Foxtel’s subscription video on demand (SVOD) service Presto is in the hurt locker.

A weekend outage affecting customers across many platforms, preventing access to the service’s content or affecting the playback experience, came on the heels of a recently published survey that saw consumers rate Presto lowest for overall satisfaction.

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An alternative for customers who prefer not to pay $26 per month, minimum, for Foxtel’s subscription cable TV service, Presto customers pay $9.99 per month for either unlimited TV or movies, or $14.99 per month for both.

Delivered via a variety of internet-connected devices, Presto customers can access all the TV and movies they want, when they want.

However, it appears technical glitches have continually plagued the service and impacted customer satisfaction.

Bugs in the machine

A quick peruse of the service’s Twitter account tells a story of customers consistently unable to access content, content freezing halfway through playback, being logged out during playback, being unable to resume playback from a certain point or certain content simply being unavailable on all devices.

@presto hey guys! The app for iPad just freezes and buffers. I've reinstalled – any other tips? It's killing me!

— Jayne (@missjaynef) March 27, 2016

https://twitter.com/mrseanels/status/713996393656881152

.@presto Gr8 content, terrible apps – iOS & Android. Constantly crash, and always asking 4 pin – makes 4 bad viewing exp. Pls fix #presto

— Jeremy Y (@jeremydyancey) March 7, 2016

@presto you got a QA issue. On iPhone 6S, trying to AirPlay to Apple TV (latest). Doesn't work at all. pic.twitter.com/6sUzfU35QH

— Jean-Jacques Halans (@halans) February 10, 2016

The Presto app has consequently earned a rating of less than two stars on both Google Play Store and iTunes App Store, with frustrated users submitting reviews similar to the sentiments expressed on social media.

US comedy The Mindy Project will be available in Australia exclusively on Presto.

A Presto spokesperson told The New Daily the company is “continuing to address performance issues with ongoing process improvements and are implementing technology enhancements that will improve the experience for customers.

“Technical issues in an IPTV space require constant monitoring due to the sheer number of variables, components, systems and players required to deliver great TV content to all corners of Australia.”

Premium content

At the same time there is also a strong amount of loyal support for the service on social media, in particular for exclusive TV titles not available on any other SVOD service.

In line with a monumental agreement forged between Foxtel and US cable TV giant, HBO, Aussies can watch the network’s premium drama and comedy series exclusively on Presto; programs such as The Jinx, True Detective, Veep and Looking.

The company says the aim is to “offer more recent content from the major Hollywood studios than any other streaming service”.

Australian actress Naomi Watts has appeared in ads for the streaming service.

The results are in

A recent poll by survey firm Canstar Blue of consumers using Australian SVOD services Netflix, Stan, Presto and Quickflix, along with cable TV service Foxtel, found results for Presto weren’t good.

Even though users have access to critically acclaimed content – such as TV series American Crime, Mr Robot, Scandal, The Walking Dead, The Mindy Project and The Affair – the service tied equal last with Quickflix for overall satisfaction among SVOD services, suggesting technical difficulties have overshadowed what could be a serious challenger for the Netflix throne.

Stiff competition

When it comes to streaming media services, it’s a buyer’s market.

Most streaming services are available on Xbox and other game consoles. Photo: Getty

Competing services Netflix, Stan and Quickflix can be accessed by almost any device connected to the internet – desktop and laptop computers, smartphones or tablets as well as Telstra TV, Optus Fetch TV, smart televisions, Apple TV and Xbox and PlayStation game consoles.

Along with standard computers and mobile apps, which users can use to screencast or Airplay to their HD TV of choice, Presto is available via Telstra TV and PlayStation 3 only. An Apple TV app is apparently in development.

If we’re talking money, Presto also comes in a few dollars more than most, although it’s possible to justify the elevated fee by the number of ‘fast-tracked’ and exclusive titles available.

Despite these attractions, with Presto available on fewer devices and troubled by service difficulties on the ones that it is, we could soon see this real contender become an also-ran, which would be a great loss for consumers and the company.