Foxtel goes digital

[netsat]

Australian pay TV leader Foxtel has unveiled its plans to digitise its network that serves 1.3 million subscribers. CEO Kim Williams said that Foxtel will offer 130 channels that he predicted will increase pay TV penetration from the current level of 23 per cent to between 35 and 45 per cent by 2008.

The new line up will include 36 movie channels, eight for sports, seven news and five for children. There will also be interactive services and pay per view channels.

Williams said that Foxtel will convert all of its subscribers within two and half years. He did not offer a price package for the digital channels, although the basic package will not exceed the current $38 monthly fee.

As part of the incentive to push up subscriber numbers, Foxtel will give new subscribers a set top box worth $136, according to some reports from Australia. It is 18 months since the Australian government gave Australia's pay TV providers the opportunity to share content and bundle TV with the Internet and telephony. Australia's second-ranked provider, Austar, said separately that it will introduce 20 new channels later this year when it introduces its own digital platform.

[gb1959]

Mr williams should have explained it better,the satellite side has allways been digital since it started with galaxy in 1995. the cable side its still analog will go digital in the near future,thay can improve the digital side by upgraded the decoders to handle other digital features like interactive and so on.improve the smartcard aswell . to stop cloning the cards,video on demand.
in europe you can select to go with the driver of a f1 car,
its still overpriced .