Fetch TV Gen 3 owners face a deadline to pay, upgrade, or cancel their service by 31st October 2026, according to an email sent to everyone still running a Fetch TV Mini (H626T) or Mighty (M616T) activated over five years ago, currently the oldest devices on the platform.
What Fetch TV Gen 3 owners need to do
Owners without an active Fetch subscription have a few options. One is to pay a one-off $29.99 Fetch Extended Service Levy that covers the device until at least 31st October 2027. Subscribing to Fetch Access ($4.99 per month), Movie Box ($3.99 per month), Multiroom ($4.49 per month), or a Content Pack waives the levy automatically.
Customers who pay the levy will get a 30-day window through November to change their mind, including a free trial of a Content Pack, and a full refund if they decide to cancel instead. Pensioners and anyone experiencing financial hardship can also contact Fetch for a confidential review of their options.
Upgrading is another option. Fetch is offering a loyalty discount on the Mini Gen 5 and Mighty Gen 4 boxes, and is currently taking preorders for a Mighty Gen 4 Pro with 2TB of storage and an updated voice remote. All new devices require a mandatory Fetch Access subscription, adding a $4.99 monthly cost on top of the device purchase.
Cancelling is a permanent choice. Fetch confirmed that deactivated Gen 3 devices “cannot be reactivated in the future by you or anyone else,” and told us this has long been a policy to stop deprecated hardware being resold to unsuspecting buyers.
Customers who take no action will be charged automatically on 1st November, and four failed payment attempts will suspend the account across all linked devices.
The deadline applies only to devices activated more than five years ago, and Fetch says the majority of affected customers are using devices between eight and ten years old.
Platforms are leaving, but Fetch makes its value case
Netflix, Paramount+, SBS On Demand, and Hayu are being pulled from the Mini Gen 3 within the next three months, and Paramount+ will leave the Mighty Gen 3. Fetch says app providers are the ones making this call, citing chipset performance and security requirements that the aging devices can no longer meet. That means access to these streaming services will be cut off regardless of whether the levy is paid.
Fetch defends the levy’s value. According to its viewing data, free-to-air TV and YouTube account for two-thirds of watch time on Gen 3 devices. Fetch’s own channels, Movie Box, and store purchases make up most of the remainder. Other third-party apps combined represent about 10 percent of viewing.
By paying the levy, customers will continue to enjoy 30 streamed international channels, the TV guide and its 7-day data feed, search and navigation, pause and rewind functions, and app-free catch-up services, plus recording functions on the Mighty.
Paid subscription tiers add ad-free on-demand movies, premium channels, and the Fetch Store with access to over 11,500 titles for rent or purchase.
Fetch Extended Service Levy: Our take
Fetch said directly that customers will not be charged a second time in October 2027 or afterwards, stating that any suggestion to the contrary is misinformed speculation from social media.
Beyond the guaranteed year of extended service, the company said it will endeavour to continue support while it remains feasible, but could not speculate on how long that might be.
While it’s a shame to see hardware that still technically works become deprecated, Fetch said that an eight-to-ten-year lifespan already exceeds standard expectations for the category. The last Gen 3 devices were placed on the market around five years ago in 2021.
Hardware requirements for streaming apps continue to grow, and aging devices may struggle to deliver a quality experience. The cost of providing customer support, firmware updates, and infrastructure for these devices is only growing.
Whether the fee earns its value depends on your use case: if you fall into Fetch’s main demographic, paying for the program guide and recording functions makes sense, but if you were using your Mini Gen 3 box for Netflix, you’re about to lose that function.
A decade of support is a pretty solid run by today’s electronics standards, and an additional $29.99 for continued support is difficult to call excessive when some services charge that much for one month. Unfortunately, the levy mainly applies to those users who don’t currently pay an ongoing subscription, making the move feel like a push towards recurring payments.
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28 comments
roy cook
please show me how i pay the one of $29.99 by visa thank you
Scott Hunt
Hi Roy, the fee will be automatically charged to your account on 1st November.
LOL
As expected. State of modern tech companies… just buy your own hardware, DIY it yourself, make your own Tvheadend recording service, connect things through Kodi, Plex/Jellyfin, etc… Never worry about these evil globalists.
Millie
Fetch seem to want it both ways. On one hand they’re saying the vast majority of use is free to air watching and on the other hand pointing the finger at hardware requirements for apps being a main reason for the Gen 3 heading towards end of life. For long time users the last 10 months has shown a rapid increase in problems and decrease in customer satisfaction from this company. Many accounts were moved from Internet service providers to Fetch directly and it’s been nothing but trouble and increasing demands for subscription payments ever since. At the same time the software is increasingly buggy when just watching FTA or taping shows.
The only reason they feel they can get away with what’s been going on is because of the lack of suitable replacements for the Fetch PVR.
At this stage I would be happy to see them go out of business.
Scott Hunt
Hey Millie,
It’s a frustrating situation. According to Fetch, the alternative would be to simply end support immediately rather than offering the extended service, which feels like saying you’re lucky they’re allowing you to pay for the privilege.
Kodi is almost certainly your best alternative for recording FTA TV, but it’s not the simplest system to navigate.
Millie
I know that Fetch are saying that is the alternative, however I don’t think they could get away with bricking the Gen 3 devices now. They were selling refurbished Gen 3 Mightys up until a couple of years ago as far as I know. They’d struggle to argue the case that end of life is reasonable only 2 years after something was sold. They want long term users to subsidise something that they have to provide regardless.
Peta
As the owner of a Gen 3 Mighty and Mini both of my working devices are subject to forced redundancy, despite my original purchase including recording, pausing and replaying via a free EPG. What cuts deeply is that fetch have been selling Gen 3 devices until very recently and it appears that devices less than five years old are not subject to the same fees, making their arguments rather hallow.
When TiVo exited the market we were directed and given incentives to buy a Fetch unit. This means many of us have been subjected to manufacturer – generated end of life twice despite entering into an arrangements which included services we are now being asked to pay for. There is no comparable device available and they are taking advantage of this. And what happens in twelve months? Will they brick our units or will we be forced to pay again.
In the current economy being forced to pay money to upgrade or replace a working device is rather unscrupulous. Businesses enforcing their own version of obsolescence must be called out and forced to do the right thing for loyal customers rather than lining their own greedy pockets. Fetch users should have access to the EPG and recording facilities we paid for until we are ready to upgrade.
Jim
Sounds like they are changing the rules to me, just because they want to make more money. Better to go with one of the many competitors, fetch is losing all credibility in my mind.
Ilsa
Ordered new box 14th August, now 25th Sept and still not here. Fetch blaming Aus Post and Aus Post telling me to follow up with Sender. Contact with Fetch is a pain in the but as they have given me 2 different excuses but no resolution. Really don’t like not being able to talk to someone. Requested refund & refund process – no response. Shame Fetch, Shame!
Marky
Well that is one side of the story.
The other side is that FetchTV (now owned mostly by Telstra) promised customers that other than a $1 activation fee, they would not be charged.
Some customers had that promise 8 years ago, some 6, some 5 and some 3.
No ongoing fees for the FTA service with TV Guide.
Same devices, often same customers as they bought additional boxes.
Now, Fetchtv finds itself in a bind.. it has been refurbishing old Gen boxes and selling them off with the same promises.. and wants to offset the cost of keeping those going by shaking down the customers who have the same box, but not bought it from Fetchtv recently as a refurb.
Honestly, this is terrible customer treatment. Personally, I have had more than 10 FetchTV boxes over the years, still have 3 going and 3 tucked away in case those active ones die. None of these will work after november as I got 5 weeks notice and just don’t have the cash to spare for this shake-down.
Telstra seem to be driving this decision, before they took over ownership the company service was great.
Terence Purkiss
I purchased my Fetch Mighty 12/07/21 from JB Hi-Fi, it was sold as a replacement PVR unit. I own it and it was purchased with no subscription requirements. Now a company that doesn’t own the unit is basically saying pay up or we’ll brick the unit. I’m not convinced what they are doing is legal, indeed, across a number of forums many people have said they have lodged complaints to their State Regulators, and/or ACCC. Either way Fetches behaviour has lost them a lot of good will and many customers. It wouldn’t be so bad if, like many older devices, they stopped ongoing updates and support, but to threaten to kill a perfectly good unit is pretty deplorable.
JC
So let’s talk about the fact that the same Gen3 device that is eg 4 years old is ok to keep using, but any Gen 3 device that is over 5 years old is somehow required to have a levy applied? These devices were sold as “pay a $1 activation fee then pay nothing else unless you subscribe to a channel”. I have no issue with the $29.99 fee, but I do take exception to Fetch/Telstra trying to redefine consumer law. The Gen 3 devices are either out of date or they are not. 30 bucks isn’t going to change that. But they are talking about remotely “bricking” perfectly good devices that were sold without ongoing fees.
Bob
Doesn’t sound like the kind of company I would want to do business in the future. Customer-hostile deactivating already purchased hardware. “Fetch confirmed that deactivated Gen 3 devices “cannot be reactivated in the future by you or anyone else,”” This reads to me as a threat to get me to pay up.
John
Isn’t it strange.
If you open Chrome browser, and enter “Fetch Mighty” it will land you on a page, and on that page you click “shopping” you get an image showing multiple outlets selling Fetch Mighty boxes.
You may say “so what”…but what concerns me, is each of those images (bar one which is Fetch TV themselves) all advertise under the image “PVR”.
When clicking on one image, we then get greeted with information saying….” Product Overview
The Mighty 4 UHD PVR (1TB) records up to four free-to-air channels simultaneously and stores hundreds of hours of content for flexible viewing.”
I see no information saying subscriptions or similar are a requirement to be able to record fta tv, albeit, after you do purchase it, and go to activate it, you are then subject to monthly surcharges etc.
It seems to me, that Fetch TV are simply ignoring that retail advertisers are advertising Fetch TV as a “pvr”, but the ads do not show the “pvr” function is subject to you paying a fee to do so.
A recent rip into 3 well known retail outlets selling these products, indicated that sales staff were unaware the product required ongoing fees just to be able to record and use the device as a “pvr”.
To me, I believe Fetch TV should ensure no authorised reseller of their product should allow them to use the term “pvr”, which they all do, as a selling point, as it is totally misleading.
Thanks
Cas
My purchase was only 2 years ago – a refurbished mighty 3
They haven’t sent me an email.
If they dare to deduct an unauthorised fee from my account they will hear about it very quickly !!
Scott Hunt
Hey Cas,
The levy only applies to those Gen 3 devices activated over 5 years ago so yours will not attract a fee.
Jonathan
I think a lot of Gen3 owners don’t understand that the Gen2 device was EOL in a similar fashion at 10 years. Keeping legacy hardware running is extremely taxing for a business regardless of if the user is “just using it as a PVR”. The Gen2 device was 10 years old, and was not subject to an extension/ESL. The Gen3 box this time for a one time payment is being extended by at least 12 months, which is really good value when you think that device will be well over 10 years before eventually it will be EOL’d. The lifespan of a PVR is generally 5-8 years, so to get 10+ years out of a device of this type is extremely rare.
Terry
But it’s not ‘legacy’; mines not 10 years old. That is them gaslighting you. When I dug out my receipt my PVR is 5 years and 1 month old. Important things that define an object’s age, like warranty for instance, are based on the purchase date of the item, or sometimes its build date, but never when its technology was designed. The wipers on your car are basically little changed since they were first patented in 1903. This doesn’t mean the wipers on your car are 123 years old. Don’t fall for their spin. Additionally, where do you get 5-8 yrs for a PVR from? The closest I can find from a neutral source is Choice with TV’s at 7 to 8 yrs.
Alex
We have a Mighty (M616T), activated over five years ago, through Optus as part of our phone/internet/Fetch bundle. We have not received any emails from Optus regarding this matter. Not sure what steps to take next. Thank you.
Scott Hunt
Hey Alex, it seems ISP customers will not be charged a fee.
Shane
I’ve been a Fetch customer for many years and own both a Gen 3 Mighty and Mini that I purchased outright.
My concern isn’t simply the $29.99 fee. It’s the principle of being told that devices I paid for will effectively be disabled if I don’t agree to an ongoing charge that did not exist when I purchased them.
I’ve contacted Fetch several times and asked for either a reasonable replacement option or refund, but the offers made so far haven’t addressed that concern. I have also expressly told Fetch that I do not authorise them to automatically debit the levy from any card linked to my account.
What concerns me most is Fetch confirming that if I cancel, my Gen 3 devices are permanently deactivated and can never be reactivated, despite the hardware still functioning.
I’ve now lodged the matter with the ACCC. I appreciate technology eventually reaches end of life, but I think there is an important distinction between withdrawing support for old hardware and remotely rendering a purchased device unusable unless the owner agrees to a new ongoing charge.
Philip Seakins
Apparently Louis Rossman did a piece on YouTube about this and he has received a response from Fetch. Don’t have time today to read it all, have travel plans. Probably can’t post the response here.
viewerau
This has just been posted to the “”Fetch TV Australia… User Information & Issues”” Facebook group.
“While we understand you use your Fetch Mighty exclusively to view and record Free-to-Air (FTA) broadcasts, the device is not designed or sold as a standalone, offline hardware receiver.
“Every core function—including the 7-day Electronic Program Guide (EPG) required to schedule recordings, channel tuning, and the encryption engine that writes recordings to the internal drive—relies on continuous online authentication with backend Fetch platform servers and an active account. Because these automated features rely on managed cloud infrastructure rather than offline manual timers, the device cannot operate independently of the Fetch Service.
“When activating a Fetch device, users accept the Fetch TV Account Terms of Use governing access to the managed platform. While you hold physical ownership of the box, access to the software, EPG data feed, and authentication servers is provided under service terms.
“Fetch relies on the Variation of Terms provisions within the User Agreement to adjust service operations and fee structures for 10-year-old legacy hardware. This architecture and account requirement have remained consistent across all device generations.
“Under our exemption policy, active government concession card holders are eligible for an immediate 100% waiver ($29.99 credit) of the Extended Service Levy (ESL) for the 12 months ending 31 October 2027.
So if you have a valid Concession card, hit them for an exemption.
Scott Hunt
Good to know, thank you for sharing!
Bob
Having used Fetch since the inception, and going through at least 3 generations of the Fetch Box, I still feel the cost of $4.99/month is well worth the return. The UI and guide make the combination of watching and recording free-to-air TV, access to a fairly well rounded selection of pay tv channels, and internet streaming all on one TV input makes this my go-to recommendation for non-tech savvy users. As soon as changing inputs on TV is introduced to many older users, it becomes useless to them. It also allows the so called smart tv, which some would call spy tv, to be totally disconnected from the internet, which removes one additional privacy and security issue.
Glen
My hackles are up, but I don’t want to be too hasty either. I won’t pay the extension fee, but as a pensioner I’m prepared to bury my principles if the service is free!
However, my question (which I don’t think has been addressed) is whether I can cancel my account and still use the Mighty as an old fashioned dumb recorder. So no EPG but I would be able to record a programme at a set time on a certain FTA channel.
Does anyone know?
Scott Hunt
The devices don’t work without the EPG service and infrastructure Fetch provides. Since you are a pensioner, Fetch will waive the $30 fee for you if you get in contact.
viewerau
No Glen…if you cancel you can then not log the box into Fetch, as the only way the guide for tv recording works, is it to be connected to Fetch TV only online guide, and account. The box will not work for recording via the normal fta broadcasting tv guide, only the Fetch TV one.