As outlined in my last post, I signed up for Kayo a week ago. Since then, I spent a few nights watching via the new platform, and not a whole lot changed other than what I wrote about. However, I did experience some instability on the platform using the multiscreen function.
But I have now ended my free trial with the platform, and the main reason is that I get specific content with Foxtel Now that doesn't come on Kayo - that is, my non sports content - and until I know exactly what is going to happen with Foxtel Now, I'll keep using it so I can get channel like the Comedy Channel and Showcase, where I get a small but important amount of content.
For example, Westworld (my favourite non-sports show on all of television) is only available on Foxtel in Australia, as it is a HBO production, and Foxtel have the license for all HBO content in Australia.
The same goes for Mr Robot, and Game of Thrones. Some comedy shows such as Broad City, Veep, and Curb seem to appear first on Foxtel as well in Australia, and given the uncertainty of them appearing on other platforms in a timely manner, I'm not willing to completely forgo Foxtel Now and solely invest in Kayo while an option still exists for me to have that certainty.
However, I also feel like I did my bit while I had Kayo. I took part in no less than THREE (!) surveys in six days. One qualitative, one quantitative, and an exit survey that was also largely quantitative.
I diligently filled them out, pointing out the positives and negatives of the service. I also posted something on Twitter about it, and someone responded to my Tweet, expressing much the same sentiment, so I feel like it was somewhat justified (although that reply now seems to have been deleted...)
https://twitter.com/ed_reddin/status/1060836456237740033
It's not to say I won't be back, just I don't want to lose the non-sport content I get now, without knowing if I can get it anywhere else, or if Foxtel will launch a similar product to Kayo that hosts non-sport content and how much that would cost.
Foxtel have announced the launch of their skinny bundle based exclusively on sports content:
https://kayosports.com.au/
Wanting to be an early adopter, I've joined up to the Premium Package at $35 a month.It comes with a 2-week free trial period I think, so I've got some time to see if I like it, and if I miss the non-sport channel I use with Foxtel Now. The Basic package is only $25 a month, but this only includes 2x screen or device per login, while the Premium service offers 3x screens, and I'm keen to share access to this service with my friends if they phase out Foxtel Now, which I think I've seen reported.
First impressions are it's ok - it can Chromecast, it can be customised based on my sport and team preferences, and it has a good level of functionality. It says it's in HD, but not up to what level (720, 1080, 4K?). For the next two weeks I'll be stress-testing it as much as possible - stream quality, functionality, latency, fidelity. Another plus is that the platform allows multiple displays - I think up to four can be streamed at once, so it will be interesting to see how this performs as far as the quality of streaming goes when multiple screens are pulled up. Other features include 'No Spoilers' and 'Key Moments' which is as it sounds. The Key Moments is great - so for instance, if I join a cricket match late, I can click through the wickets on the timeline and see that, oh yes, Shaun Marsh has failed again with the bat. This is a convenient feature I saw with SBS I think during the World Cup, and Amazon have similar type annotations during their content, and I think this is a fantastic feature that we will only see more of in the future.
However, I'm not a fan of the guide layout - I would much prefer a traditional TV guide style EPG instead of the Netflix type layout I think they're going for. So it's not as easy to look for channels like Fox Sports 2, or Fox Footy, or ESPN and compare what's on simultaneously like you can with Foxtel Now. It's also not yet available on Android, which is unfortunate as that's what software my phone uses. I've had one or two issues with the software launching, but I think that's got more to do with the crappy laptop I'm trying to watch it on, so I'm looking forward to getting home and running it through my gaming PC or an app on my iPad.
Also, obviously the downside is that it doesn't have the non-sport content that I enjoy on Foxtel Now, such as the Comedy Channel, Showcase, and a few other things like that. If i do get rid of Foxtel Now, which is likely I think, I may end up getting all of my non-sport content through other platforms, such as Freeview TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime etc.
And if I do go that way, it is effectively another saving I can make on my subscriptions. In just over 12 months, I've gone from $120+ per month for the Foxtel satellite subscription, to initially $65 for Foxtel Now, then $55 for Foxtel Now, and now, possibly $35 for Kayo. I remember being initially reluctant to switch from satellite to OTT because of the loss of channels and functionality, but I think in retrospect it actually refined my watching and any loss of functionality was compensated by the reduction in price. So I think I can expect something similar again here. In reality, I use Foxtel Now for about 95% sport.
However, I loved having Foxtel Now for Westworld, which is easily, EASILY, my favourite non-sport show. So that is something I will have to reconcile with, especially if Foxtel remain the exclusive holder of HBO content in Australia. It has also been rumoured that Foxtel will launch a skinny bundle drama platform like Kayo, but do I want to pay for two subscriptions? Will the two combined be more expensive than Foxtel Now on its own? Will I get a discount if I subscribe to both? There is a lot of uncertainty as a consumer in this regard when the tastes are so narrow and the choice of platforms so vast and varied.
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So the cricket kicked off last weekend, with the first ODI shown exclusively on Foxtel. For the first time, the ODI team was not on Free-to-Air. It was ok for me, but the reaction of a lot of my friends was something like "I didn't even know it was on..."
This is the path that Cricket Australia has chosen - seemingly money over coverage. I don't think the ratings were great, and the coverage, while good, wasn't anything that was remarkably different to the traditional coverage, although here are some takeaways:
- Sometimes the commentators seemed to be expecting the commercial break to come between overs, but there aren't any with Foxtel. They call out the score, pause, and then there's an awkward silence where they seem to be going, "Oh that's right, I'm still on-air..."
- I really enjoy the former Channel 10 commentator Howie (?) Calls the game, leaving the other commentators, usually former players, to talk strategy.
- I kind of miss the breaks between overs. It gives you time to reset, get off the couch or whatever. I certainly DO NOT miss however watching the same fucking ads over and over and over again during the Channel 9 coverage.
- Not sure if the Flying Fox camera will take off, where the spider camera, equipped with a speaker and microphone, zooms in on players and has the commentary team talking with them during breaks in play.
So the second game is on tonight. Hopefully it will be better than the last game, but really, I think in the long run Cricket Australia will lose some semblance of relevancy in an ultra competitive market by putting the ODI behind a paywall.
