Pay-TV newcomer Super5Media has yet again failed to meet its now second go-to-market deadline and has instead applied to the communications regulator for another extension.
The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has confirmed it has received Super5Media's appeal for an extension and has already responded to the broadcaster.
The authority says it has deliberated on the matter and agreed to grant the extension with certain conditions, but would not divulge what the conditions were.
It says only once it has communicated and received a response from Super5Media will it be in a position to state its conditions.
The broadcaster was initially set to become operational in June last year, but applied to ICASA for an extension to September.
In September, Super5Media requested another extension, based on the reasoning that its application for an Individual-Electronic Communications Network Service (I-ECNS) licence to self-provide had yet to be finalised by the authority.
Super5Media intends to provide its own signal distribution for its pay-TV service.
At the time, ICASA conceded it had been in the process of deliberating Super5Media's application for an I-ECNS licence, but intended to make its decision known in “a week or two”.
The authority was, therefore, confident Super5Media would launch its services well within the six-month extension period.
It is not known why the broadcaster is requesting another extension. Attempts to contact the company for comment were unsuccessful.
Missed opportunities
Meanwhile, competing pay-TV provider TopTV continues to grow in the market, with its only competition being established player MultiChoice.
The newcomer has already signed up 200 000 subscribers, seven months after becoming operational.
Meanwhile, the rest of the local broadcasting sector continues to evolve its offerings, with MultiChoice and etv recently securing mobile TV licences.
Super5Media was set to challenge the applications for mobile TV licences of the two broadcasters, but withdrew its application to ICASA a month before the licences were awarded.
As a result, mobile television frequency spectrum in SA will be dominated by MultiChoice, which was awarded 60% capacity, and etv with the remaining 40%.
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