(a) Changes to the nature of Foxtel's services
67 At the time the 2004 PPCA-Foxtel agreement was signed, Foxtel provided traditional broadcasting services by HFC cable or satellite via an STU. The purpose of the STU was to convert the signal coming from the cable or satellite into a signal suitable for reception by an analogue television.
68 After 2004 new technologies began to emerge to take advantage of the developing sophistication of television design. For example, it was only in 2004 that Foxtel began to convert its signal from analogue to digital, and it was only after 2004 that it began to supply high definition STUs to take advantage of that digital signal, to provide on-demand content or to provide for internet-delivered services. According to Foxtel's Chief Executive Officer, Mr Freudenstein, it was only from about 2006 that 'Foxtel began to invest in making its services available on a broader range of platforms'. Initially this was confined to Telstra mobile customers, but over time it has expanded so that Foxtel provides services to subscribers in their home and also on their mobile devices including on-demand. Foxtel's Foxtel Go, Foxtel Play and Presto services are examples of these developments.
69 Only in 2007 did Foxtel complete the transition to its digital signal and it was not until May 2008 that it introduced its high definition service.
70 According to the agreed statement of facts, Foxtel commenced offering the following subscription television services over the internet or mobile telecommunications networks on the dates indicated:
(i) Mobile Foxtel by Telstra (from 2006 to date) which enables Telstra customers who pay a fee to view Foxtel content for limited amounts of time on their compatible mobile phones and on tablet devices;
(ii) Foxtel Download (from 2009 to September 2012) which was a catch up television service made available to subscribers via the internet to PCs (but not Macs). The service allowed subscribers to download some programs from channels within their subscription package. The service was offered as a free additional service to subscribers but was discontinued in 2012;
(iii) Foxtel on Xbox 360 (from 2010 to August 2013) which enabled Foxtel subscribers to view more than 30 channels of Foxtel programming delivered over the internet (rather than by cable or satellite transmission) via Microsoft's game console, "Xbox 360". Users could access live Foxtel channels and also on-demand content (including on a pay-per-view basis) through the Xbox 360. This service has since been replaced by "Foxtel Play", which is available through Xbox 360 consoles and other devices as described below;
(iv) Foxtel Store + Box Office (previously known as Foxtel on Demand) via the internet (from 2010 to date) which enables Foxtel subscribers to view television shows and movie programming on demand on compatible internet-enabled set top boxes. Some on-demand content, such as new release movies, is only accessible by paying an additional fee per movie (or program). The content is purchased from an online store and delivered to a subscriber's compatible set top box via the internet. Foxtel on Demand for iQ (from 2007) also provides access to a limited range of on-demand content for cable and satellite customers;
(v) Foxtel on Telstra T-Box (from 2011 to date) which enables Telstra customers with an internet-connected Telstra T-Box unit to subscribe to 30 channels of live Foxtel programming delivered over broadband internet and to access Foxtel catch up television content on demand;
(vi) Foxtel on Internet TV (from July 2012 to August 2013) which enabled users to subscribe on a monthly basis to access live Foxtel programming on Samsung Smart TVs, delivered via the internet and without the need for a set top box. This service has since been replaced by "Foxtel Play" which is available on Samsung Smart TVs and is described further below;
(vii) Foxtel Go (from November 2012 to date) which allows Foxtel subscribers to access live Foxtel channels and catch up television on demand delivered via the internet to compatible smartphones, tablets (including the iPad), PCs and Mac computers. The channels that are available through Foxtel Go are linked to the subscriber's subscription package;
(viii) Foxtel Play (from August 2013 to date) which enables customers to subscribe to receive live Foxtel channels by package and access to on-demand content on a month-by-month basis (i.e. without a long term contract). The programming is delivered by the internet to compatible smartphones, Xbox 360, tablets, PCs and Mac computers and Smart TVs. As at September 2013, 48 Foxtel channels were available through Foxtel Play on a full subscription;
(ix) Foxtel Presto (from March 2014 to date) which enables subscribers to watch first-run and library movies streamed to their internet-connected devices. Customers can download the Presto App from various app stores, and the service is also available via Google Chromecast; and
(x) Foxtel Anytime (previously known as Foxtel Catch Up) (from around 2012 to date) which enables customers to access selected TV episodes and movies on demand through their internet-connected Foxtel iQ set top box, or through the Foxtel Go device. Content is available to subscribers who have subscribed to the relevant channel.
71 Mr Freudenstein gave evidence that while Foxtel's cable and satellite delivery of channels to subscribers remains the cornerstone of its business, it has been forced to enhance its services to meet the very competitive environment in which Foxtel now finds itself. That environment includes:
illegal downloading of content by the public;
licensed subscription services such as Fetch TV, Telstra T-Box, Quickflix and sporting bodies offering coverage of events by means of apps on mobiles (to this might be added Netflix);
transactional services such as Apple's iTunes store, Google Play, Microsoft's movie rental service and Sony's video download service; and
free to air broadcasters with multichannel capacity.
72 The Tribunal infers that the competitive environment has developed since 2004 to include the provision of large quantities of content over the internet, much of it on demand. Plainly, Foxtel's business has had to evolve to counter these competitive threats whilst taking advantage of its own competitive strengths. A significant advantage that Foxtel has is access to large quantities of content and a substantial subscriber base.
73 The provision of Foxtel's considerable content over a proliferating array of on-line services counters its on-line competitors using that content. At the same time, Foxtel has sought to increase its subscriber base by making its offering more attractive. This it has done, in part, by substantially increasing the number of its channels and their content. By way of comparison, in 2004 Foxtel had 100 channels (excluding the audio only channels). In 2009 it introduced 30 channels which were viewable on mobile devices and it also launched the Next Generation Services which included 15 new standard definition channels and 13 high definition channels. As of September 2014, excluding audio channels, there were 148 channels of real content, although 28 of these were simulcasts of both standard and high definition offerings. In terms of content, the Tribunal proposes not to count twice channels broadcast in both SD and HD, although they obviously have value. The Tribunal will proceed, however, on the basis that since the execution of the 2004 PPCA-Foxtel agreement Foxtel has increased its substantive channel offerings by around 20%. At the forefront of these competitive endeavours has been the acquisition of live domestic sports, especially AFL, high-end drama and feature films.
74 There was some debate before the Tribunal about the extent to which Fox Sports, which packages the sports offerings, actually used PPCA's repertoire. There is no doubt that Fox Sports proceeds on the basis that Foxtel, as a broadcaster, holds a PPCA licence. But Mr Neill, the head of Production and Programming, FOX FOOTY at Fox Sports, gave evidence about the circumstances in which the various Fox Sports channels used commercial sound recordings. His evidence was to the effect that in relation to music which was used to identify channels, in promotions, as theme music for particular programs or as background music, it frequently used specifically commissioned music from a particular composer. For example the theme music which runs at the start of every AFL game on the FOX FOOTY channel was composed, on specific commission, by a United Kingdom composer, Mr Mark Willett. The reasons for taking this course related to the developing of a particular style for what was being broadcast. As noted earlier, PPCA's repertoire does not include commissioned music.
75 Fox Sports also uses a lot of production music (i.e. music purchased in entire libraries), which is also not part of PPCA's repertoire. For example, Foxtel purchased one such library from a third party containing some 80,000 tracks which it was then at full liberty to use. Often these pieces are only three or four seconds long and relate to some aspect of the broadcast where emphasis or some other effect is desired.
76 According to Mr Neil, a recent example of a FOX FOOTY brand promotion that used production music is the 2014 FOX FOOTY 'A Better Place' promotion featuring Eddie McGuire walking Sandy Roberts through heaven that aired from around February 2014. For this promotion, FOX FOOTY used a production music track in the background that had an ethereal quality to it but which did not detract from the conversation between the two men in the promotion explaining the key features of FOX FOOTY or the visual images used, such as the pearly gates in the shape of the FOX FOOTY logo.
77 It is easy to see that sporting formats might well generate diverse circumstances in which such barely noticeable, indeed barely musical, offerings might be used.
78 Mr Neill's evidence was also that Fox Sports' use of commercial sound recordings was circumscribed by some commercial considerations. The principal one of these was the arrangement that Fox Sports had with the Australian Recording Industry Association ('ARIA') in relation to its repertoire. Under that arrangement Fox Sports is not permitted to use ARIA's repertoire in themes, promotions or advertisements. This tends to limit Fox Sports' use of commercial recordings. Indeed, often enough when Fox Sports wishes to use well-known contemporary music it deals directly with the label which owns the music. This has tended to mean that Fox Sports' use of commercial music is circumscribed. Mr Neill did not deny it was used; it could be used as background music and sometimes it was also used as a result of pass through from the international channels.
79 The bottom line of this evidence was the proposition that Fox Sports was perhaps not such a heavy user of sound recordings in PPCA's repertoire. PPCA sought to contradict this position through evidence given by its General Manager, Ms Small. She had arranged for a sample of Foxtel's programming to be made. This sample was taken on a Saturday between 6pm and 12am in July 2013. Ms Small and, indeed, PPCA did not submit that the sample provided accurate statistical information and they frankly acknowledged its limitations. It was only advanced to demonstrate that Foxtel's use of its repertoire was not trivial.
80 This evidence suggested that over the sample period PPCA's sound recordings had been used in a way which, if turned into an annual rate, would amount to the use of 353,028 PPCA sound recordings across the Foxtel sports channels (looking solely at the four Fox Sports channels, this figure was 144,540). Mr Neill downplayed this by reference to various matters mostly related to the sample period being on a Saturday night in the middle of the football season. It is not necessary to deal with the detail of this. The Tribunal accepts that the use of commercial sound recordings on Fox Sports is likely to be somewhat less than it is on the other channels. Nevertheless, the Tribunal remains of the view that the use is a substantial one. It would be pointless and impossible to put a number on this.
81 Returning then to Foxtel's increased use of sport and high end drama over the period between 2004 and the present it follows that Foxtel has, over that period, used a greater range of content which has directly increased the use by it of PPCA's repertoire. Although it is impossible to quantify this increase with any precision, the Tribunal is of the opinion that the increase is a substantial one. PPCA's submission is that its blanket licence gives Foxtel the freedom to decide when and how to use sound recordings in its sporting broadcasts.
82 One then has the situation that Foxtel has responded to competitive pressures by increasing the number of platforms from which its services are provided and, at the same time, changed its content in a way which has involved a substantial increase in the use of PPCA's repertoire.