pay tv versus free to air.

[Sky Pilot]

Lifted this from the Northern Argus. Probably around the mark if you are a couch potato with a sports bent.

The way we watch, listen to and engage with our sport is vastly different today than it was ten or 20 years ago and is on a curve of change that is a game of numbers between the TV power brokers.
Free to Air versus PayTV is the argument and I am a supporter of PayTV not only for sport but for news, current affairs, lifestyle and documentaries. For me it’s all about choice. I want to watch my sport when it is on and not when the commercial networks decide to show it to me. The crux of the argument is what is better for the sport fan.
No doubt FTA has its attractions – it is free and yes they do support the main sports – such as AFL, NRL, V8 Supercars, F1, Rugby and test cricket if it is being played in Australia. However, even coverage of these sports can be regularly compromised - depending on where you live – and what else the networks can play that might rate better. A stupid American talk fest or wanky all cooking all dancing variety show that caters for the lowest common denominator perhaps?
I enjoy watching golf and Major League Baseball and Fox Sports and/or ESPN (via Austar) broadcast live coverage from all four days of nearly every US and European PGA Tour event and there is live baseball most days during our winter. For someone who watches a lot of this stuff I am happy to pay for the privilege. The small cost for the hours of viewing each month is worth every cent – I think my Austar bill is less than $20 a week - and for someone who doesn’t bet on horses, play pokies or support the fast food industry it is a bargain, just for sport. There are six channels, the key sports are on live with heaps of replays and the technology lets me record, freeze play and skip the ad’s. We live in a global world of sport and culture. If you want it at your finger tips you need PayTV. The owners of Fox Sports are making impressive profits without having the massive audience numbers of the FTA’s. They serve their viewers well with great coverage of the stuff that makes up a large part of the Australian culture, i.e. sport. Sports nuts should just install the dish on the roof, set up the plasma and get on board.

[cripple]

For sport, there is no question that pay TV smashes FTA and hence why I have it.

For other genres, the difference is negligible and its just lucky that austar has lots of sport.

[Sky Pilot]

we have paytv for not only the sport but the 24/7 news which I need and the half a dozen or so music channels Mrs Pilot likes

[Darth Vader]

I watch the cake decorating shows and ch648 (APAC) - rivetting

[valleys07]

For sport, there is no question that pay TV smashes FTA and hence why I have it.

For other genres, the difference is negligible and its just lucky that austar has lots of sport.

Im the same cripple, only have pay tv for the sport coverage. There is a handful of shows outside of sport on pay tv that i watch, but wouldnt miss without fox

[Mickyj]

Well I was sitting on the fence of getting rid of PayTV .We moved kids were on my back we must have Pay at the new place.So landlords said yes. got it last monday since friday was a shocker due to the heavy rain!

And I must say what do people watch on free to air TV .I was forced for the last week to endure free to air TV at night,which put me to sleep in no time .And Im an early riser so AM Free to air tv is even worse . Now moving I didnt have to sit and watch it .

But being forced to wait for the pay Tv installer my god it was so boring!!! There was nothing on except Ricky Nixon over and over and over and over and over .Then Tuesday I had to stay home and wait for the phone company (i wont name them).Silly Mickyj they dont send a guy out .You wait and wait wait and they flick a switch .Thank whoever I had Fox on tuesday .Another day with sunrise on the tv and I'd go back to work lmao( well perhaps not )!!!

[brod]

****..is TV that important


Id love Fox Sports, but Im so much happier with the time I spend away from the TV...yes poor people TV has **** all on, but I choose the few things i want to watch each week and then have so much more time to play with Little Brod, hang out with mates, read books, mess around in the shed/garden..the list keeps going

As the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy said..."Television, the drug of a nation"

[Darth Vader]

****..is TV that important


Id love Fox Sports, but Im so much happier with the time I spend away from the TV...yes poor people TV has **** all on, but I choose the few things i want to watch each week and then have so much more time to play with Little Brod, hang out with mates, read books, mess around in the shed/garden..the list keeps going

As the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy said..."Television, the drug of a nation"

I have tv in my shed on the off chance that I might want to watch something while I am nailing two pieces of wood together for therapy or knocking back a beer with a neighbour while Mrs Vader is out playing tennis

[zipzap]

Granted my only experience with pay TV is in hotel rooms so I know it's a cut down version but honestly I can't believe anyone would pay good money for that (mostly American) trash. For sports fans I can kinda understand but to me it's like that Springsteen song, 57 Channels and Nothing On...

[Pag]

Granted my only experience with pay TV is in hotel rooms so I know it's a cut down version but honestly I can't believe anyone would pay good money for that (mostly American) trash. For sports fans I can kinda understand but to me it's like that Springsteen song, 57 Channels and Nothing On...

ESPN is very American-ised (NBA, NFL etc), but for the AFL, A-League, Cricket (World Cup, Ryobi Cup, Big Bash), NRL, Super 15, Tennis, EPL (and I could go on and on), Fox Sports is worth every cent.

[gadj1976]

Granted my only experience with pay TV is in hotel rooms so I know it's a cut down version but honestly I can't believe anyone would pay good money for that (mostly American) trash. For sports fans I can kinda understand but to me it's like that Springsteen song, 57 Channels and Nothing On...

ESPN is very American-ised (NBA, NFL etc), but for the AFL, A-League, Cricket (World Cup, Ryobi Cup, Big Bash), NRL, Super 15, Tennis, EPL (and I could go on and on), Fox Sports is worth every cent.

I agree Pag. Given this state is dominated by Adelaide and Port, I got Fox because I wanted to see Carlton games live. This isn't so relevant now with all games being played at differing time slots, and mostly live.

But I love watching international rugby & Super15's, MMA, cricket & AFL and it not be ruined by the FTA channels who see sport as a way of interupting their adverts.

My wife is hooked on the trashy 'reality' shows from America, which are absolute time wasters.

I rarely watch FTA these days. In fact, I really only watch sport and the Crime Channel on Fox. But still, I'd rather have the ability to watch live sport for 100 bucks a month, than not have the ability to watch it at all.

[Brucetiki]

Dad's pretty much had Foxtel since it started (around October 1996), so when I moved out into my own place a couple of years ago I just had to have it. Like most I now have it predominantly for the sports channels (90% of the time it's on a channel starting with 5).

Got a free upgrade to iQ last year and once I got the hang of it I love it, especially series link.

[Mickyj]

****..is TV that important


Id love Fox Sports, but Im so much happier with the time I spend away from the TV...yes poor people TV has **** all on, but I choose the few things i want to watch each week and then have so much more time to play with Little Brod, hang out with mates, read books, mess around in the shed/garden..the list keeps going

As the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy said..."Television, the drug of a nation"

So lets say those of us .Whose kids are adults .And the footy season isnt long enough .And fishing I can only do for so long in the mornings. If I'm not at work from 8 to 12 hrs a day .
I come home from a 6.30am until 6.30 pm shift(manual labor kind of work) like i did before this move.You like my doctors want me to do what excercise like I do all 12 hrs a day .I dont drink i dont smoke .
I cant catch any wild women mores the pitty lmao
So why not have pay tv It doesn't hurt anyone surely !!
If FREE TO AIR ran some of the shows FOXTEL does then I'd just have free to air.End of story .And like an above poster said with IQ I can series link TV shows I like .So when I'm at work or out fishing or watching footy I can record them and watch them latter.

SO y not who does it hurt .And if I do an hours power walk during the day or wade the waters of west lakes for a few hours .I'm getting more exercise than the doctors recommend.

And just about reading Books.I used to do that it ended up all I did was sit and read books . Plus I ended up reading the majority of certain mystery crime spy etc novels in the Port Adelaide Enfield libraries !! And I could tell who dunnit way to early in many of the story lines !!

Once again So who does it hurt ?

[JK]

****..is TV that important


Id love Fox Sports, but Im so much happier with the time I spend away from the TV...yes poor people TV has **** all on, but I choose the few things i want to watch each week and then have so much more time to play with Little Brod, hang out with mates, read books, mess around in the shed/garden..the list keeps going

As the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy said..."Television, the drug of a nation"

I must admit, I've massively reduced the amount of time I spend in front of the TV these days (if we don't include having to watch the Wiggles and Cars etc with littleCP) and similar to you Brod, would prefer to spend more time doing other activities.

However my internet time has probably increased a little in that period, but I've started cutting back on that now.

I couldn't imagine going without Foxtel, yet I haven't watched FTA TV in say 3-6 months.

[gadj1976]

Further to my comment about FTA buggrring up live sport...

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/f ... 6011034385

Friday night footy set to stay delayed as Channel 7 wont budge on moving Better Gnomes and Gargoyles.

[Darth Vader]

You need both if you want to stay ahead of the game. I couldn't imagine the embarrasment of being in the deoarture lounge one morning and someone says "Too bad about the ..." in relation to a world shattering episode which he saw breaking on CNN/Sky News while I was watching Kochie's pinheads talking about teeth whitening epidemic among tennis coaches in LA

[Sky Pilot]

You need both if you want to stay ahead of the game. I couldn't imagine the embarrasment of being in the deoarture lounge one morning and someone says "Too bad about the ..." in relation to a world shattering episode which he saw breaking on CNN/Sky News while I was watching Kochie's pinheads talking about teeth whitening epidemic among tennis coaches in LA

Classic - you gotta have the white teeth especially in LA

[Big Phil]

Thinking about getting Foxtel, like many on here, mainly for the sports coverage...

What's the minimum price I'm going to be looking at to get a package that gives me all the sports channels?

Have to run the finances past the boss before deciding to get it or not?

[zipzap]

Looks like ONE HD may not be around to bother Foxtel shareholders much longer.
http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/02/24/pau ... s-at-dawn/

[Mickyj]

Looks like ONE HD may not be around to bother Foxtel shareholders much longer.
http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/02/24/pau ... s-at-dawn/

Its my understanding that young Packer has been trying to do that for the last few months.it was reported on the radio months ago .so old news really zip zap.