I think at the end of 2012 when all the former Showtime and Movie Network channels closed down in favour of Foxtel Movies channels?
Is Movie Greats replacing World Movies
looking back at some of the old mumbralla articles about foxtel and thee chanells at the time wow foxtel was the best pay tv service there was maybe foxtel could bring back some of the old channells backâ?like say some of the showtime sweet of channells???
No, it wouldnât be a direct replacement, since World Movies is for foreign language films, but Movie Greats isnât.
Foxtel executive director of TV Brian Walsh has told Mediaweek why the broadcaster had to close a number of channels.
We recognise that, increasingly, Australians are moving to an on-demand environment. Therefore linear channel viewing, while it will remain, will be less important.
That means it is time for a comprehensive review of the channels we carry. That will cause some distress and discomfort for consumers. The fact of the matter is it is a much more attractive proposition to have fewer channels that have a richer offering with a stronger lineup and fewer repeats.
We then have to let go of those channels that donât meet our performance criteria.
This is the era of super channels. The audiences are so fragmented and there is so much choice available now that you want to have very robust, strong channels that are real destinations that people will a) recognise and b) go to.
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Super channels ? 
To my eyes and ears, the offerings on FOXTEL are not as good as it was say 5 years ago, regardless of the number of channels.
I got FOXTEL put back on last year (when our building got upgraded to iQ capable) partly because of the sport (NRL and cricket mostly) and to enjoy on the new 55 inch telly I got around the same time.
But the main thing Iâm finding with that is there far too much soccer for my liking, particularly on the BeIN suite of channels. I would like to see a wider range of sport covered.
I donât plan to get rid of it though, I still like having it.
Our TV usage on a Samsung Smart TV is now evenly distributed over FTA / Netflix / Stan / Foxtel Now / Network Catchups / Amazon and probably in that order.
2 years ago we ran everything through Foxtel iQ, including FTA. But with better internet access and better content, we find we flick through the smart TV apps nightly.
My only concern with Foxtel Now is that it doesnât have all channels that normal Foxtel IQ has - eg. Foxtel Arts and CNN. They need to make that happen.
Also, Iâd rather re-invest the $100+ monthly Foxtel bill into seperate app subscriptions.
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Foxtel expands drama offering
Increased On Demand library and more complete seasons on BoxSets
showcase set to be super drama channel â new home for FX Originals
Foxtel today announced more new content and a large range of popular complete seasons will be added to its On Demand service^ and showcase will become a drama âsuper channelâ filled with a slate of Foxtel original dramas and exclusive, first-run premium drama titles express from the US.
showcase will begin screening a raft of FX Originals making it the lead destination for premium drama titles including the exclusive Australian premiere of Ryan Murphyâs highly anticipated The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story and American Horror Story: Cult, both coming soon â premiere dates to be announced.
Foxtel has also secured, from FX, the Australian premiere of new series Snowfall, Pose and Trust, along with Legion and the return of The Americans and Feud. New episodes of fan favourite Lucifer will screen on FOX8.
showcase will also be home to the first-run of hit series, The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead and Talking Dead, all from Americaâs AMC Network.
Foxtel is working with key suppliers, including FX, 21st Century Fox, Warner Bros., MGM, Sony and Disney to ensure a large range of popular complete seasons will also be added to the Foxtel On Demand service, Foxtelâs BoxSets channel, and the showcase HD channel.
Brian Walsh, Foxtel Executive Director of Television, said, âThese exciting new developments further cements Foxtelâs position as the unrivalled home of the best drama series from Australia and around the world. The addition of a large rich and diverse slate of programs from FX is a huge boost for Foxtel subscribers who love drama.
âWe are also adding more content to our On Demand library, bolstering the flexibility of watching even more complete seasons, on demand, all year round â all included as part of a residential subscription.
âshowcase is our premium drama destination, offering the strongest line up of acclaimed and award winning drama from around the world. Together with our signature local commissions, showcase is, by any measure, the first choice to see the worldâs best. Our customers will see an increase in first run content on showcase with even more great new drama from HBO and Foxtelâs own slate of highly acclaimed Australian productions to look forward to in 2018.
American Crime Story: The Assassination Of Gianni Versace, is the second instalment of FXâs award-winning limited series, and American Horror Story: Cult is the seventh series of the critically acclaimed franchise â both from the creative genius of EmmyÂŽ, Golden GlobeÂŽ and PeabodyÂŽ Award-winning screenwriter, producer and director, Ryan Murphy.
The Assassination Of Gianni Versace is a story of failed ambition, about how the pursuit of an âAmerican Dreamâ ended in murder and suicide. The series features an all-star cast with Darren Criss (Glee, American Horror Story), Edgar Ramirez (Zero Dark Thirty, Joy), Academy AwardÂŽ winner Penelope Cruz (Blow, Vanilla Sky, Vicky Cristina Barcelona), and international pop icon Ricky Martin.
American Horror Story: Cult is a dark, satirical, horror-infused vision of American politics and society set in modern day Michigan. Based on the 2016 US election, the 11-episodes in Cult are more âgroundedâ meaning there are no supernatural elements as there have been in previous seasons. American Horror Story: Cult is a parody of Trump and Clinton supporters alike but there are also killer clowns who start picking off neighbours leaving behind bloody smiley faces and fear that leads to chaos. Starring series alumni Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters and Cheyenne Jackson, alongside Billie Lourd, Alison Pill, Billy Eichner, and Leslie Grossman.
showcase has long been Australiaâs âHome of HBOâ featuring must-see programming including Game of Thrones, Westworld â season 2 premieres on showcase Mondays from April 23 express from the US â The Deuce, Divorce, Veep, Ballers and Big Little Lies, along with new arrivals Here and Now, Barry and Succession.
showcase is also the exclusive home to Foxtelâs own award-winning original dramas, which continue to break new ground and win local and international praise. In 2018, TV Week Logie Award and AACTA Award winning Australian dramas Wentworth and A Place to Call Home will return to showcase along with the highly anticipated Picnic at Hanging Rock from May 6, Nash Edgertonâs Mr Inbetween and from Goalpost Pictures, Fighting Season.
A broad range of local drama success stories continue to be available On Demand including Top of The Lake: China Girl, The Kettering Incident, Secret City and more.
| Program | Where to watch on Foxtel |
|---|---|
| âThe Walking Dead | âNew season premieres on showcase Express from the US from February 26. |
| All seasons currently available On Demand, showcase and BoxSets. | |
| New season added weekly On Demand. | |
| âTalking Dead | New season on showcase Express from the US from February 26. |
| New season added weekly On Demand. | |
| Fear the Walking Dead | New season premieres on showcase Express from the US in April. |
| All seasons on showcase, BoxSets and On Demand. | |
| New season added weekly On Demand. | |
| The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story | New season on showcase coming soon. |
| New season added weekly On Demand. | |
| American Horror Story: Cult | New season on showcase coming soon. |
| All seasons available On Demand, showcase and BoxSets. | |
| New season added weekly On Demand. | |
| Legion | New season on showcase coming soon. |
| All seasons on showcase, BoxSets and On Demand. | |
| Lucifer | New season premieres on FOX8 Express from the US from February 28. |
| New season added weekly On Demand. | |
| Aquarius | Episodes available on BoxSets and all seasons On Demand. |
| Better Call Saul | Seasons 1 - 2 on showcase and BoxSets. |
| Breaking Bad | All seasons on showcase and BoxSets. |
| Criminal Minds | Episodes available on TVH!TS. |
| Fargo | Season 2 on showcase and BoxSets. |
| From Dusk Till Dawn | All seasons on showcase and BoxSets. |
| Hell on Wheels | All seasons available On Demand. |
| Homeland | Seasons 1 â 6 available On Demand. |
| Kingdom | Episodes available on showcase and BoxSets. |
| Outcast | All seasons On Demand. |
| Person of Interest | Episodes available on showcase and BoxSets. |
| Sons Of Anarchy | All seasons on showcase, BoxSets and On Demand. |
| The Blacklist | Seasons 1 - 3 on showcase. |
| The Last Ship | Seasons 2 - 3 on BoxSets. |
| Vikings | Seasons 3 - 4 on BoxSets. |
Just tried to arrange to upgrade my parents Foxtel to iq3 (they are still using an AGEING SD box thats about 10 years old). They are on cable and told they canât upgrade as they are no longer supporting cable and if they wish to upgrade must also change over to satellite (which would mean another installation cost). Is this true or are they being given the run around?
Tried to look on the web, didnât turn up anything 
iam pretty sure its correct i think i read on a foxtel forum that satellite is the way there going on
Running those Foxtel and Optus cables in all those streets around Australia was a good investment, wasnât it?
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as part of the upgrade of the NBN one of the things agreed to was to move off cable to open more spectrum to allow increased speed.
True but the NBN (well the original concept) would have superseded it anyway.
Thanks for that. They want HD so I will give them the good news that they will have to move to satellite.
Is there a shut off date yet for Foxtel over cable? If they just wait it out is there a possibility they will go to satellite for no extra cost?
I just canât believe how much money Australia wasted in getting Optus and Telstra cables run everywhere. At least if they had come to some agreement like the NBN, there wouldnât have been so much duplication.
Maybe if they had some foresight, they could have used that money to run underground optic fibre back then, instead of hanging all those overhead wires off the power poles, which now were a wasted effort. It could have been used for pay tv back then and later used for internet and everything else too.
Tell your parents to just say they want to cancel then, then they will get offered free install 
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So the end of Foxtel cable is nigh. Everyone to be hooked up by satellite. Tough luck if you donât have an antenna for over the air reception. A lot of channels will go mia. Including all of the networksâ HD channels
From what I have read satellite is worse than cable. No idea why they are making this decision especially when some channels will completely disappear.
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I wonder if a future Foxtel Now box will mimic the Fetch Mighty to include the ability to record. The current excuse from Foxtel is the Now service doesnât include recording capabilities due to rights management, but Fetch has been able to overcome that problem. Programs on BBC First can be recorded on Fetch but not on Foxtel Now.
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