blog Well, we knew Optus chief executive Paul O’Sullivan’s fighting words about the Foxtel/Austar merger wouldn’t go down well in some quarters, but we didn’t quite expect this epic spray from Foxtel chief Kim Williams. Courtesy of The Australian (click to read the full story):
“It appears that Optus has a position on content which equates to one where we do all the work and they reap a free-rider benefit with no strategic, financial or risk input by them,” Mr Williams said. ” … To say I find the position unsatisfactory, delusional and evidence of historical revisionism on a grand scale is to understate my response.”
We wouldn’t want to be in the same room when Optus and Foxtel bumped heads … although that might occur at the Mumbrella 360 conference next week, which will feature the elite of Australia’s media industry all in the same venue? Oh dear.
Image credit: Delimiter
Starting to think that Optus need to start locking O’Sullivan away at night again…
Personally, I don’t like the fact that, having won it’s battle on the telecommunications regulatory front, Optus has switched into fighting on the content regulatory front.
Yeah, probably agree with that. Their whole strategy has been wishy washy for about five-years – ever since they closed OptusVision down, and re-sold Foxtel – I think they are still pissed that Foxtel muscled them out of the market.
Isn’t this what Optus always does through? Look at LTE, look at HFC Cable, look at 3G even.
It’s ironic that a company that only seems to act after others have taken the risk and proved the viability has the stated goal of being the number one provider for telecommunications services in Australia.
To say that business practice and goal do not align is an understatement.
I agree with you, except that Optus started doing HFC first. Telstra then almost literally followed them down every street to put their own cable in.
I don’t think Optus has ever recovered from the disappointment of this event.
@Martin Eddy
No Telstra was first, it started its HFC rollout in April 1994, Optus followed in September that year.
In many suburbs with both, Optus was first, and in many it was Telstra who went in first.
Was is it about April coming before September you don’t understand?
What is it…
Do you REALLY think that Optus started their rollout in April, and Telstra designed, developed, funded and started rolling out their solution in the space of five months “just because Optus did it”?
FFS what??
Telstra – April 1994.
Optus – September 1994.
Got it!
Unlike alain who argues with me either defensively or for no reason… I normally argue with him, because he is 100% wrong (excluding his many contradictions – where he is 50% wrong…LOL) factually, with everything he says.
Well, from my understanding of HFC, he is now only 99% wrong with everything he says, because unless I am mistaken, his above dates are in fact correct…
See I’m not like you alain – I accept that right is right and wrong is wrong (even when it goes against something I believe in – which isn’t the case here, but…)…
So, seems you may have finally fluked one! Well done alain… ;-)
Ooh in saying that… Telstra did (again from my understanding) follow Optus down the road, in areas Optus had highlighted as areas of need, which Telstra weren’t previously interested in…!
The whole thing cost Optus over $1B in write downs and Telstra about $1B… which I’m sure Telstra considered money well spent, to show competitors that investing was futile…!
I take it that’s a “NO” then?
Seriously – do you really believe it takes only five months to go through all the necessary processes? Here’s your chance to be the big man and actually answer a question somebody asks of you!
Grab it with both hands!
Yes, it’s fairly established that Optus followed Telstra with HFC once they realised that getting wholesale access wasn’t going to happen.
Then how did they roll it out? Did the roll out to the suburbs that Telstra wasn’t going to? No, how about exactly the same suburbs? Bloody hell.
Optus don’t deserve to have a single customer. They do nothing but complain about Telstra, instead of innovating and attracting customers in their own right. I’d like to see a single thing they’ve done well.
Well Optus did manage to screw up their network pretty well.
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