Foxtel on Xbox 360 offers new channels, unmetered data

From May 30, Foxtel will offer Telstra BigPond customers six new TV channels as well as eliminating data charges on its Xbox 360 service.

When Foxtel on Xbox 360 launched in November, over 30 channels were available; however, subscribers were hit with an 800MB/hour download limit and there was no catch-up TV service available.

However, it was announced today that BigPond customers can now stream content without worrying about additional charges, as well as having access to six new channels featuring sport and news. V8 Supercars Australia, Racing TV with TVN, Footy TV (AFL), League TV (NRL), BigPond Sport TV and BigPond News will be available to all Get Started subscribers.

The remaining AFL and NRL games of the 2011 season will also be offered on the Catch Up video-on-demand channel from June, with live AFL games being broadcast through Foxtel on Xbox 360 from the beginning of the 2012 season.

The new channels are described as follows:

V8 TV: suit up for 24/7 streaming of the big events including live action, interviews and driver features, expert analysis, race recaps, crash compiles and more. V8 races are streamed live and a highlights piece from each race is available as Catch Up video on demand.

Racing TV: TVN is a dedicated thoroughbred racing channel including local and international racing, commentary, tipping services and the latest thoroughbred industry news and information from Australia and around the world.

Footy TV: AFL TV is around-the-clock action featuring the best of the AFL regular-season and finals series. With match replays, highlights, player interviews, International Rules action and much more, this is 24/7 footy at its best. From June, AFL games will be available as Catch Up video on demand after a 12-hour delay following the live game.

League TV: catch every game of the Telstra Premiership, Finals Series, State of Origin, City vs. Country, Four Nations and Test Matches on League TV. League TV offers match highlights, full game replays, NRL news, player interviews and more. From June, NRL games will be available as Catch Up video on demand after a 24-hour delay following the live game.

BigPond Sport TV: BigPond Sport TV covers everything to do with sport — tune in and sit back for big news, plus live events, big-match replays, highlights, opinion and profiles from all the sport you love.

BigPond News: BigPond News provides the latest entertainment, finance and technology stories, regular weather updates, live crosses to breaking news, broadcast around the clock.

Foxtel executive director of Product & Sales, Patrick Delany, said, "This arrangement with Telstra is a big win for Foxtel on Xbox 360 users, allowing unmetered access to thousands of hours of great programming -- all without a Foxtel fixed-term contract.* There are around 1.3 million Xbox consoles in Australia and getting unmetered access to Foxtel on Xbox 360 is now as simple as plugging into BigPond internet to give subscription TV a go.

"The Foxtel on Xbox 360 service offers Foxtel's huge amount of exclusive and first-run TV programming, plus access to hours and hours of On Demand TV episodes, new release films and movie favourites. There's always something to watch, either live or On Demand and it’s simple to sign up online and start watching straight away."

Telstra's executive director of Media, J-B Rousselot, said, "Hundreds of thousands of Australian homes now have access to BigPond TV channels, which makes a compelling reason to get online through Telstra. BigPond's unmetered content is already a hit with T-Box, Samsung and LG customers, and we're pleased to be bringing unmetering to customers connected to Foxtel on Xbox 360."

*Only available to Xbox 360 owners who live in Foxtel metropolitan areas of Australia and who subscribe to both the Xbox Live service and the Foxtel on Xbox 360 service. Xbox Live Gold subscription required for all live TV packages.