As I've done each of the last few years, I have again purchased a short subscription to Watch AFL, the AFL's OTT service for people watching the game overseas.
The reason for the subscription is to see if the geoblocking of AFL games in Australia can be circumvented by using a VPN service with the Watch AFL app. The subscription also allows me to access games that are not on free-to-air television in Australia.
And I can report that using Watch AFL with a VPN still works!!
Here's a few other observations I noticed:
Firstly, the Watch AFL service I think is more stable. I don't think I had a single drop-out for the first two games I was watching on. However, the maximum resolution on the service is only 720p. This is fine, but obviously not as good as you want. The resolution probably drops down a little more often than you would like, but it doesn't completely drop out like Kayo seems to.
The functionality for the Watch AFL service is not as good as other OTT services. Changing games requires closing down windows, navigating back to the home page, etc, rather than having an active menu inside a currently playing game that would allow you to live switch between games.
The feed is the national Fox Footy feed. This is better than some other services, because Kayo and Foxtel Now for example take the Channel 7 feed of the games, meaning there are adds after goals, and they don't have the pre-and post game shows, and the half-time show is Channel 7 coverage. With Watch AFL, all of that content is Foxtel's content and there are no ads after goals. Also, the advertising in the Watch AFL product is also national brands, whereas Kayo and Foxtel Now tended to be NSW-based.
Kayo is really good functionality for sports watching, because it has features like 'no spoilers', multi-screen options, and embedded highlights, but I found the service to be a little bit fragile. I think in one afternoon, the signal would have dropped out about 8-10 times. Also, Kayo tends to offer programming in blocks. So for example, after a game ends, the feed will stop and go back to the home page. The only way around this is to select a 'live' channel, which then stays as the active channel throughout. Although, as mentioned, when the stream drops out, the user goes all the way back to the home screen anyway, and the 'live' channel options are buried all the way at the bottom of the home page. These differences may seem small, but I think they are deliberate. I think Foxtel don't want Kayo to feel too much like Foxtel Now, and some functionality isn't fully realised, so that there is still some incentive for users to upgrade to a more expensive service to be able to access the better functionality. Similarly, Kayo also lacks the ability to switch channels while you are watching coverage - instead, you have to go back to the home page and navigate from there. With Foxtel now, you could minimise the viewer and access the TV guide/channel list with the game still going on without having to go all the way back to the home page.
Kayo however offers 1080p resolution I think. But another downside to Kayo is that while Chromecasting is an option, it's almost unwatchable. I did some research online, and it seems Kayo is optimised for using the Chromecast Ultra device, whereas I'm on the first-generation Chromecast device. It's unfortunate because when I had Foxtel Now, the Chromecast feature was fine, with basically no drop outs at all. As a result, I'm watching virtually all Kayo on the gaming PC connected to the TV. This in turn means I'm watching less Kayo and more FTA and Netflix content, because it's a pain in the backside to get Kayo on compared to watching via Chromecasting from the tablet. I'm also looking into getting a Chromecast Ultra, but they are like $99 new.
The Watch AFL pass is $33 a month, whereas the Kayo subscription I'm on is $25 a month. Kayo also has more sport and other content, and while Kayo also have a $35 a month service, I don't need it right now. So Kayo, at $25 a month and with more sport is probably a better deal. I also still suspect that Foxtel, who run the Watch AFL app for the AFL, probably know that people can use the service in Australia if they are using a VPN, but are happy for people to do so, because they are still charging for it, and because it might prime those people to take up the Kayo offering anyway.
On the whole though, I don't think I'm missing Foxtel Now very much - at least not until Westworld comes back next year... I still really need to trial going without any form of pay-TV at all, to see how it would change my usage and decision making. Possibly this weekend.
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