The evolution of television services in Australia just got exciting.
B&T have today reported that Telstra are set to launch IPTV services before Christmas. In a Tender document obtained by B&T’s sister publication Digital Media, Telstra is set to take on Tivo, Foxtel, and traditional broadcast services. The plans sound very similar to the oft-discussed ‘Tivo-killer’ in the works from ISP iiNet.
The product set to be launched will be a Tivo-style STB that will provide access to digital FTA stations, standard PVR capabilities, access to Bigponds IPTV content, customised websites like YouTube and Flickr, as well as other web services. The STB will enable users to access content from their PC’s and personal storage devices.
Currently the tender process to supply the STB’s is underway with vendors pitching the Telco for the past few weeks. Telstra require the winning vendor to construct, integrate, manage the evolution of the STB’s. The Tender document states “It is expected the vendor will be able to demonstrate compelling and polished visual transitions and sound effects as users of the set top box operate it e.g. moving from watching FTA TV to the Web and back. The installation should be relatively simple, quick and intuitive. The box should be remotely updatable and have a remote control that simply and elegantly controls the box’s functions”.
This is a bold move that was ultimately inevitable. Telstra have attempted to establish themselves as content producers since the very early days of their Bigpond products. This is simply an evolution of their strategies and one that fits in very nicely with the direction content aggregation is going.
And the mere fact that it is the industry’s dominant Telco behind this means that it will inevitably be a very successful launch with not only advertising spend behind its promotion, but also will bring with it a multitude of product bundling to entice Telstra customers to sign up.
An interesting question will be how the FTA networks respond to this challenge and whether the Telstra STB’s will be Freeview branded. So far Freeview is yet to allow their brand to be associated with any third party products (ie not Tivo) that actually provides content away from that broadcast by the FTA networks. Will the Freeview stamp of approval be given to such a product?
Of course, this is based on the supposition that the Telstra IPTV content will in fact be compelling content. Unless Telstra can deliver multiple channels of great and recognisable product, the product will be nothing more than yet another PVR on the market.
Tangentally, Could Telstra’s IPTV plans be connected to the rumors surrounding the hiring of content makers, such as senior journo’s, to work in a news division that will rival Fairfax Digital and News Digital Media?
This is the shake-up that the Australian TV industry is deeply in need of.
Are you sure about that tivo comments? Tivo boxes for a while have had the “Freeview” logo slapped all over them (ie since freeview launch!)
Even tivo with its marketing machine and ‘name’ behind it has struggled to get market share due to costing. So Telstra’s box might become another PVR thats going to fail due to cost.
Tivo have been Freeview branded for as long as those stickers have been slapped on STB’s. I was making reference to third party providers. I don’t consider Tivo to be a third party as in Australia it is controlled by Ch 7.
Bigpond/Telstra would be the first true third party provider to be granted the opportunity to use the Freeview branding on a product that offers direct access to content outside of whats available on FTA. If it ever happens, that is.