Telstra is reportedly making a play to purchase a large stake in Aussie IPTV provider and subscription service, Fetch TV.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald anonymous industry sources said the telecommunications giant was in final talks with Fetch to reach an agreement, which would mean Telstra TV’s current 1.4 million users would suddenly be using Fetch.
However, the sources said the ongoing discussion between the two companies has no guaranteed outcome, including whether any deal would be finalised.
If the deal does go through, it would be major win for telecommunications giant, given Fetch has been media partners with Telstra’s main rival, Optus, for years.
However, Optus’ vice president of TV, content and product development, Clive Dickens, told Sydney Morning Herald Telstra securing a deal would not affect his company’s relationship with the IPTV provider.
“We have had a long and strong relationship with Fetch,” he said.
“We have announced Fetch will join us as a partner on our innovative Optus SubHub platform. Our existing Optus customers using Fetch will not have their service impacted by this.”
Fetch TV launched in Australia in 2010, with an initial offering as part of a set-top box deal with iiNet. Malaysian company, Astro, currently owns 80 per cent of Fetch, and will reportedly keep its stake in the business regardless of Telstra’s potential movements.
Fetch TV CEO, Scott Lorson, has not yet commented.
