Foxtel Now is a bit different from your standard streaming platform. Stemming from Foxtel, one of the OG pay TV services in Australia, Foxtel Now is an extension and addition to Foxtel, giving you more ways to watch your favourite shows, movies and sports. Foxtel almost single-handedly pioneered subscription television for Aussies through their popular service where customers could pay to have access to endless international channel options like the E! Network, MTV, the BBC, as well as coverage of American sports, all of which could be rewound and recorded live. Basically, if you had Foxtel back in the day, your house was always the place to be.
As one of the oldest on-demand platforms, Foxtel has had to adapt to combat the rise of giants such as Netflix and Stan. Hence, the creation of Foxtel Now – a more flexible, accessible way to watch over 50 live channels and a massive library of on-demand television shows and movies. It does, however, require an active internet connection, but if you plan on watching on the go, how much data does Foxtel Now use? Find out with this Canstar Blue guide.
How much data does one hour of Foxtel Now use?
As a general guide, one hour of Foxtel Now streaming will use between 470MB and 3.2GB, depending on the quality of video you’re streaming. Low quality streams will use around 470MB of data per hour, while Standard Definition (SD) will use around 1.4GB data per hour, with 3.2GB used per hour for High Definition (HD).
However, if you want to stream Foxtel Now with chewing up your data, you can stream Foxtel Now unmetered while on Foxtel Broadband, which might be worth investigating for those after a new NBN plan, or those who plan on streaming a lot of content.
Experience buffering on Foxtel Now?
If your shows are constantly being interrupted by buffering, this most likely has to do with your internet connection and speed. Foxtel have stated that the minimum speed recommended to watch Foxtel Now is 3Mbps for Standard definition (SD) and 7Mbps for High Definition (HD). If your internet speed is too slow, you should reduce your data usage, or look to upgrade your internet.
If you’re wanting to reduce your data usage, the easiest way to do so is generally reducing the quality of the stream you’re watching. Through the Foxtel Now app, you can adjust picture quality manually to suit your internet speed and data usage. To do this, you will need to:
- Open the Foxtel Now app.
- Select the Cogwheel in the top right corner of the screen to go to settings.
- Select ‘Data Usage’.
- Select ‘High’ or ‘Low’ depending on your preference and your internet.
How does Foxtel Now’s data usage compare to other streaming sites?
When comparing against both Stan and Netflix, Foxtel Now’s data usage keeps pace with the two giants of streaming for the most part. However, Foxtel Now falls slightly behind as there is no mention of an Auto feature (which automatically drops the video quality to keep it streaming seamlessly) on the Foxtel website, with additionally no mention of an Ultra Definition quality level.
| Streaming Service | Low Definition | Standard Definition | High Definition | Ultra Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foxtel Now | 0.47GB | 1.4GB | 3.2GB | N/A |
| Netflix | 0.3GB | 0.7GB | 3GB | 7GB |
| Stan | 0.57GB | 1.13GB | 2.89GB | 7GB |
Data usage based on hourly use. Information gathered from respective websites, Jan 2022.
While there’s plenty to be excited about when it comes to finding something good to watch on TV with plenty of streaming services now available in Australia, going over your data is something that you won’t be excited about, so it pays to keep an eye on your usage when you’re looking for the next binge-worthy show. Check out our article on how much data other streaming platforms use to see how Foxtel Now stacks up.
Unlimited data phone plans
If you’re concerned about chewing through your monthly data allowance, you might want to pick up an unlimited data phone plan. Having an unlimited data phone plan means you don’t need to worry about running out of data, and although it might be slower once you reach the end of your monthly allowance, you can just keep going. You can find unlimited data phone plans in the table below.
The following table shows selected published Optus SIM-only postpaid plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
The following table shows selected published Telstra SIM-only postpaid plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
The following table shows selected published Vodafone SIM-only postpaid plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
Photo credit: Antonio Guillem/shutterstock.com, Tero Vesalainen/shutterstock.com
Original Author: Maddy Morwood
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