Fetch TV guide: Box options, channel packs and bundles explained

Fetch TV is a digital entertainment hub that pulls your free-to-air channels, streaming applications and premium television into a single interface. Instead of relying on a traditional cable connection, the platform delivers flexible channel packages and on-demand movies directly over your home broadband connection.

Juggling half a dozen streaming subscriptions and hunting for the right HDMI input can feel like an unpaid internship. Fetch TV aims to fix that living room chaos by giving you immediate access to a unified programming guide. It's basically a pay television service for the streaming era, offering a familiar remote control experience without the hefty lock-in contracts of older providers.

Fetch Mini vs Fetch Mighty boxes

To get the service running, you need to buy one of two proprietary set-top boxes. Both models support 4K resolution, pause and rewind functionality for live television, and access to all the standard catch-up apps. They both feature built-in Wi-Fi and ship with a voice-activated remote control.

The Fetch Mini is the compact, entry-level option. It handles all the streaming and live viewing tasks beautifully, but it lacks an internal hard drive. You get just enough flash memory to pause live television for a few minutes, which means you can't record entire broadcasts to watch later.

If you're the type of person who hoards entire seasons of reality television, the Fetch Mighty is the heavy hitter. It packs a 1TB hard drive, which gives you enough room to stockpile up to 585 hours of standard definition television. With four built-in tuners, the Mighty lets you record up to six shows at once while you watch a seventh program entirely. It's bulkier and significantly more expensive upfront, but it acts as a full personal video recorder for your living room.

Channel packs and on-demand movies

Fetch operates on a flexible subscription model. After the initial hardware purchase and activation fee, you can add or remove premium channel packs on a month-to-month basis. There are no lock-in contracts, giving you the freedom to drop a sports package once the football season ends.

There are four core channel packages to choose from, depending on your household's viewing habits:

• Knowledge. Documentaries, news and lifestyle programming from networks like Discovery, CNBC and BBC Earth.
• Vibe. Sports and pop culture, featuring ESPN, MTV and Comedy Central.
• Variety. Drama and reality television across Universal TV, TLC, Investigation Discovery and UKTV.
• Kids. Children's entertainment from Nickelodeon, BabyTV, Nick Jr and CBeebies.

If you want the whole lot, an ultimate bundle rolls all four packs together for a discounted monthly fee. You can also bolt on special interest channels, like foreign language networks or equestrian sports, for a separate cost.

Beyond the live channels, the platform houses a massive digital store. You can buy or rent thousands of movies and television shows on demand. There's also a rotating Movie Box selection, which throws a fresh batch of 30 pre-selected films your way every month. Fetch adds a new movie to this list every single day, keeping the library fresh without requiring an extra rental fee.

Streaming apps and integrations

The real magic of the platform is how it wrangles your existing subscriptions into one neat dashboard. You don't have to abandon your current streaming services to use the box.

Native applications are baked right into the interface for heavyweights like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV+. It also supports niche services like Stan, Paramount+, BritBox and Hayu. A universal voice search function lets you yell a movie title at the remote, and the system will scour every installed app and channel to find out exactly where it's playing. You'll still need to pay your separate monthly subscription fees for those third-party apps, though.

Telstra ownership and broadband bundles

In 2022, Telstra acquired a majority stake in Fetch TV, positioning it as the telecom giant's flagship entertainment product.

You can buy the set-top boxes outright from select consumer electronics retailers, but you can also bundle the hardware with a home internet plan. Telstra allows customers to pay off the box in monthly instalments and use their loyalty points to rent movies in the digital store. Bundling doesn't necessarily make the service cheaper, but it does consolidate your internet and entertainment expenses onto a single monthly bill.

Frequently asked questions

• Can you use Fetch TV without an internet connection?

  No. The platform is an internet protocol television service, which means it relies entirely on your home broadband to stream live channels and on-demand content. If your internet drops out, you'll lose access to everything except the pre-recorded shows sitting on your Fetch Mighty hard drive.

• How much data does Fetch TV use?

  Streaming chews through your monthly data allowance quickly. Expect to use around 1GB of data per hour for standard definition viewing, and up to 3GB per hour for high definition content. If you're watching in 4K, that data usage will climb significantly higher.

• Can you watch your recorded shows on a mobile device?

  Yes. The companion mobile application lets you sync your smartphone or tablet with your account. You can watch selected live channels on the go, manage your recordings remotely, and even download rented movies to your device for offline viewing during a commute.

• Does the system support universal remotes?

  The included voice remote is designed to control your television's volume and power, removing the need for a secondary clicker. If you already have a high-end universal remote, the set-top boxes support standard infrared commands, making integration into a complex home theatre setup relatively painless.

• What is the multiroom feature?

  Large households can connect up to three set-top boxes to a single account on the same home network. This multiroom setup lets you share purchased movies, channel subscriptions and recorded shows across different televisions, saving everyone from arguing over the remote.

• How does Fetch TV compare to Foxtel?

  Fetch TV is a much cheaper, more modular alternative to Foxtel, designed for people who want to pick and choose their channel packs. Foxtel carries a heavier price tag but offers a vastly larger catalogue of premium sports and exclusive HBO dramas. If you just want the basics and a unified streaming dashboard, Fetch is usually the better budget option.

Written by

Matt Sayer

Writer

Matt Sayer is a technology writer and editorial engineer for Finder, combining industry expertise with data-driven solutions to help people make better decisions. His extensive portfolio spans investigative reporting on the roll-out of 5G, statistical analysis on the legacy of E3 and guides for popular products like mobile phones and smart speakers. Matt has a Bachelor of Computer Science from RMIT University and is passionate about finding ways that technology can better our lives. See full bio