Foxtel Now review: Price, packages and content compared

Foxtel Now is a subscription-based video-on-demand service from Aussie media giant Foxtel. Launched in 2013 under the name Foxtel Play, Foxtel’s streaming app has chopped and changed over the years with significant pricing overhauls and slight UI improvements but throughout it all, one thing has remained true: whatever you call it, Foxtel Now, Foxtel Play, Foxtel App or Foxtel Go, the streaming app alternative to the pay TV provider’s exorbitant packages has always been a bit of a buffer-happy contender in Australia’s streaming service showdown.

While alternative streaming services (like Netflix and Stan) have continued to evolve over the years, offering hearty 4K catalogues and generous plan pricing, Foxtel Now has turned into an unrecognisable product with less to offer than its competition to justify the cost of admission. For years, Foxtel has depended primarily on two things: HBO content (like Game of Thrones) and its comprehensive sports coverage. But with Kayo taking over for sports streaming and Max reclaiming all HBO content is there much point to a Foxtel Now subscription these days? 

Premium HBO series like Game of Thrones, Big Little Lies and Westworld ahve been Foxtel’s sharpest swords in the battle for your eyeballs for a long time now. However, now that you can get most of the same content on its far cheaper sister service Binge (and soon, not even there,) Foxtel Now has lost its biggest selling point, making its traditional pay-TV package pricing far less desirable.

Yep, that’s right – you’ll pay more without necessarily getting more, because Foxtel Now’s content is divided into a few different packages.

The $35 per month package is the cheapest way to get Foxtel Now beyond its free trial period. It includes 35 channels, including Showcase, Fox8, MTV, Arena, LifeStyle, Comedy, BBC UKTV, TLC,  and more. The rest of those 35 channels are dedicated to news and music. Unfortunately, even if you think you’ll watch the programs offered by these channels, you’re stuck with it. The Starter Bundle is essential if you want to sign up to Foxtel Now. Just want sport? Nope, you’ll have to pay for both Sport AND the Starter Bundle.

While you used to be able to add on sports and movies packs separately, these days you only have the option to add a Sports + Movies bundle. That pack includes 18 sports and movie channels, such as Fox Sports, ESPN, Movies Premiere and the Lifetime Movie Network, but it brings the total monthly cost up to $84 per month.

On the surface, Foxtel Now's Ultimate bundle seems like a no-brainer. For $65 per month you'll get access to both the Starter Bundle and the Movies + Sports Bundle plus an additional nine channels: Discovery, Discovery Turbo, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Real Crime, Real History, Boomerang, Cartoon Network and DreamWorks. However, that price only lasts for 12 months and if you let that first year slip by without cancelling, you'll be hit with a whopping $104 per month until you cancel Foxtel Now. 

As we mentioned above, Foxtel Now’s minimum monthly price is $35 per month. That will get you a good deal of Foxtel’s most popular content, including Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. But if you’re looking for the full suite of channels, you will pay up to $104 per month. Here’s a breakdown of Foxtel Now’s pricing.

For the sake of comparison, Netflix’s highest plan will cost you $25.99 per month, giving you 4K/UHD streaming and four concurrent streams. Stan will cost you a little less at $22 per month for 4K/UHD, four concurrent streams and offline viewing on five phones or tablets. Prime Video’s Australian offering is priced at a reasonable $9.99 per month if you don't mind ads (otherwise it will cost $12.99 per month ad-free.) 

Here’s a brief overview of our streaming service round-up so you can get an idea of how Foxtel Now’s pricing and features stack up.

Foxtel Now offers the same content as Foxtel without the need for a set-top box or monthly contract. It was launched to compete on the same stage as the immensely popular U.S. punter Netflix and Australia’s own local streaming champion, Stan. As such, it delivers a similar on-demand streaming experience as well as traditional linear broadcasts.

TV shows and movies from Foxtel’s suite of channels can be watched any time on-demand or live at the same time as the rest of Australia for scheduled broadcasts. It is a standalone service that doesn’t require a traditional Foxtel subscription to use, unlike Foxtel’s companion app Foxtel GO, which is free for Foxtel iQ subscribers.

The appeal of any streaming service is the on-demand content library and the number of devices compatible with the service. Foxtel Now, for example, is available on iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, PC, Mac, Chromecast, various Smart TVs. 

While Foxtel Now offers more or less the same content library as Foxtel, there are a few key features that are held back (otherwise, why would you buy a Foxtel subscription?) Firstly, if you’re the type to record live broadcasts, there are no digital video recorder (DVR) devices compatible with Foxtel Now. That’s exclusive to Foxtel subscribers who purchase the Foxtel iQ box. There was a proprietary Foxtel Now box but it didn't have any DVR features and was more akin to something like Apple TV or Fetch.

The same goes for 4K streaming. Ultra high-definition (UHD) or 4K streaming isn’t available on Foxtel Now at all, the most you can hope for is HD, but the service’s adaptive bit-rate streaming and Australia’s sub-par broadband speeds mean you can only get the quality your broadband speed allows for.

Your broadband speed needs to be, at least, 7Mbps to watch Foxtel Now in high-definition (HD) and 3Mbps for standard-definition (SD.) On-demand content can be streamed in 1080p with a steady 7Mbps connection but live television will cap at 720p.

If your internet plan is struggling to keep up with your binge-watching ways, here are a few of the most popular NBN 100 plans that could speed things up. 

Technically, you can stream Foxtel Now on up to five devices simultaneously. That’s more than Netflix or Stan but it also comes with a bit of extra red tape.

With Netflix or Stan, you can log into as many devices as you like. If you exceed the device limit, somebody will get booted. Foxtel, on the other hand, makes you “register” each device. When you register your device limit, you are asked to select a device to deregister. Once de-registered, that account will need to sign in all over again.

This isn’t much of an issue for most and the extra level of device management can be extra handy if you gave your neighbour Dave your login details one night after a few wines but it becomes a little annoying for large households; especially for parents who don’t share the password with their ankle-biters.

Unfortunately, no. If Foxtel could cover some (or all) of the cost for a Foxtel Now account with an appetising broadband bundle, you could easily justify a subscription. 

While it's not an Internet and TV bundle in the traditional sense, Vodafone customers do get three months of Foxtel's streaming service Binge for free. Here are a few eligible plans: 

If you’re looking to go scorched earth on Foxtel's streaming app, cancelling Foxtel Now couldn't be easier. Simply head over to your account page with your login details and click the “Deactivate service” button. You will then be directed to another page where you will be asked to fill out a form before unsubscribing. Once you’ve filled out the form, hit the deactivate button. There, you’ve successfully saved yourself $35 per month (minimum).

If something does catch your eye and you’d like to resume your Foxtel Now subscription you can do so with the click of a button on your account page (to save going through the whole sign-up process again). If you’d like to completely close your account with Foxtel, you will have to call customer service on 13 19 99.