Speculation has been raised that a deal between Presto, Seven and Ten could be signed as early as this week giving more clarity around the streaming plays about to hit the market.
The speculation was first raised in The Australian this morning, although talk about Seven joining Foxtels' streaming platform Presto has been present in the marketplace for months. Ten joining the platform would be a new development.
Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes told the company's recent annual general meeting that it would announce its move into streaming within the next six months, although sources have indicated that the move would be announced in a shorter timeframe.
Meanwhile Network Ten told AdNews it would not comment on market speculation and questions sent to Presto owner Foxtel regarding the situation have gone unanswered so far.
Presto adding two free-to-air (FTA) players onto the platform would seemingly indicate an appetite for FTA content.
It is unclear how the two networks would be compensated for their content, with Presto having a price point of $9.99 per month for its movies-only offering. It is unclear whether this would shift if more TV content made its way onto the platform.
Rival TV-centric streaming platforms Stan and Netflix, however, are believed to be settling in on a price point about $10 per month.
It is also unclear whether Presto would consider a marketing push before Christmas to increase brand awareness.
Rival streamer Quickflix CEO Stephen Langsford previously told AdNews that it is seeking to ramp up its marketing in the lead-up to Christmas, highlighting Google's Chromecast as a platform option.
Presto is also on the Chromecast device.
Meanwhile, there is speculation the Fairfax-Nine joint venture, Stan, will launch before Christmas.
The launch date for the platform was previously thought to be tied to the airing of tentpole show Better Call Saul in the US, with StreamCo CEO Mike Sneesby previously saying that it would stream the show as soon as it aired in the US.
US network AMC recently announced the show would premiere on February 8 next year.
If Stan were to launch before Christmas, it could be reasonably assumed that TV ads starring Rebel Wilson would need to air soon.
However the creative agency charged with creating the ads, AJF Partnership Sydney, has remained tight-lipped on whether its client has ordered a rush on the ads.
StreamCo has also refused to comment on the timing speculation, but it is believed that it could be within 24 hours of nailing down a final launch date for the platform.
All the streaming players have been forced into a reshuffle, with US streaming giant Netflix recently announcing that it would launch in Australia in March next year.
However, at this stage it is believed that it will launch in Australia without its most popular titles House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, with the Australian rights for next year at least being held by Foxtel.
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