THE PAST: FOXTEL ON-DEMAND
Foxtel on-demand services are fairly diverse in comparison to other services in its ilk, with functions such as Main Event, which focuses on live sporting events and live concerts and Box Office, which is specifically for films. The marketing that supported this likened the service to renting videos from the video store, but doing it in the comfort of your own home. This to an extent, touches on the space-shifting element in regard to convenience, however it emphasises on glamourizing the opportunity to be stagnant and comfortable at home. This deflects from the portable and mobile convenience of modern on-demand technologies, but it does highlight the shift in trends from a consumer perspective.
Coupled with the library of selected TV shows that subscribers can access for free with their package, Foxtel on-demand shared very similar qualities to what services are available at present, but in their time of release, were considered technological innovators to the general public. Foxtel operated with an Electronic Program Guide (EPG), allowing subscribers to see what was upcoming in the broadcast and plan their schedules around this rather than having to sit through hours of shows they may not be interested in. The big red button was another feature available to Foxtel subscribers, known as ‘Foxtel Active’. This feature enabled viewers to enhance their viewing experience by allowing them options such as different camera angles, read up more information, access to interactive elements such as games and voting, extended news coverage, 24 hour weather and radio channel access. This function was similar to the way that channels have currently set up web players such as iView, Plus 7 and Ninemsn Video Catch up. Next Page ➤ |