What Alternative to Foxtel Is There for Sport Lovers

Trying to help my parents save money. They live in a gully with limited mobile and satellite reception. They have cable Foxtel and their Optus internet cable will be replaced with NBN next month.

They are very techno-illiterate but have worked out how to use the Foxtel after 15 years. They watch a lot of live TV and also record and watch later numerous shows and the NRL, AFL, etc using the Foxtel recording function.

They got given a Telstra media box and I shared with them Netflix and Stan, but they have difficulty navigating.

Is there any alternative to Foxtel cable/satellite that:
1. has all the NRL games? and/or
2. A similar recording function to Foxtel?

Does Foxtel Now/Go have all of this season's past games in their catalogue so you don't have to watch live?

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Comments

  • +25

    Kayo

    • +1

      Kayo is pretty good. I split the cost with someone else - makes it a no brainer.

      • +1

        Kayo is bad for quality. 720p only and buffers even with the highest internet speed (Connected directly - Not WiFi). Lot of the time will barely be SD while buffering. After using for more than two hours freezes constantly and even logs me off on occasion. This is in two different home addresses and two different ISPs. Using my phone and mobile data is even worse. I live 10-15 minutes out of the city. Also with the no spoilers settings on, they still ruin outcomes with upcoming games being listed in the feed. So if it's elimination games you will know the result automatically. It's a joke we have to put up with this service because Fox has a monopoly on sports here. Most other countries have dedicated streaming services for individual sports (in 4K) but its blocked in Australia because of Fox's veto rights.

        • I've never had an issue getting HD Kayo. When I watch HD NRL on channel 9, Kayo quality is at least as good, if not better. I have 50mbps FTTN and view it via wifi to my chromecast ultra. People love to complain about Kayo quality, but in my experience, it's not an issue. Is it as good as foxtel quality? I have no idea and I don't care since I'm not paying anywhere near the price I would be for a foxtel + sports account.

  • Kayo

  • +2

    IPTV

    • "They are very techno-illiterate. They got given a Telstra media box and I shared with them Netflix and Stan, but they have difficulty navigating."

      I don't think IPTV would be the best bet. Kayo but not through an AppleTV. That remote is the work of the devil.

      • I've been surprised at how well my 70 y.o. mum adapted to using Netflix, Stan, Foxtel etc. Via a smart tv, accessing them all is not a problem for her.
        OP's parents can trial Kayo for free for 2 weeks while they still have access to Foxtel. They might surprise you.

  • Pay the Foxtel for them if Kayo is too technical for them. Sounds like it would be if they can’t use Netflix.

  • Kayo

  • Kayo. Do they use smart phones? If so surely they can learn the kayo app.

  • if they have an smart tv it will run kayo for just sport or Foxtel Now for both, on it. They can watch on demand games if they miss the live game. No need to record anything.

  • Have you rang Foxtel to ask for a cheaper price? Ask to be put through to disconnections and say you want to leave just be nice they will beg you to stay and give it to you cheaper it works for me the last 3 years

    • Have you rang rung Foxtel

    • Been a customer for over 15 years, have refused to give me a discount. Decided to disconnect, they rang (Sent an email the next day asking me to rate how well the phone call was) a few days later and offered a great deal, so changed my mind and decided to Keep it on, just got my latest bill and it’s the same original price. Foxtel are saying we never offered you that deal.

    • I've been doing this for years to get a discount on my Adobe subscription. You'd be surprised how many companies have loss prevention teams that do this kinda stuff.

  • +1

    Foxtel, its what they know

  • +1

    Satellite reception comes from the sky, how big of a gully is it to hamper reception? When was the last time they had satellite installed?

  • +2

    would imagine they watch a fair bit of TV.
    stick with foxtel

    had an elderly relative, looked at netflix etc, but the amount you save, considering unlimited internet etc, was minimal if any, than the cost of foxtel. they didnt need much internet data, so can just use there.
    Id say, do they really need NBN?

  • Two options like most have suggested:

    1. Kayo. $25/month with the option of buying discounted gift cards when they're available.

    2. Haggle with Foxtel. HD Sport can be had for $39-$43/month (It's a roll of the dice sometimes). I recommend reading this thread on whirlpool adding with what you find here on OZBargain. https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/thread/3604w2l3?p=-1#bottom

  • If your parents are bad at technology, they should stay with foxtel. The world has moved on from that sort of television now, but there are still many people who can't move beyond that. So I vote they keep foxtel. Find a way to haggle on the foxtel price.

    I have an elderly mother who is so bad at technology she can't use a microwave. Those sort of people just need to stick with what they know.

    • +1

      second this. Dad did a free kayo trial but got the shits with his phone and the lagging. So I got them an upgrade on Foxtel to IQ4, and the kayo price is the same as fox sport. My mother doesn;t know the difference between Netflix and Foxtel, she'll ask how she can watch previous episodes of something , so you ask if she watched it via Foxtel or Netflix and she just says "the TV"

  • Contact your phone provider… usually they include some sort of "sports package".

  • Both Foxtel Sports and Kayo are a waste of money anyway, so they should only watch whatever sports the free-to-air channels are dishing up or go to a pub or club to watch Foxtel sport.
    This is also where YouTube comes in handy:
    - If you don't want to shell out $25.00/month for Kayo go to a pub or club and watch sporting matches there or wait until the next day and watch the free 10-minute condensed versions on YouTube
    - Pay-per-view boxing and MMA matches that cost $60-70 a pop to watch live at home usually start turning up on YT in varying qualities within a week of them taking place
    - WWE fans can go to their official channel and watch their weekly shows as 3-5 minute highlight videos
    - NBA fans can go to the "MLG Highlights" channel to get their fix (as 10-15 minute condensed games)
    - AFL, NRL, Cricket, NBL, A-League, NFL, NHL, EPL etc all have their own channels with clips, highlights and condensed games, as do well-known channels like ESPN and Fox Sports

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