FOXTEL Digital lowers entry level price – increases choices and affordability <br /><br />FOXTEL today announced a major initiative to introduce more Australians to subscription television by substantially reducing the entry level price of FOXTEL Digital and offering consumers a range of new subscription package choices. <br /><br />From May 5, consumers can “Get Started” on FOXTEL Digital from just $36.95* a month, or just over a dollar a day. The newly created entry level package provides 25 channels covering general news, sports news, general entertainment, documentaries, children’s and music genres, plus 30 audio channels, all with digital quality pictures, cd quality sound and some with interactive services. There is a separate one-off installation charge. <br /><br />The new “Get Started” package represents a reduction of around 30% on the current entry level price for FOXTEL Digital ($50.95 per month). The “Get Started” package is different from the existing FOXTEL Digital basic service. <br />After subscribing to “Get Started”, consumers can directly choose any service from the entire range of additional FOXTEL Digital packages and features including the FOXTEL iQ personal digital recorder. <br /><br />In a significant change to FOXTEL’s existing package structure, FOXTEL has introduced a comprehensive range of new tier channel packages (attached) across multiple genres, five of which consumers can add to their “Get Started” entry package at the same low price of $14.95 per month per tier. <br /><br />The new subscription tiers to be known as “My Packages” include a sports tier (My Sport), 2 movie tiers (My Movies and My Complete Movies), and three general entertainment tiers (My Escape, My World, My Playtime). Consumers will be able to design their FOXTEL package to suit their individual tastes by adding any one of these six packages which have been organised into clear content divisions – Movies (2 packages), Sport, Documentary, Lifestyle and Youth. <br /><br />To continue FOXTEL’s practice of rewarding subscribers who take more of the service, customers who subscribe to Get Started plus one entertainment tier (at $14.95 per month) pay just $5 extra per month for a second entertainment tier (e.g. My World) and just $22.95 per month for all three entertainment tiers - My Playtime, My World and My Escape. <br /><br />FOXTEL’s Chief Executive Officer Kim Williams said: “The take-up of FOXTEL Digital is already very strong. We are making the service even more attractive to potential subscribers with these fresh packages and price points. <br /><br />“Our new packaging is the result of extensive consumer research across Australia over a long period. FOXTEL recently trialled the new packaging in the NSW Hunter Valley region with highly encouraging results. Consumers saw the increased package choices and lower entry price as really good deals. They were attracted by the ability to further tailor FOXTEL according to their own tastes and select channel packages from clear and simple programming genre divisions. Our experience of FOXTEL Digital to-date is that customers choose additional FOXTEL services when they subscribe. We expect consumers will respond to the new packages in the same positive way.” <br /><br />“Get Started” and “My Packages” will be launched on Friday May 5 with a national television, print and online advertising campaign featuring Hugh Jackman who launched FOXTEL Digital in March 2004 and the FOXTEL iQ in February 2005. <br /><br />Foxtel release