While reports on a new, free satellite television offering for SA have been doing the rounds since Sunday, the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) only found out about it yesterday.
Etv sister company Platco Digital, which positions itself as an independent distribution company, yesterday issued a press statement saying it would launch a free-to-view satellite TV offering called OpenView HD, in October.
While details are still sketchy, the offering will give consumers a choice of 15 to 20 channels, five of which will be high-definition. The content looks set to be provided largely by etv, SA's first private commercial free-to-air broadcaster, which was launched in 1998. OpenView HD will target SA's lower to middle living standards segment and will be reliant on advertising revenue.
Broadcasting licence
ICASA spokesperson Paseka Maleka says the authority received a letter from etv yesterday stating its holding company, Sabido Investments, has established a new subsidiary, Platco Digital.
"The letter states that Platco will manage the technology aspects of etv's multi-channel digital offering, including digital terrestrial TV, direct to home (DTH) satellite television and mobile TV.
"It further states that Platco has established a free-to-view DTH satellite TV platform called OpenView HD, which will provide technical platform services to licensed broadcasters within SA and, ultimately, in the rest of Africa."
Maleka says etv has requested a meeting with ICASA to discuss its plans. He says it is yet to be determined whether Platco's OpenView HD service necessitates a licence application.
All necessary licences required for broadcasters to operate on the platform will be secured by the broadcasters themselves, and OpenView HD will merely facilitate the carriage of the broadcasters and the rollout of set-top boxes necessary to receive the channel offerings.
Starting today, for three days, ICASA is holding public hearings for five possible new licences for pay-TV broadcasting services with Close-T Broadcasting Network, Kagiso TV, Siyaya Free to Air, Mindset Media Enterprises, and Mobile TV - all of which submitted applications last year.
The hearings are for individual commercial subscription broadcasting service licences.
Maleka says further details with regard to OpenView HD are not yet known.
Free TV?
Platco confirmed there will be no cost in terms of monthly subscription, but consumers will have to fork out in the region of R1 900 for a set-top box (STB), satellite dish and the installation of the service.
The company says it will provide viewers with DTH content - the nature of which is as yet unidentified - from licensed broadcasters. The service will launch in SA in October, and later in the rest of Africa, says the digital carriage firm.
Platco Digital is owned by Sabido Investments - etv's holding company - and was established to provide solutions for multi-channel carriage and distribution on DTH, digital terrestrial television and mobile TV in SA, as well as Africa at large.
Satellite providers, STB distributors, retailers and broadcasters are already on board, says Platco.
Maxwell Nonge, Platco MD, says there are "vast opportunities" for free TV to drive digital migration in SA, and believes OpenView HD will benefit consumers by way of offering choice in a market dominated by Naspers-owned MultiChoice's pay-TV offering, DSTV.
DSTV was born in 1995, originally offering one bouquet consisting of 17 channels, including MNet, MGM, TCM, TNT Sci-Fi Universal, SuperSport, ESPN, SelecTV, Travel Channel, KTV, Cartoon Network, BBC World News, CNN International, Sky News, Trinity Broadcasting Network, MTV, VH1 and TV5Monde.
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