Freeview ad takes a swipe at Foxtel as it pushes low cost alternative to pay TV
Freeview, the industry body that promotes free-to-air digital TV, has launched an information campaign aimed at positioning it as a low cost alternative to subscription television.
The ad features a glum viewer who is paying “hundreds of dollars a year for something like Foxtel”.
The same viewer then beams, as the voiceover promotes Freeview as the free alternative. The ad features the tagline “Freeview. More for Free”.
The ad then goes on to explain how consumers can get Freeview and points out the growing number of digital channels the free-to-air networks are launching including 7Two, Go, One, ABC2 and SBS2.
The ABC is currently planning the launch of its third digital channel.
Friday update: Sunday will see the free to air broadcasters run a roadblock ad for the service featuring “real people” talking about the service.
And the Sydney Morning Herald reports today that Freeview is planning to launch an online catch-up TV hub next year.
However if that plan follows a similar patter to the UK, that course could be thwarted. When British broadcasters proposed working together on a similar scheme, the competition watchdog blocked it as anti-competitive.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large. He returned to Mumbrella as Publisher in January 2025
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…and here I was thinking they couldn’t do any worse than the Ford rip off ad from earlier this year.
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would it be too hard for them to spell the video title correctly? “The New Etra”..?
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Am sorry, why do I need TIVO to record free-to-air television when Foxtel is a much better alternative?
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God, either the Freeview marketing team are completely shit, or their agency is. There’s just no excuse for this endlessly piss weak work.
I actually hate this.
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mmmm …. “the poor man’s foxtel” – not sure the average Aussie will find that positioning very attractive.
I would have thought promoting the product on its own merits would be the way to go rather than focusing on attacking another brand … or highlighting what people are missing out on.
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