News Live Pass scrapped - Kayo now sole streaming option.

[bresker]

You don’t need Kayo the whole year. There’s no subscription so you start it in round 1 and cancel it before finals since they’re free to air . I like Kayo . If I have to pay for games it’s a well designed app.

 

[owen87]

Yep im finally ditching Telstra now. And abiut time. Live pass was the only reason i stayed with them.
Ill now get on a cheaper plan with a different company and get the full Kayo.
Wont be much of a difference.

Wonder if it'll have the unintended side effect of lots of people ditching Telstra for cheaper options that stuck it out previously.

Can move to pretty much any other provider to get more data and still save cash.

 

[owen87]

You don’t need Kayo the whole year. There’s no subscription so you start it in round 1 and cancel it before finals since they’re free to air . I like Kayo . If I have to pay for games it’s a well designed app.

Kayo is actually a good product, I've found over the last few years I've ended up watching a number of other sports on there pretty regularly.

For those only interested in AFL that don't want to stream the Foxtel only games to their TV I can see why it's not appealing though.

 

[CaptchaProofBot]

what i think they should do is introduce the PPV system...at a reasonable price, of course.

They already have it for UFC/Boxing....if you want to watch the main event, you pay for it one time and that's it no contract whatsoever...it's not really breaking any new grounds here.

Then the users can order only certain matches that they want to watch, one fullHD stream, no contents before/after the match, no extras, no contract.

There. You're welcome.

 

[Larry Barnsworth]

Others have mentioned Kayo is a cancel at any time deal, so you don't need to pay the whole year. But also, Kayo are very aware of subscribers dropping off enmasse at the end of the AFL season, so discount deals are pretty easy to come across for the back half of the year. I got knocked back to $20 a month in October through to March without even asking. Kayo just emailed me the deal.

I do wish they had better app support though like other streaming options. I can drive my TV as an extra monitor and flick a browser instance over there, but it is fiddlier than a dedicated app (mouse instead of controller/remote, etc.) I did attempt to use it via the Edge browser on my XBone, but that was very, very not good.

 

[The 747]

You don’t need Kayo the whole year. There’s no subscription so you start it in round 1 and cancel it before finals since they’re free to air . I like Kayo . If I have to pay for games it’s a well designed app.

I wouldn't go that far, it is satisfactory.

 

[The 747]

what i think they should do is introduce the PPV system...at a reasonable price, of course.

They already have it for UFC/Boxing....if you want to watch the main event, you pay for it one time and that's it no contract whatsoever...it's not really breaking any new grounds here.

Then the users can order only certain matches that they want to watch, one fullHD stream, no contents before/after the match, no extras, no contract.

There. You're welcome.

I agree with you Bot, Kwality and I had a look at the sums one time and it is a very attractive model:

AFL has a streaming service, streams games on PPV on demand. From what I recall they would actually make fu**tons more money doing it that way.

It however would require the AFL to come to grips with this modern thing called the internet.

 

[Larry Barnsworth]

what i think they should do is introduce the PPV system...at a reasonable price, of course.

They already have it for UFC/Boxing....if you want to watch the main event, you pay for it one time and that's it no contract whatsoever...it's not really breaking any new grounds here.

Then the users can order only certain matches that they want to watch, one fullHD stream, no contents before/after the match, no extras, no contract.

There. You're welcome.

I actually had a conversation with a Foxtel analyst about this. I want to watch one game, yeah? But I don't want to subscribe (and this was back before Kayo when Foxtel wouldn't just let you subscribe to Sports. You had to have "the basic pack" plus, and so on) because it doesn't hit my value threshold. So Foxtel is leaving money on the table, I tell him. I would buy that one game, and I know I would have to pay a premium - say 30-50% of a basic subscription. But we'd pay that, because it's still a far better option than subscribing, watching that one game, and then going through the torture of trying to cancel or copping a minimum term subscription cost. It makes sense, right?

But the dude was like all, yeah, nah. They're very aware of that as a model but they don't want to offer it because repeat conversion is too hard / too low. What they really want is for people to have to subscribe, get them "on the drip", and then have them forget about it.

This was all years ago, so maybe streaming service competition is pressuring them into changing - hell - at least they've been pushed into allowing no fixed contracts.

FWIW - Anecdote only.

 

[CaptchaProofBot]

I actually had a conversation with a Foxtel analyst about this. I want to watch one game, yeah? But I don't want to subscribe (and this was back before Kayo when Foxtel wouldn't just let you subscribe to Sports. You had to have "the basic pack" plus, and so on) because it doesn't hit my value threshold. So Foxtel is leaving money on the table, I tell him. I would buy that one game, and I know I would have to pay a premium - say 30-50% of a basic subscription. But we'd pay that, because it's still a far better option than subscribing, watching that one game, and then going through the torture of trying to cancel or copping a minimum term subscription cost. It makes sense, right?

But the dude was like all, yeah, nah. They're very aware of that as a model but they don't want to offer it because repeat conversion is too hard / too low. What they really want is for people to have to subscribe, get them "on the drip", and then have them forget about it.

This was all years ago, so maybe streaming service competition is pressuring them into changing - hell - at least they've been pushed into allowing no fixed contracts.

FWIW - Anecdote only.

yeah maybe in the past.....it was too hard....but now they've got ufc/boxing down pat...and they're offering the Freemium accounts now...so why not let people use the Freemium account and Pay As You Go ?...very silly to me. Hell if people watch enough one off games...they might actually get hooked !! guess they know more about business than me.

 

[Kwality]

I agree with you Bot, Kwality and I had a look at the sums one time and it is a very attractive model:

AFL has a streaming service, streams games on PPV on demand. From what I recall they would actually make fu**tons more money doing it that way.

It however would require the AFL to come to grips with this modern thing called the internet.

I think the AFL deal with scenario at the time the rights are in play, as do the media players.
What is interesting about it is we are seeing changing models for the Aus market, see Rugby with its international focus.

 

[Kwality]

But the dude was like all, yeah, nah. They're very aware of that as a model but they don't want to offer it because repeat conversion is too hard / too low. What they really want is for people to have to subscribe, get them "on the drip", and then have them forget about it.

Money is at the core - the costs are high for the provider, they don't want to offer it because they dont want to incur a $loss.
Not a big earner Foxtel.

 

[Franko Armani]

No way I’d pay $300 for the quality of games we were served in 2020

 

[CaptchaProofBot]

No way I’d pay $300 for the quality of games we were served in 2020

well....months 3,4,5,6,7,8,9..add 10 just in case

$25 (Basic, no discount)x8=$200

 

[hoianbulldog]

Kayo is actually a good product, I've found over the last few years I've ended up watching a number of other sports on there pretty regularly.

For those only interested in AFL that don't want to stream the Foxtel only games to their TV I can see why it's not appealing though.

If people only want afl and have a vpn watchafl is a viable option. $4 a week year round

 

[CaptchaProofBot]

If people only want afl and have a vpn watchafl is a viable option. $4 a week year round

where's the $4/week option ? oh yes of course, $200/year = $3.84/week...yeah that's pretty good actually if you just want AFL.

if we just focus on purely AFL, this is better than Kayo in the sense that Kayo doesn't officially support file downloading (it can be done) but watchafl does.

does anyone know what resolution for watchafl ? is it guaranteed 1080p ?

(although someone could be real anal in arguing that $200/year...is really $200 for the months when there's live footy...there's no "real" footy in oct/nov/dec/fan/feb say, anyway i still think it's a good deal)

 

[hoianbulldog]

where's the $4/week option ? oh yes of course, $200/year = $3.84/week...yeah that's pretty good actually if you just want AFL.

if we just focus on purely AFL, this is better than Kayo in the sense that Kayo doesn't officially support file downloading (it can be done) but watchafl does.

does anyone know what resolution for watchafl ? is it guaranteed 1080p ?

(although someone could be real anal in arguing that $200/year...is really $200 for the months when there's live footy...there's no "real" footy in oct/nov/dec/fan/feb say, anyway i still think it's a good deal)

Im an old ttech head so not sure about quality but watchafl is purely internet connection. HD is not happening.......

Watching from vietnam HD isnt highest priority.

 

[marcus1232]

Kayo is the best thing to ever happen to sport lovers in australia.
All AFL Games except GF
All NRL Games Inc GF
Sport everywhere.

All the 30 for 30 docos if your into that sort of thing.

Its the best streaming product available in australia

 

[CaptchaProofBot]

Im an old ttech head so not sure about quality but watchafl is purely internet connection. HD is not happening.......

Watching from vietnam HD isnt highest priority.

well i checked the FAQ and it says you need internet connection of steady 7.5 Mbps...this tells me it's around 1080p quality...also it says no VPN is allowed but I think it's just a furphy like Kayo..as I use VPN with Kayo no probs at all

Do you get dropouts ? or rock solid viewing...Appreciate the info btw, cam on !!!

EDIT: don't diss vietnam internet speed...I recall reading recently....internet speed in Vietnam was better than Australia, kid you not !!!

there...2020 ranking: way to go NBN!!!

59	Vietnam	60.81
60	Australia	60.54

2021: gap has widen!!!

Internet Speeds by Country 2021

 

[Scotland]

The AFL don't want a PPV model because they don't want people finding out the subscription numbers for each game.

 

[Tugga27]

EDIT: don't diss vietnam internet speed...I recall reading recently....internet speed in Vietnam was better than Australia, kid you not !!!

there...2020 ranking: way to go NBN!!!

59	Vietnam	60.81
60	Australia	60.54

2021: gap has widen!!!

Internet Speeds by Country 2021

[/QUOTE]

well i checked the FAQ and it says you need internet connection of steady 7.5 Mbps...this tells me it's around 1080p quality...also it says no VPN is allowed but I think it's just a furphy like Kayo..as I use VPN with Kayo no probs at all

Do you get dropouts ? or rock solid viewing...Appreciate the info btw, cam on !!!

I have both watchful and Kayo that I use in Thailand.

Watchafl is great.
Don't need a vpn and you get Fox Footy shows as well.
Also only one hour behind Perth so pretty good start times.

Kayo cost me about $40 per month including a vpn.
I only use if for cricket so you only have to subscribe monthly.

Kayo is awkward sometimes at they keeping trying to geoblock Vpns. So sometimes have to mess around changing servers or clearing the cache on my Tv.
So it's not as reliable as watchful.

I wish CA did something like watchful but they're probably protecting the overseas channels that purchased the rights.

Either way, I'm happy to have both.

 

[CaptchaProofBot]

EDIT: don't diss vietnam internet speed...I recall reading recently....internet speed in Vietnam was better than Australia, kid you not !!!

there...2020 ranking: way to go NBN!!!

59	Vietnam	60.81
60	Australia	60.54

2021: gap has widen!!!

Internet Speeds by Country 2021

I have both watchful and Kayo that I use in Thailand.

Watchafl is great.
Don't need a vpn and you get Fox Footy shows as well.
Also only one hour behind Perth so pretty good start times.

Kayo cost me about $40 per month including a vpn.
I only use if for cricket so you only have to subscribe monthly.

Kayo is awkward sometimes at they keeping trying to geoblock Vpns. So sometimes have to mess around changing servers or clearing the cache on my Tv.
So it's not as reliable as watchful.

I wish CA did something like watchful but they're probably protecting the overseas channels that purchased the rights.

Either way, I'm happy to have both.
[/QUOTE]
I think for watchafl, you don't NEED VPN because you are in Thailand, watchafl was designed for exactly this purpose (btw, thailand is now numero uno in the world for internet speed ranking, displacing Singapore!!!)

Now if I want to use watchafl...in Australia, THEN I would need VPN to connect to say Singapore so that watchafl would think I'm os...(conversely, if you use Kayo in Aus...you don't need a VPN as Kayo is supposedly for Aussies only, using Kayo outside Aus, you'd need VPN to connect to Oz)

Well this is another option I'd have to seriously consider...esp. when my Kayo goes back to $25/month
would rather take $199/12 = $16.58/month + download support (other sports I can just find non HD streams, they're everywhere).

 

[CaptchaProofBot]

watchafl recommends 7.5Mbps so according to this, I'll just assume 1080p is delivered

How Fast Should My Internet Be for Netflix and Other Similar Services?

To stream videos from Netflix, Vudu, and Hulu, you need a fast internet speed. Find out if yours is fast enough for 4K streaming, too.

www.lifewire.com

 

[FFB1]

I'm one I think will benefit from this?

Got rid of Foxtel about 6 months ago as all I watched was footy and racing.
As a Telstra customer got Kayo free for a few months so was able to watch the footy, and was able to watch races via sky racing active streamed to my tv. Also watched games on AFL live pass both at home (so could watch two games at once), and when out and about (data free, being a Telstra customer).
Now will get Kayo for $5 a month for 12 months (once the 'my offers' page actually loads to let me do that).
I hated having to watch the channel 7 coverage (ads, and their incessant plugging of their garbage reality tv shows), offset by a hefty saving getting rid of Foxtel. Appears will be able to watch ad free footy like on the AFL live app (please let that be the case).
Only downside is that AFL live pass didn't count towards data use, which it will now with Kayo; but unlimited data at home, and 40 gig on the phone should be plenty enough.

Reckon Foxtel might lose more customers with this new deal, I'm certain there are plenty who only have it for the footy/sport. As long as got unlimited internet at home (which most people would, I imagine).

 

[Larry Barnsworth]

I'm one I think will benefit from this?

Got rid of Foxtel about 6 months ago as all I watched was footy and racing.
As a Telstra customer got Kayo free for a few months so was able to watch the footy, and was able to watch races via sky racing active streamed to my tv. Also watched games on AFL live pass both at home (so could watch two games at once), and when out and about (data free, being a Telstra customer).
Now will get Kayo for $5 a month for 12 months (once the 'my offers' page actually loads to let me do that).
I hated having to watch the channel 7 coverage (ads, and their incessant plugging of their garbage reality tv shows), offset by a hefty saving getting rid of Foxtel. Appears will be able to watch ad free footy like on the AFL live app (please let that be the case).
Only downside is that AFL live pass didn't count towards data use, which it will now with Kayo; but unlimited data at home, and 40 gig on the phone should be plenty enough.

Reckon Foxtel might lose more customers with this new deal, I'm certain there are plenty who only have it for the footy/sport. As long as got unlimited internet at home (which most people would, I imagine).

The bolded is definitely worth acknowledging (for me anyway). In both the AFL and cricket I had greatly underestimated how much the decline and compromised position of FTA broadcasting was impacting my enjoyment of the sports. This is almost worth the subscription fee on its own. You still get ads on Kayo, but not as many and they're typically the more benign "here, buy this sh*t" ads rather than the high repetition barrage of whatever reality TV show they're trying to herd up numbers for.

 

[CaptchaProofBot]

The bolded is definitely worth acknowledging (for me anyway). In both the AFL and cricket I had greatly underestimated how much the decline and compromised position of FTA broadcasting was impacting my enjoyment of the sports. This is almost worth the subscription fee on its own. You still get ads on Kayo, but not as many and they're typically the more benign "here, buy this sh*t" ads rather than the high repetition barrage of whatever reality TV show they're trying to herd up numbers for.

yeah pretty sure ads free means there's no $hit shove down your throat after every goal, on Kayo/Fox...they continue to analyse the goal just kicked instead getting of a faceful of buffoons from Home & Away.

the only ads are at quarter breaks.