Foxtel is expanding its online offerings with the launch of Presto, its new movie streaming service that will give Australians access to all of its Foxtel Movies channels and on-demand movies from its library. However, it comes at a massive cost – subscriptions start at $24.99 per month.
Presto subscribers will have access to livestreams of Foxtel Movies Premiere, Comedy, Drama/Romance, Thriller/Crime, Action/Adventure, Family and Masterpiece; and has content deals with all of the major studios and key independent studios like NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Brothers, and Disney.
It will initially be available on PC and Macs, with plans to support iOS and Android tablets later on. And like Foxtel Play, Presto will have no monthly contracts – so if you want to kill some time during the holidays, you can subscribe to Presto (provided if you have a decent internet connection to stream it, of course).
The price is the equivalent of getting the movie package on Foxtel Play without getting the basic tier (which also costs $25 per month – so in effect you’re paying $50 if you want to watch the movies package channels). However, what’s missing from Presto compared to the Foxtel Play’s movie package are Showcase and SBS’ World Movies.
According to The Australian, the move is a pre-emptive strike by Foxtel against Seven and Nine, who are rumoured to be planning their own services, with Seven’s plan said to be a “Netflix-style” service. It will also be a competitor to Quickflix, who already offer a subscription movie streaming service combined with their existing DVD mailout rentals.
It will launch later in the year, and you can register your interest on its website.