If Telstra’s decision to drop the Telstra T-Box and replace it with the Telstra TV left you bemoaning the device’s lack of Foxtel Play functionality, you’re in luck – Foxtel is reportedly working on a dedicated streaming device that will compete with Telstra’s box.
In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, Foxtel CEO Richard Freudenstein said "we are going to make sure that we maximise all of our distribution platforms and it's really important we have a great user experience on them."
Though details on Foxtel’s streaming box are minimal at this point, we expect the device to provide access to some of Australia’s major SVOD platforms, including the part Foxtel-owned Presto, with the addition of Netflix also likely.
As for the rival streaming service Stan and free-to-air catch-up services like ABC iview and TenPlay, only time will tell if they will also be included.
You can run and tell that, Telstra
This competing streaming device may add fuel to the fire of suggestions that Telstra has dialled down its promotion of Foxtel since introducing the Telstra TV, though Freudenstein insists that "Telstra are a very multi-faceted beast, they are pushing both Telstra and Telstra TV to appropriate customers and Telstra and Foxtel to appropriate customers.”
WIth regards to rumours that Foxtel has lost its lustre since the arrival of Netflix, Freudenstein stated that "Netflix obviously have had a successful launch in this country but I think the gloss has started to come off a bit and their subscriber growth has slowed," also explaining that "from our churn results you'll see people are not leaving to go to Netflix."
This “churn” refers to the number of customers cancelling their Foxtel subscriptions in the last quarter of 2015, which has reportedly fallen to 10.3 per cent – a record low for the company.
- Check out techradar’s in-depth Telstra TV review
