Foxtel locks down The Walking Dead season 7 in Australia
By Adam Carlson
Fans of The Walking Dead in Australia will either need to buy an expensive cable package or wait until season 7 is over to watch the hit AMC zombie drama.
The Walking Dead is the most popular television show in the world. When it airs at 9 pm eastern time on Sundays in the United States, social media comes to a standstill the focus shifts to watching our favorite survivors in the zombie apocalypse.
Of course, the program is seen in many different countries. Some countries show the program on AMC, some on FOX, and others have channels who bid for the rights to the massively popular series.
Fans in Australia are facing a tough situation when it comes to seeing the apocalyptic show. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the rights to air The Walking Dead were purchased by a company called Foxtel, which airs new episodes in a simulcast with North American audiences.
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But that’s not the bad part. The rough part of the situation for fans down under is that they will need to purchase a subscription to the Foxtel Play program. At $25 ($15 in December) that is a big price to pay to watch one show.
Not only does the deal keep the show on Foxtel Play, but it also keeps episodes ofThe Walking Dead season 7 from being available through iTunes, Google Play or Fetch TV until the entire season is done airing.
That’s right, in Australia, you pay for Foxtel Play or you wait until April to watch the show.
The major concern is that this deal will encourage piracy of episodes through illegal streams, torrents. or bending the rules of their mobile carriers to get access to the show. The continent faced that kind problem when a similar deal with HBO’s Game of Thrones.
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This change wasn’t announced to fans of the show before the season 7 premiere, and many Australians are outraged that they will need to either subscribe to Foxtel Play for standard definition episodes at a higher price or use unconventional methods or viewing to see The Walking Dead each week.