Foxtel Play, the subscription TV provider’s online streaming service, is now available on Xbox One gaming consoles. A broadband-delivered, month-by-month, pay-as-you-go service, Foxtel Play is pitched at customers that cannot receive cable or satellite Foxtel in their abode, those that want a more curated set of channels and the miserly.
Access to Foxtel Play over Xbox 360 gives dealers of this gaming console and extra weapon in their sales arsenal when attempting to convert interest in Microsoft’s latest and greatest gaming machine into a sale.
With this announcement, the Xbox One joins the Xbox 360, PlayStations 3 and 4, eligible Samsung and LG Smart TVs, selected Samsung Blu-ray players and home theatres, and PCs and Macs as compatible Foxtel Play devices. Consumers that sign up to Foxtel Play already gain access to Foxtel Go, which is an app that broadens content consumption to late model iPhones and iPads and some Samsung smartphones and tablets.
“Foxtel and Xbox are synonymous with brilliant entertainment,” said Foxtel executive director of sales and marketing Ed Smith. “Our shared history of filling living rooms with funny, adventurous, nail-biting and immersive experiences is what we live for and our partnership to bring Foxtel Play to Xbox 360 has been an unmeasured success for our customers. We’re thrilled to announce plans to add Foxtel Play to Xbox One and take that success even further.”
And here’s Microsoft Australia Xbox lead Jeremy Hinton:
“With Xbox One, our aim is to deliver an all-in-one solution that couples industry leading games with best-in class film and TV entertainment experiences. This latest milestone in our already game-changing relationship puts the latest and greatest movies and TV shows into the hands of our fans, and adds to the ever growing line-up of Australian and international content available to all Xbox One owners.”
Foxtel Play has no set up costs and starts at $25 per month for one of four basic channel packs. There are significant price breaks for multiple picks: $35 for two, $45 for three and $50 for four. The premium sport and movies packs $25 each and there is no price break. You must choose at least one basic channel pack before picking a premium channel. For what it’s worth, the minimum cost to watch Game of Thrones is $50 per month. There is a 14-day free trial to new customers; this comes with a set of terms and conditions that prospective customer should peruse.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has announced a price reduction in its earlier Xbox 360 console. From Wednesday 1 October 2014, the entry-level 4GB Xbox 360 console will be RRP $179, down $20 off the previous RRP. The reductions are even greater as you go up through the range: 4GB Xbox 360 with Kinect is now RRP $249 (down $50); 250GB console is RRP $199 (down $100); and the 250GB Kinect console is RRP $299 (also down $100).
Microsoft also has two new Xbox 360 bundles, both at RRP $279. The first includes a 500GB console, Call of Duty: Ghosts and Call of Duty: Black Ops II and one month of Xbox Live Gold access. The second bundle is the same package, but the console and included controller is blue. This second bundle is exclusive to EB Games. As mentioned above, all Xbox 360 consoles are Foxtel Play-compatible.