Earlier today Fetch TV announced that as recently rumoured Telstra will purchase a 51% controlling share of ownership, subject to ACCC approval:
We are excited to announce that, pending ACCC approval, Telstra is purchasing a 51% share in Fetch TV.
The Fetch team will continue to operate standalone, servicing all of our existing ISP and retail customers as well as Telstra. There will be no service provider or account changes for existing Fetch customers, it will be entertainment as usual!
Over the next year Telstra will start to migrate Telstra TV customers onto the Fetch platform. The new partnership will give Fetch the scale needed to continue to grow and innovate, so we can keep on delivering a great customer experience.
Customers on Fetch TV’s Facebook page responded with a mixture of emotions from those who worry that Telstra will ruin the service and increase the price to those who hope that the extra funding and user base will mean more apps and content available via Fetch TV because of the increased bargaining power.
Fetch TV combines free-to-air TV, catch-up, premium channels, streaming apps, and movies available via several different set top boxes.
Existing Fetch TV customers can continue to maintain their Fetch relationship directly or via their current telco eg: Optus or Aussie Broadband.
Telstra TV based on Roku streaming box technology launched in 2015 with a focus on bringing together a wide range of streaming services for their customers. The reason Telstra is buying a controlling share in Fetch TV is because their deal with Roku expires in 2 years or so.
If you’re currently a Telstra TV customer there are no changes to the Telstra TV you use right now. If you have subscribed to content partners like Netflix, Binge or Kayo via your Telstra bill, nothing will change for you.
Over the next year Telstra will be in touch directly to help you migrate from your current Telstra TV to one powered by Fetch TV.
Fetch TV supports many of the same streaming services as Telstra TV today including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, Stan and YouTube, along with free-to-air.
It remains to be seen if Foxtel will let any of it’s apps like Kayo and Binge be available via Fetch TV. Until now they have refused to allow this.
I would’ve been concerned if Kayo wasn’t available via this new collaboration in the future (Don’t subscribe to Foxtel). But it seems the AFL is looking at mobs like Paramount to stream AFL in the future. So won’t need Kayo then. Otherwise, its not unusual to have several media devices because of not one presently can do it all.