This was published 3 months ago
Too many streaming options? This new device could solve the problem
By Adam Turner
The latest attempt to offer Australians “one streaming device to rule them all”, Foxtel’s Hubbl, aims to combine the best of broadcast and online in our lounge rooms.
Netflix’s arrival was the dawn of Australia’s streaming age. Previously, if you weren’t happy with free-to-air, or the shelves of your local Video Ezy, you were forced to shell out at least $50 a month for Foxtel.
Tapping into Netflix’s vast library for “a few bucks a month” was a game-changer. Of course, it wasn’t long before everyone wanted a slice of the pie, from content giants like Disney and Paramount to tech giants like Apple and Amazon.
As the streaming age took off, TV watching has become a battle of choice for subscriptions, remotes and devices.Credit: istock
It all adds up and, before long, watching all our favourite shows meant spending more each month than when Foxtel was the only game in town.
As Foxtel began to bleed viewers, it launched its own streaming services like Kayo Sports and Binge. They deliberately don’t carry the Foxtel name, nor does Hubbl, as the old-school pay TV giant looks to win over a new generation of viewers.
What is Hubbl?
Thankfully, Hubbl is not yet another Australian streaming service asking for our money.
Instead, Hubbl is a tiny $99 set-top box which brings together broadcast and streaming video. If you’re in a market for a new television, you might consider a Hubbl Glass smart TV.
If you ask Foxtel, Hubbl is a “sophisticated aggregation experience” unlike anything we’ve seen before. Others might beg to differ, considering that Fetch TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV have done something similar for years.
What is content aggregation?
Most of us own a smart TV with built-in streaming apps. The problem is that you’re forced to constantly jump between apps, and you can spend ages just looking for something to watch.
These days people just want to sit back and press play, they don’t want to hunt for content and they don’t care where it comes from.
Hubbl shows you the best of each streaming service in one place. You can see Netflix, Disney and Binge content side by side on the home screen, including continue watching, cross-platform search and recommendations for new shows you might like.
Think of Hubbl like a supermarket. It doesn’t actually produce anything, it just puts everything you might want side-by-side on the shelves, so you don’t need to visit a dozen shops in search of things.
What can I watch via Hubbl?
As you’d expect, Hubbl lets you watch all of Australia’s major streaming services including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon’s Prime Video, Apple TV+, Paramount+, Optus Sport, YouTube and Stan (owned by Nine, publisher of this masthead).
Hubbl displays a large selection of shows available for streaming on the homepage.
Plus, naturally, you’ve got Foxtel’s own Binge, Kayo, Flash and LifeStyle in the mix. That’s all the heavy hitters, although some of the non-Foxel services aren’t available at launch.
You miss out on the niche services like BritBox, Hayu and Shudder. Unfortunately, Hubbl devices also lack Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast streaming, so you can’t fling video to them from your smartphone or tablet.
Alongside its streaming smorgasbord, Hubbl has all the catch-up TV services in ABC iview and ABC Kids, SBS On Demand, 7plus, 9Now and 10 Play.
To round things out you can watch live free-to-air channels, either by plugging in an aerial cable or tapping into each network’s online streaming simulcast.
The streaming live channels appear in the onscreen TV guide just like traditional channels, rather than expecting you to find them in the various catch-up apps. Likewise, Foxtel channels like Fox8 appear in the onscreen guide, rather than expecting you to find them in Binge.
You won’t get this from Apple, Google and Amazon devices. To be fair, Fetch TV Mighty and Mini boxes are about to match this, as Fetch has been testing streaming free-to-air channels for a while and will make an announcement “shortly”.
How is Hubbl different from other devices?
Bringing streaming free-to-air and Foxtel/Binge streaming channels into the one onscreen guide is Hubbl’s big party trick, although a few live sports are blacked out on the streaming free-to-air channels due to rights deals.
When it comes to subscription services like Netflix, obviously you can only watch the ones you pay for. This starts to get expensive, but Hubbl’s other big selling point is that you can bundle services to get a discount.
‘Stack and Save’ lets you save up to $15 a month for bundling up to five eligible services. At launch, however, the only eligible services are Netflix and Foxtel’s own Binge, Kayo, Flash and Lifestyle.
Others will likely come along, but for now, getting the discount means sticking with Foxtel’s streaming services – a smart move by Foxtel when times are tight and Australians are looking to curb their spending.
While ‘Stack and Save’ sweetens the deal, it’s not a new concept in Australia. Optus SubHub offers something similar which covers a lot more services.
How do I watch television on Hubbl?
Hubbl is supposedly the perfect marriage of streaming and broadcast, but this is more true of Foxtel’s channels than free-to-air channels.
The Hubbl remote and compact set-top device.
Surprisingly, the remote lacks a dedicated button to launch live TV or call up the on-screen TV guide. Instead, you need to scroll down through the home screen’s rows of streaming content until you find ‘TV guide’ (or else press the remote’s voice button and ask for it).
When you eventually find the TV guide, the channel numbers don’t line up with free-to-air stations. Instead, they follow Foxtel’s numbering system, which is frustrating if you’re not already familiar with it.
All of this makes free-to-air television feel like an afterthought. You wouldn’t recommend Hubbl to someone who’s still very keen on traditional television.
Who is Hubbl best for?
Most Australians already have at least one smart lounge room device that aggregates content. Hubble makes the most sense if you’re keen on Binge and Kayo, and will make the most of ‘Stack and Save’.
The convenience of live free-to-air TV without an aerial, built right into the on-screen TV guide, will also be a winner in some homes.
Really though, Hubbl is best for Foxtel. Once you’ve got a Hubbl box or smart TV, you’re much less likely to abandon Foxtel’s new streaming services.
In other words, Hubbl aspires to offer Australian viewers the one streaming device to rule them all, and in the darkness bind them to Foxtel.
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