Foxtel launches Flash – a streaming service for 25 news channels

Foxtel has activated a brand new streaming service for those viewers who want to stay up with the latest news – it’s called Flash and it provides access to 25 of the most popular news channels.

Streamotion, the company behind Kayo Sports and Binge, has applied a similar formula to the Kayo Sports service but instead of grouping all the sports channels in one service, Flash does the same thing with the news channels.

Customers will have access to popular international news channels like CNN, Fox News, Al Jazeera, BBC World News and Sky News Australia for $8 a month.

The channels will be offers in full HD. In comparison, Kayo Sports costs $25 a month and Binge is $14 a month.

Customers who take up Flash can enjoy a 14-free trial before they are charged $8 a month.

Flash uses a similar technical backbone to Kayo Sports and Binge and it also has a dedicated editorial team aggregating content from the many news channels that form the service.

Viewers can see breaking news and access content on demand.

And like Kayo Sports, Flash allows viewers to enjoy Split View which can show four channels at the same time.

“Flash is a game-changer in news media.  It will transform the way Australians consume the news that matters to them by bringing together the widest range of local and international live news sources in a single, easy to use, feature-packed service,” says Flash CEO, Julian Ogrin.

“Flash will deliver greater control and more choice, providing access to the latest, breaking live and on demand news sources that Australians want, when they want it and where they want to watch it – at home, at work or on the go.

“Flash is the latest product built on the world-class technology platform that streams our fast-growing Kayo Sports and BINGE streaming services to almost two million Australians.  It gives us the flexibility to continue to grow our news sources and drive innovation in the way people can consume news.”

Here is the full list of channels included with the Flash streaming service:

• Al Jazeera,
• ausbiz,
• BBC World News,
• Bloomberg TV,
• Bloomberg Quicktake,
• Channel News Asia,
• CNBC,
• CNN International,
• ET Now,
• FOX News Channel,
• FOX SPORTS News,
• GB News,
• i24NEWS,
• France24,
• com.au,
• NHK World,
• REA,
• Russia Today,
• Sky News Australia,
• Sky News UK,
• Sky News Extra,
• Sky News Weather,
• Storyful,
• PeopleTV,
• Times Now,
• USA Today,
• USA Today
• SportsWire
• The Wall Street Journal.

“Flash offers genuine diversity in opinions and perspectives, putting a wide range of trusted news sources into the hands of more Australians,” says Flash executive drector Kate De Brito.

“At launch we will have unrivalled access to over 20 news sources – which will grow over time – with the ability to select and curate the views and opinions that matter to you.

“Whether your politics are progressive, in the centre or conservative. Whether you are after business news, or finance, local or world events, weather or sport. And it will be all for just $8 per month with no lock in contracts.”

Flash is available now and is priced at $8 per month. It can be viewed on smartphones, tablets, PCs and TVs using Apple TV and Chromecast with Google TV. It will eventually be offered as a native app for smart TVs in the near future.