Menu’s tasty offerings
Foxtel’s software overhaul
THERE’S a big change coming to Foxtel and it has nothing to do with watching Stranger Things. While the pay-TV provider confirmed its deal to bring Netflix on to its set-top boxes last week, Foxtel also announced a major software overhaul for its devices.
Arriving by November, the software will completely change the way shows are presented, categorised and accessed on the pay-TV service.
It even has the potential to change the way Foxtel subscribers watch television — no longer hunting down repeats or series linking shows but simply selecting them from a scrolling entertainment buffet.
We took the new-look Foxtel menu and remote control for a spin at its launch in Sydney to see the changes.
The Home screen of the new Foxtel experience doesn’t list channels.
In fact, it looks a lot like a streaming service rather than a typical pay-TV interface.
Foxtel chief executive Patrick Delany says that is entirely deliberate.
“The focus is not on channels — it’s on everything. The (electronic program guide) still works beautifully, the channels still work beautifully, and they’re still in the menu. We moved into on-demand content because that’s the way the world has moved.”
Instead of a program list on its landing page, the first menu features rows of rotating TV and movie posters, showing off the latest productions, popular viewing, recommendations, what’s new from Netflix, and sport.
It looks a bit like a darker version of Apple TV’s menu or, as someone pointed out to Delany, like Foxtel stole a page from its newest partner.
“Somebody said it looks like Netflix,” he says. “The fact of the matter is all snow skis look the same as well because that’s the way they work. We created a ski that was a bit fat and it needed to go longer.”
Updated Foxtel menus now run down each page, and content is filtered into a long list of categories.
After the new Home menu, there’s a TV guide, a library of recordings, and categories for TV shows, movies, sport, kids, and the rental store.
It might sound like something streaming services already offer, but it’s a big step forward for a service more commonly known for its many channels.
Offering new ways to search for and discover TV shows and movies is part of the idea behind the redesign, and the menus appear to work swiftly on the iQ4 hardware.
Next, the company plans to deliver more personalised recommendations, both on its home screen and after viewers finish watching a series or film.
Partnering with its biggest rival surprised some pundits, but others are likely to be surprised when they see how Netflix shows appear in Foxtel menus. Foxtel did not merely bolt a Netflix category or app on to its existing menu.
Once you’ve logged into your account, Netflix shows will appear on the home screen of Foxtel’s new interface.
Netflix films will also show up in the movies menu, as its TV shows do in that category.
Adding Netflix to Foxtel’s service is a headline-grabber but, for everyday Foxtel subscribers its new menu system is likely to prove a much bigger deal.
The new look will make discovering shows easier, but it will also likely change the way subscribers use Foxtel. This upgrade could be the best thing to happen to Foxtel since HD.
Foxtel is part-owned by News Corp, publisher of this newspaper.