Foxtel launches IQ3 claiming launch is about market penetration and playing down Netflix threat

Pay-TV operator Foxtel has downplayed the threat to its customer base from streaming services such as Netflix, as the company today launches its much-delayed new set top box the IQ3.

The new box is effectively a streaming video recorder, allowing consumers to record more shows at once, and has one terabyte of recording space – enough to store 345 hours of standard definition recording. However its main draw is the ability for viewers to scroll back up to 24 hours in the electronic program guide and catch up on shows they have missed, streamed across the net.

“Our thinking is around is we want to have a much higher household penetration than we currently have,” Foxtel chief operating officer Rohan Lund told Mumbrella. “We want a higher customer advocacy and a better experience. That’s the logic behind this.”

The launch comes one day ahead of tomorrow’s Australian launch of US streaming giant Netflix.