 | |
Type of site | Private |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Founded | 13 March 2014; 11 years ago (2014-03-13) |
| Dissolved | 31 January 2017; 8 years ago (2017-01-31) |
| Successor | Foxtel Now |
| Headquarters | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Area served | Australia |
| Owner | Foxtel |
| Services | streaming service |
| Registration | Monthly subscription required to access content |
| Launched | 15 January 2015; 10 years ago (2015-01-15) |
| Current status | Defunct |
Presto was an Australianmedia streaming company which offered subscriptions to unlimited viewing of selected films, and from 2015, TV series. The service, initially owned wholly byFoxtel, launched on 13 March 2014 featuring films exclusively.[1]
There were three separate subscription options for Presto, named Presto Movies, Presto TV, and the bundled option Presto Entertainment. It competed primarily against Australian streaming companyQuickflix, the American-basedNetflix and theFairfax Media andNine Entertainment Co. joint ventureStan.
In October 2016, it was announced that Presto would cease operations on 31 January 2017.
The service initially launched contract-free on 13 March 2014 atAU$19.99,[1] but was lowered to AU$9.99 in August 2014.[2] Films tend to be mostly recent releases, and come from Foxtel's suite ofFoxtel Movies channels, who have relationships with studios includingMGM,NBCUniversal,Paramount Pictures,Roadshow Films,Sony Pictures Entertainment,Twentieth Century Fox,The Walt Disney Company,Warner Bros Entertainment,Entertainment One (which formerly owned Hopscotch, but Hopscotch ceased operations by 2015, yet it still owns the rights to its catalog),Icon,Studiocanal andTransmission Films.[3]
On 8 December 2014, Foxtel andSeven West Media announced a spin-off of Presto Movies to launch before March 2015, to be named Presto Entertainment, which will feature television programs, with content coming from both Foxtel channels and theSeven Network. The existing Presto Movies service will continue to be available, but each will require a separate subscription.[4] It became available on 15 January 2015, and was named Presto TV, with Presto Entertainment referring to the bundled offer for both movies and TV access at $14.99[5]
Australian content made available from Foxtel will includeWentworth,Satisfaction,Love My Way,Spirited, andTangle. Local Seven Network content includesPacked to the Rafters,All Saints,City Homicide,Home and Away,Winners & Losers andAlways Greener. Foreign content will includeMr Selfridge,Lewis,A Touch of Frost andRosemary and Thyme.Aquarius will join Presto after it premieres on the Seven Network.[6][7]
Presto also had exclusive access toHBO programming includingEntourage,The Sopranos andBoardwalk Empire, with the notable exception ofGame of Thrones.[8] A non-exclusive deal was also reached withShowtime, which includes programs such asRay Donovan,Dexter,Californication, however these programs were also featured on rival service Stan.[8]
Presto also commissioned its own local content in the form of short-form streaming seriesLet's Talk About, written, directed and starring Matilda Brown and Richard Davies.
From May 2015, Presto started offering Australian premiere content, includingMr. Robot,[9]Bitten,The Firm,Matador andRogue.[10][11]
In October 2016, it was announced by the company that Seven West Media's 50% stake in Presto will be bought out by Foxtel and Presto will cease operations on 31 January 2017. Existing Presto subscribers were also given automatic access to Foxtel's own streaming service,Foxtel Now.[12]
Presto Entertainment cost $14.99 per month, which analysts noted was more expensive than rivalsNetflix andStan, which don't differentiate between film and television programming on their service.[13][14]
Roughly 5 months after launch, it was suggested Presto Movies was struggling, with only "a few thousand subscribers".[15] In May 2015, Roy Morgan Research found that Netflix had 1.039 million Australian users, compared to 97,000 for Presto and 91,000 for Stan.[16] In October 2015, Nine Entertainment said that Stan had 150,000–200,000 paying subscribers, which they said was ahead of Presto's estimated 100,000 customers.[17] It was later reported that Presto had approximately 130,000 paying subscribers as of September 2016, the month before the company announced it would cease operations the following January.[18]
In May 2016, Presto had a public campaign in Melbourne involving a graffiti artist to promote the addition ofEmpire to the service.[19]
