showcase
Fox Showcase (formerly known as Showcase) is an Australian premium drama cable and satellite television channel. It was initially part of the Showtime Australia channels and was managed by PMP chief executive officer Peter Rose. In 2007 Rose ...
*
Fox Comedy
Fox Comedy is a television network, launched by the Fox Networks Group, which airs in Poland and Portugal. Its basic programming include numerous comedy series and films.
It was launched in Italy on November 1, 2014, Poland on January 16, 2015, an ...
*
Fox Arena
*
E!
*
LifeStyle
Lifestyle often refers to:
* Lifestyle (sociology), the way a person lives
* ''Otium'', ancient Roman concept of a lifestyle
* Style of life (german: Lebensstil, link=no), dealing with the dynamics of personality
Lifestyle may also refer to:
Bu ...
*
LifeStyle Home
Lifestyle Home (stylised as Lifestyle HOME) is an Australian subscription television channel dedicated to home and property programming. It ranges from home improvements to home investments, renovation, gardens and property.
Programming Origina ...
*
LifeStyle Food
*
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
Drama
*
BBC First
BBC First is an entertainment subscription television channel featuring comedy, crime, drama and film programming, originating from UK and mostly from the BBC. The channel is wholly owned and operated by BBC Studios. The channel began rolling ou ...
*
Fox Crime
Fox Crime (stylized as FOXCRIME) is a television network, launched by the Fox Networks Group, which airs across several countries of Europe, Africa and Asia such as Italy, Portugal, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Turkey. Its basic programming include numero ...
*
Fox One
*
Fox Sci-Fi
*
Fox Sleuth
*
UKTV
UKTV Media Limited, simply known as UKTV, is a British multi-channel broadcaster, which, since 2019, has been wholly owned by BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide), a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. It was formed on 1 November 1992 through ...
*
Universal TV
Universal TV, formerly Universal Channel, is an international pay television network specializing in movies and television series in the thriller, drama, comedy, horror, crime and investigation genres, owned by NBCUniversal International Netwo ...
Sport
*
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
*
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%).
ESPN2 was initially fo ...
*
Fox Cricket 501
*
Fox League 502
*
Fox Sports 503
*
Fox Footy 504 ''(not available on PC/Mac'')
* Fox Sports 505
* Fox Sports 506
* Fox Sports More 507
*
beIN Sports 1
beIN Sports MENA ( ar, بي إن سبورتس العربية) is a subsidiary of beIN Sports. It is based in Doha, Qatar, serving the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. They are owned by beIN Media Group, a former subsidiary of Al J ...
* beIN Sports 2
* beIN Sports 3
Movies
*
Foxtel Movies Action
* Foxtel Movies Comedy
* Foxtel Movies Kids
* Foxtel Movies Family
* Foxtel Movies Greats
* Foxtel Movies Hits
* Foxtel Movies Premiere
* Foxtel Movies Romance
* Foxtel Movies Thriller
*
Lifetime Movie Network
LMN (also known previously as Lifetime Movies, and an initialism for Lifetime Movie Network) is an American pay television network owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company and t ...
Additional channels included in every package
*
BBC World News
BBC World News is an international English-language pay television network, operated under the ''BBC Global News Limited'' division of the BBC, which is a public corporation of the UK government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and ...
*
Bloomberg Television
Bloomberg Television (on-air as Bloomberg) is an American-based pay television network focusing on business and capital market programming, owned by Bloomberg L.P. It is distributed globally, reaching over 310 million homes worldwide. It is hea ...
*
CMT
*
CNBC
CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...
*
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
*
Fox News Channel
*
Fox Sports News 500
*
Club MTV
*
MTV Classic MTV Classic may refer to:
*MTV Classic (American TV channel), a television channel that replaced VH1 Classic on August 1, 2016
*MTV Classic (Australian TV channel), a television channel previously named VH1 Australia until May 2010, and shut down i ...
*
MTV Hits
MTV Hits is a music video-only spin-off cable/satellite television channel of MTV in several international markets, originally based on the pop music format of a defunct programming block on the American MTV itself. It may refer to the following ch ...
*
NHK World-Japan
NHK World-Japan (formerly and also known simply as NHK World) is the international arm of the Japanese State media, state-controlled public broadcaster NHK. Its services are aimed at the overseas market, similar to those offered by other nationa ...
*
Sky News Australia
Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs f ...
*
Sky News Weather
*
Sky News COVID-19
*
Sky News UK
*
Foxtel Arts
*
TVSN
TVSN (an acronym for "Television Shopping Network") is an Australian and New Zealand broadcast, cable television and satellite television network specializing in home shopping. It is owned by parent company Direct Group Pty Ltd, a home marketi ...
*
NickMusic
NickMusic is an American pay television network and spin-off of Nickelodeon that mainly carries music video and music-related programming from younger pop artists that appeal to Nickelodeon's target audience, with some videos edited for conten ...
Kids (only available via purchasing all packs)
*
Boomerang
A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...
*
Cartoon Network
*
CBeebies
CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...
*
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
*
Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...
Docos (only available via purchasing all packs)
*
A&E
*
Animal Planet
Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily ...
*
BBC Earth
BBC Earth is a brand used by BBC Studios since 2009 to market and distribute the BBC's natural history content to countries other than the United Kingdom. BBC Studios is the commercial arm of the public service broadcaster.
BBC Earth commercia ...
*
Crime + Investigation
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...
*
Discovery
Discovery may refer to:
* Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown
* Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown
* Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence
Discovery, The Discover ...
*
Discovery Turbo
Discovery Turbo (previously known as Discovery Turbo MAX in Australia) is a pay television channel devoted to programming about transport. It is similar to Discovery Velocity and Motor Trend. It was also briefly available as an on-demand service ...
*
ID
*
History
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
*
National Geographic,
*
Nat Geo Wild
National Geographic Wild (shortened as Nat Geo Wild and abbreviated NGW) is a global pay television network owned by National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (73%) and the National Geographic Society (27%). T ...
Compatible devices
The following is a list of Foxtel Now (4K and HD) compatible devices.
*
Chromecast
* Telstra TV
*
PlayStation 4 and
PlayStation 5
*
Apple TV (via
AirPlay
Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...
)
* Sony Android TVs
*
PC and
Mac (browser streaming requires Google Chrome)
The following is a list of Foxtel Now (SD) compatible devices.
*
LG Smart TV's (selected 2013 models)
*
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...
(since 1 April 2014)
*
Samsung
The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
Smart TV's (2012–2015 models, Any Smart Hub enabled 2012–2013 model Blu-Ray Players and Home Theatre Systems)
*
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
(2014 model Smart TVs)
Foxtel Now for
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...
was discontinued on 1 July 2016.
Foxtel Now mobile application for Android Mobiles and Tablets which is supported until Android 10 and Apple iPhones and iPads until iOS 13 was discontinued on 17 September 2019.
See also
*
Foxtel Go
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...
*
AT&T TV Now
*
Internet television in Australia
Internet television in Australia is the digital distribution of movies and television content via the Internet. In Australia, internet television is provided by a number of generalist, subscription-based streaming service providers, in addition ...
*
Subscription television in Australia
Subscription television in Australia is provided using technologies such as cable television, satellite television and internet television by a number of companies unified in their provision of a subscription television service. Notable actors in ...
*
Mac
References
{{Video digital distribution platforms
Subscription video on demand services
Australian subscription television services
Australian streaming companies
Internet properties established in 2013
2013 establishments in Australia
Streaming television
Now
Now most commonly refers
to the present time.
Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to:
Organizations
* Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization
* National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization
* Now ...
PlayStation 4 software