Telstra has entered the lucrative streaming market with what looks like a new service, which is really just a repackaged TBox that could drain your internet.

In September, the company will debut ‘Telstra TV’ as a cheaper way to access all your favourite entertainment subscriptions — Netflix, Foxtel, BigPond Movies, Quickflix, Stan and Presto — in one place.

With the launch this year of streaming juggernaut Netflix, Australian providers have scrambled to play catch-up. Telstra TV appears poised to snare the rest of the population not currently indulging in all-you-can-eat TV and movies from Netflix or its smaller competitors.

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At first glance, the service seems to be a convenient way to watch movies and TV via a single set-top box.

New customers to Telstra TV will be delivered by the Roku 2 digital media player, a device already popular in the Northern hemisphere.

NetFlix continues to be the most popular streaming services with Australian consumers. Photo: AAP

The downside

In fact, this ‘new’ service is actually an aggregate of existing content from Telstra’s TBox service, including BigPond Movies and Foxtel programming (of which Telstra owns 50 per cent), plus subscription video-on-demand services like Stan, Netflix and the company’s own Presto service, at an extra cost.

Owners of Apple TV, Fetch TV, Xbox One or Playstation 4 can already access Netflix and the other subscription services and re-watch free-to-air TV to varying degrees.

Another potential thorn in Telstra TV’s side is that almost all of the app and subscription services will attract normal internet data charges. Only BigPond Movies and Presto will be unmetered — and only for Telstra fixed broadband customers.

If you’re an existing Telstra customer, this could be your gateway drug to the heady world of subscription video on demand. If not, check your existing services to decide if a swap is worth the potential gain.

Internet drain

Existing Telstra customers are the most likely to be reeled in by the offer. Photo: AAP

With the potential for some subscription services to chew through one gigabyte of bandwidth per hour, you could see your monthly allowance disappear faster than hot donuts at a country fair.

Telstra’s broadband plans start at $75 per month, which includes 100 gigabytes of data a month on a 24-month contract: roughly 23 gigabytes per week or just over three hours of Netflix per day.

And while the Roku hardware supports HD video and Dolby 5.1 sound, source material from the various services attached will also need to be HD to enjoy high-resolution video.

The benefits

As mentioned above, the Roku 2 will offer access to the main subscription services as well as catch up TV, which will be added after launch.

Pricing is yet to be announced, but along with the Roku purchase fee, Telstra is working with Netflix and others to offer a bundle deal that will cost less than a standalone subscription to the three individually.

Sporting content is yet to be announced, but being Telstra/Foxtel you can bet there will be a carrot dangled to sporting fans in the near future.

Keep an eye on The New Daily for more information close to the release date.