The best TV and Internet bundles for Foxtel, Fetch and more
-
Telstra TV and Internet
Best TV and Internet Bundle
See plansCompact 4K device and sign-up bonus3 months of Foxtel Now -
Foxtel by Telstra
Best Foxtel Bundle Option
See PlansCheaper than buying through FoxtelTV and Internet on one bill -
Best Sports Bundle
Telstra and Kayo Discount
See plansAvailable with any postpaid Telstra Plan$10 off p/mth for 12 mths
Whatever happened to the good ol’ fashioned TV and Internet bundle?
Let’s take a look at the history of pay TV and internet bundles in Australia before jumping into the best deals available in Australia.
Starting in 1995, News Corp and Telstra’s hulking media giant Foxtel ruled the Australian media landscape with an iron fist. For a good 15 years, those who opposed its rule, such as Galaxy, Austar and Optus Vision, were turned to dust. Anything worth watching from the U.S. was delivered via Foxtel’s set-top box. Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, the latest movie releases and notable sporting events were all locked behind a Foxtel subscription. In 2010, iiNet and Astro All Asia introduced an unlikely David to challenge Foxtel’s Goliath with Fetch TV.
To this day, Fetch TV has held its ground with a more modest selection of channels (and price tag), full PVR features and a wide range of ISP partnerships.
In May 2015, a new challenger launched a surprise invasion on Aussie living rooms, the beloved U.S. streaming platform Netflix. Ever since Netflix arrived, Foxtel and Fetch have fought to remain relevant by holding on to their broadband bundle deals for dear life. Something that the growing list of streaming services hasn’t managed to lock down with the exception of a short-lived tryst between Vodafone and Netflix.
These days, both set-top box providers have shifted to more all-inclusive hardware ecosystems that are compatible with services like Netflix, Stan and hayu. If you can’t beat them, join them.
Best Foxtel and NBN Bundle
Telstra TV + Internet package with a discounted Foxtel from Telstra package.
Technically, Foxtel Broadband (Foxtel’s Telstra-powered broadband offering) offers the best Foxtel and Internet bundle on the market.
Foxtel Broadband’s Unlimited NBN Broadband + Platinum HD Bundle will set you back $138.20 per month on a 12-month contract. That includes a Premium TV pack from Foxtel (usually $99 per month), unlimited data on NBN 50, and a bundled home phone with unlimited standard local and national calls.
Strangely, Foxtel Broadband no longer offers a Platinum HD bundle (it’s top-tier channel pack). And the pricing above is a limited-time deal.
If you want a more comprehensive TV and Internet bundle, Telstra offers Platinum HD for cheap, as well as some enticing entertainment bundles.
For $99 per month, the Telstra TV + Internet Bundle will get you unlimited data (on NBN 50 speeds), 3 months of Foxtel Now and a Telstra TV unit (a streaming device that’s compatible with Netflix, Stan, Kayo, Foxtel Now and many more).
Alternatively, Telstra offers two separate Foxtel bundles: Sports HD and Movies HD. Both bundles cost $140 per month and come with a Foxtel iQ4 box, access to over 50 entertainment and drama channels and 12 sport channels (Sports HD package) or 10 movie channels (Movie HD package). Telstra doesn’t offer an all-in-one solution, unfortunately, but it does offer multiple Foxtel packs at a cheaper price than Foxtel itself.
For example, Telstra’s Sports HD and Movies HD options are $50 per month each through Telstra for the first 12 months. That’s $14 per month off.
We recommend bundling the Telstra TV + Internet package with a Foxtel Plus + Sports or Movies HD pack via Telstra. That’s $149 per month and it gives you Telstra TV, unlimited NBN 50 data, 3 months off Foxtel Now, a Foxtel iQ4 box and a premium channel pack.
The best Foxtel alternative
Optus $90 NBN with Fetch Mighty Bundle
The Optus $90 NBN Bundle Plan gets you Standard Plus speeds (NBN 50), unlimited data, an Optus Sport subscription (usually $14.99 per month), the 4K Fetch Mighty box ($449 outright) and one premium Fetch channel pack ($6 per month). Not including the Optus Sport subscription (which is included on every Optus NBN plan), that’s $593 of added value over 24 months.
If you’re into your Premier League or UEFA Champions League, Optus Sport is your only option for streaming in Australia.
You can also upgrade to NBN 100 for an extra $30 per month to take full advantage of the Fetch Mighty’s 4K streaming but to be honest, at that point you’d be better off going with a cheaper provider and forking out for the cost of the Fetch yourself.
Here’s a small selection of popular NBN 100 deals from providers that offer Fetch.
What’s the best bundle for sports fans?
Telstra TV + Internet with 12-month Kayo Sports deal
The Optus Fetch bundle above is a sweet deal for football fans but there’s not much on offer for NRL, AFL, NFL or NBA fans. For a wider world of sport, your options are primarily Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
We’ve discussed Foxtel at length but Kayo is an enticing pitch for sports fans with eclectic tastes. The self-described “Netflix of Sports” is a Streaming Video On-Demand service for Aussie sports nuts. It has a huge list of over 50 popular sports from homegrown AFL, NRL and Cricket to international crowd-pleasers like NBA and NHL.
There aren’t any Kayo Sports bundles to speak of, but Telstra offers 12 months of Kayo Basic for $15 per month (a $10 per month saving) on any of its postpaid plans.
Here’s a selection of eligible Telstra NBN plans. It’s worth noting that you will only get the Kayo-compatible Telstra TV device with Telstra’s TV + Internet Bundle.
What’s the best bundle for movie fans?
There’s no single broadband bundle that sticks out for its selection of movies; most streaming services and pay TV options offer a variety of movies in some capacity. With that said, Fetch TV’s base plan comes with Movie Box, 30 pre-selected rental movies per month.
The quality varies dramatically month to month but you don’t pay anything extra for the privilege. There’s a lot of trash but also a few gems every month. This month, you’ll see top-rated flicks like The Lobster and Hellboy alongside guilty pleasures like Transporter 3 and arguably the two worst Rocky movies, Rocky IV and Rocky V.
If you’ve settled on one of the Foxtel bundles mentioned earlier, you can always add the Movies Pack for $20 per month. That’ll score you 10 themed movie channels and a selection of over 1,000 on-demand movies via FoxFlicks.