Fetch TV
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Legal Structure | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Technology |
| Also known as | Fetch,FetchTV Pty Ltd,Media Innovations Holdings |
| Official website | https://www.fetchtv.com.au/ |
As of September 2026, newer Fetch boxes lose all functionality if the owner cancels the $4.99 monthly Fetch Access subscription, & the owner loses purchased movies, TV shows & any Mighty recordings.[1] Fetch has required the subscription of new retail customers since December 1, 2025,[2] & of any new box activated from September 4, 2026.[3] Fetch has told owners of third-generation (Gen 3) boxes over five years old & without an active Fetch subscription to pay a one-time $29.99 levy, upgrade, or subscribe by October 31, 2026 to keep their service.[4]
Incidents
[edit | edit source]Gen 3 Extended Service Levy
[edit | edit source]- Main article: Fetch TV Gen 3 Extended Service Levy
Fetch is asking owners of Mini Gen 3 & Mighty Gen 3 boxes that are over five years old & have no active Fetch subscription to pay a one-time, non-recurring Extended Service Levy of $29.99 per household.[4] Customers who get Fetch through an internet service provider (ISP) such as Optus or Aussie Broadband will not be charged the levy.[4]
Owners who keep using an affected box & choose none of Fetch's options will be charged the levy on November 1, 2026.[4] An owner who cancels instead is left with a box that will stop working and cannot be reactivated in the future by you or anyone else.[4]
Fetch's notice also says the Mini Gen 3 will no longer support Netflix, Paramount+, SBS On Demand & Hayu, & the Mighty Gen 3 will no longer support Paramount+.[4]
Fetch Access subscription requirement
[edit | edit source]Fetch announced on December 1, 2025 that a $3.99 monthly Fetch Access subscription would apply to all new retail customers activated from that date, with an introductory promotion waiving the fee until January 31, 2026.[2] It covered retail accounts for Mini & Mighty boxes bought from authorized retailers, including JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman & The Good Guys, & from the Fetch Official Store.[2] Trevor Long of the Australian tech, cars & lifestyle site EFTM reported on December 2, 2025 that the change does not apply to existing customers.[5]
Under Fetch's Retail Terms of Use, effective September 15, 2026, the monthly fee applies to any new Fetch box activated on or after September 4, 2026, even if you are an existing customer with an established account.[3]
By September 28, 2026, Fetch's store listed Fetch Access at $4.99 a month, a one-off $6 activation fee per retail account, & a $4.49 monthly Multiroom fee per account when additional devices are added to it.[6] The activation fee had been $1 in February 2017[7] & $5 in December 2025.[2]
iiNet and Internode Fetch cancellation notices
[edit | edit source]iiNet & Internode each stopped managing existing Fetch services from November 3, 2025.[8][9] For customers who did not opt in to move to Fetch, both providers said all remaining Fetch services would be cancelled from November 11, 2025, & that the Fetch subscription & box would stop working.[8][9]
Both providers said those customers would lose access to purchased or rented content tied to their Fetch subscription, along with channel packs & video on demand (VOD) libraries.[8][9] iiNet said customers who moved their service directly to Fetch may need to re-purchase or re-subscribe.[8] Internode's Fetch frequently asked questions (FAQ) page tells customers that cancelling the Fetch account means they will lose all your purchased movies and TV shows.[10]
Gen 2 box retirement
[edit | edit source]Optus told its customers that Fetch had announced Gen 2 set top boxes will no longer be supported, and therefore won't operate from November 1, 2024.[11] Optus offered affected customers an upgrade to a Fetch Mighty at no additional charge to keep using the service after October 31, 2024.[11] The same page told customers who had received a September 2023 email giving a November 1, 2023 retirement date that the date had changed.[11]
Telstra TV shutdown and Box Office transfer
[edit | edit source]When Telstra announced its stake purchase in April 2022, EFTM reported that the Fetch platform would replace Telstra TV.[12] Telstra said in August 2022 that the acquisition would let it evolve Telstra TV for its 800,000+ active users.[13]
Silvi Vann-Wall of ScreenHub, a film, TV, streaming & games site, reported on May 3, 2024 that from June 30, 2024 Telstra TV Box Office users would not be able to watch previously purchased movies or TV shows unless they moved them to Fetch.[14] The move was not automatic; users had to sign up for Fetch & arrange the transfer themselves, & the option was to stop being offered from January 31, 2025.[14]
Dylan Crismale of the plan comparison site WhistleOut reported in August 2024 that Telstra would deactivate the Telstra TV service at 11:59pm on October 31, 2024, making the telco's original set-top boxes useless.[15] WhistleOut also reported that Telstra had offered Telstra TV customers an upgrade to a Fetch TV Mini 4K since December 2023.[15]
Box ownership under Fetch's terms
[edit | edit source]Fetch's Retail Terms of Use say the buyer owns the box outright[3] & reserve Fetch's right to cease to support older box models altogether if technical demands shift, such as when it can no longer support the latest apps or the digital rights management (DRM) that content providers require.[3] In February 2017, Fetch's website advertised no ongoing cost for the Starter Pack,[7] while its account terms said a box will not operate unless you have a current subscription to the Starter Pack.[16]
A box bought at retail cannot share an account with a Fetch box supplied by a broadband or phone provider.[6] Telstra's support page says content bought through the Fetch Movie or TV Stores stays watchable on TV only for as long as you maintain your existing Fetch Service with Telstra, & that it will no longer be available if the customer cancels the account or changes ISP.[17] The same page says the customer keeps access to purchases through the Fetch Mobi app after changing or cancelling the account.[17]
Founding, ownership and leadership
[edit | edit source]Telstra and Astro ownership
[edit | edit source]Before the Telstra deal, Fetch TV was 95 percent owned by entities associated with Astro Overseas Limited, with the remaining 5 percent held by current & former employees, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).[18] On July 14, 2022, the ACCC said it would not oppose Telstra's acquisition of 51.4 percent of Media Innovations Holdings Pty Ltd (Fetch TV), & that Astro Overseas Limited would hold the remaining 48.6 percent.[18] Telstra announced on August 2, 2022 that it had completed the acquisition & that Fetch would continue to operate as a standalone business with Telstra as majority shareholder.[13]
Chief executives and founder
[edit | edit source]Fetch describes itself as an Australian technology company founded in Sydney in 2008.[19] ABN Lookup lists the Australian Business Number (ABN) of FetchTV Pty Ltd as active from April 17, 2008.[20] David Knox of the television news site TV Tonight wrote in March 2024 that Fetch launched in 2010 as one of the first Australian aggregation platforms.[21]
Scott Lorson said he joined a small team in 2009.[22] Fetch announced in June 2024 that Lorson was stepping down as chief executive officer (CEO) after 15 years, & that its board & shareholders had appointed Dominic Arena, then a Fetch director, to the role from July 1.[22] In the same release Lorson thanked the Fetch Founder Simon Cathcart.[22] Lorson was to remain at Fetch as an adviser until January 2025.[22] Fetch's December 2025 Fetch Access release quoted Arena as CEO.[2]
Corporate entities
[edit | edit source]A modern slavery statement filed by Media Innovations Holdings for July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 names Fetch TV Pty Ltd as the main operating company of the Fetch TV group, held through Convergent Media Investments Pty Ltd.[23] The statement says the direct-to-consumer retail business runs through Fetch TV Retail Pty Ltd, that Fetch had 95 employees in Australia, & that a single original equipment manufacturer (OEM) made its proprietary set top box.[23] Fetch's privacy policy gives the address of FetchTV Pty Ltd & its holding company as Level 13, 100 Arthur Street, North Sydney.[24]
Distribution partners and subscriber claims
[edit | edit source]The ACCC described Fetch TV in 2022 as a wholesale supplier to broadband retailers such as Optus, iiNet, Westnet, Internode, Dodo, iPrimus & Aussie Broadband, which typically offered it as an add-on, & said Fetch also sold directly through electronics retailers such as JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman & The Good Guys.[18] Stephen Lambrechts of TechRadar reported on August 27, 2015 that iiNet had been forced to end its reselling partnership with Fetch, while existing iiNet Fetch subscribers would continue as normal.[25] By July 2022, Optus had paused offering new Fetch services to broadband customers, according to the ACCC.[18]
WhistleOut reported that Aussie Broadband stopped offering Fetch to new customers in August 2024, & that iiNet stopped selling new Fetch services on January 22, 2025.[26] The outlet said that left Telstra as the sole telco offering Fetch, alongside retailers including JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, Domayne, Kogan.com & Harvey Norman.[26] Fetch's chair, Kim Krogh Andersen, said in June 2024 that Fetch had added Telstra as a channel & migrated Telstra TV customers to the platform.[22]
Telstra said in April 2022 that Fetch had approximately 670,000 active subscribers through its Australian retail service provider relationships.[27] Fetch reported a 20 percent increase in subscribers for the first half of its 2025 financial year & an installed base of devices in around 715,000 homes in January 2025.[28] In November 2025 it claimed a presence in approximately 700,000 Australian homes.[19]
Products
[edit | edit source]- Fetch Mighty, which Fetch calls a PVR, short for personal video recorder.[29] The prior versions of the Mighty & Mini were introduced in 2016, Fetch said.[29] On May 2, 2022, Fetch said that it had begun rolling out the Mighty Gen 4, with the recommended retail price (RRP) unchanged at $449;[29] Fetch listed the Mighty at an RRP of $599 in December 2025.[2]
- Fetch Mini. On August 19, 2024, Fetch said that the Mini G5 was available at an RRP of $149,[30] & listed it at an RRP of $159 in December 2025.[2]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "Exclusive Offer | Upgrade to the new Fetch today". Fetch TV. Archived from the original on 2026-09-27. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "Fetch TV Introduces New $3.99 Monthly 'Access' Subscription". Fetch TV. 2025-12-01. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Fetch TV Retail Terms of Use". Fetch TV Retail Pty Ltd. 2026-09-15. Archived from the original on 2026-09-27. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "Fetch - Extended Service Levy". Fetch TV. Archived from the original on 2026-09-27. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ Trevor Long (2025-12-02). "Fetch TV re-thinks it's proposition with $3.99 Monthly Subscription for new users". EFTM. Archived from the original on 2026-06-15. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Fetch for Optus Customers". Fetch TV. Archived from the original on 2026-09-28. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Compare". Fetch TV. Archived from the original on 2017-02-18. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Fetch". iiNet. Archived from the original on 2026-09-21. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "NodeSupport / FAQ / Fetch Cease Sale". Internode. Archived from the original on 2026-09-28. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ "Internode :: Residential :: Entertainment :: Fetch :: FAQ". Internode. Archived from the original on 2026-05-16. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Gen 2 set top box being retired by Fetch". Optus. Archived from the original on 2026-09-28. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ Trevor Long (2022-04-28). "Telstra buys majority stake in Fetch: Telstra TV to be replaced by Fetch". EFTM. Archived from the original on 2026-09-28. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Telstra completes acquisition of a majority stake in Fetch TV". Telstra. 2022-08-02. Archived from the original on 2026-09-27. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Silvi Vann-Wall (2024-05-03). "Telstra TV Box Office to shut down in June". ScreenHub. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Dylan Crismale (2024-08-20). "Telstra TV dies this Halloween". WhistleOut. Archived from the original on 2026-09-28. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ "Terms of Use for your Fetch TV". Fetch TV. Archived from the original on 2017-02-18. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Manage my Fetch subscription, channels, and purchases". Telstra. Archived from the original on 2026-09-28. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 "Telstra's proposed acquisition of majority stake in Fetch TV not opposed". Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. 2022-07-14. Archived from the original on 2025-04-24. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Fetch TV Appoints MOTTO to Spearhead Premium CTV Advertising Sales". Fetch TV. 2025-11-11. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ "Current details for ABN 36 130 669 500". ABN Lookup. Archived from the original on 2026-09-28. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ David Knox (2024-03-06). "Fetch TV to launch own TV Operating System". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 2026-09-28. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 "Fetch TV announces new CEO". Fetch TV. 2024-06-06. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Modern Slavery Statement". Media Innovations Holdings Pty Ltd, via the Australian Modern Slavery Register. 2021-10-11. Archived from the original on 2026-09-28. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ "Privacy Policy". Fetch TV. Archived from the original on 2026-09-27. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ Stephen Lambrechts (2015-08-27). "TPG steers iiNet away from Fetch TV". TechRadar. Archived from the original on 2026-03-08. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Dylan Crismale (2025-01-22). "iiNet stops selling Fetch TV". WhistleOut. Archived from the original on 2025-07-20. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ "Telstra partners with Fetch to evolve its home and entertainment offerings for T25". Telstra. 2022-04-28. Archived from the original on 2026-09-27. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Fetch Reports 20% Subscriber Surge in 1H FY25 and Appoints Senior Leadership for 'Fetch 2.0' Growth Phase". Fetch TV. 2025-01-22. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 "Fetch unveils new Mighty PVR". Fetch TV. 2022-05-02. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Fetch TV introduces the world's first hybrid RDK-Android Opensource operating system with the new Fetch Mini G5". Fetch TV. 2024-08-19. Retrieved 2026-09-28.