Pay TV operator MultiChoice, the wholly-owned subsidiary of media giant Naspers, will broadcast next-generation mobile TV across SA and the rest of the world for the 2010 World Cup.
The announcement was made yesterday - World Telecommunications Day - at a media presentation in the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
Naspers CEO Koos Bekker said MultiChoice would invest about R200 million with Sentech in digital video broadcasting via handheld (DVB-H) technologies.
"Other countries are sceptical that SA will be able to bring the World Cup to billions of people around the world," he noted.
"They underestimate the signal distribution capacity of Sentech, the content production capacity of the SABC, and the innovative ability of the cellular providers."
Becker added that SA is competing "cheek by jowl" in the DVB-H race as no country has launched commercially. MultiChoice CEO Nolo Letele added that Finland, Germany, Italy and France are also testing the technology.
One of Fifa`s requirements is that the World Cup hosting country must have the ability to offer DVB-H services.
Wide reach
MultiChoice said in a statement that research indicates the World Cup will attract a cumulative audience of about 40 billion people watching the games via electronic means, in 204 countries.
The SABC and MultiChoice also revealed plans to work closely to bring high-definition TV (HDTV) to the 2010 World Cup. SABC group CEO Dali Mpofu described the relationship as a mix of co-operation and competition.
The SABC will give the first live demonstrations of HDTV during this year`s soccer World Cup, added Mpofu.
He pointed to the short time frame in which all the parties have to pioneer the new technologies in SA: "Four years is not long to go," he said.
Cellular collaboration
Representatives from the three cellular operators attended the event yesterday, each pledging commitment to bringing subscribers access to the 2010 event via DVB-H.
Vodacom has offered its subscribers mobile TV in the form of 3G video clip downloads since late last year, but it is understood that the two technologies are complementary.
MTN was recently awarded the rights to bring highlight clips of this year`s World Cup to its subscribers over the 3G network, but head of strategy and product development Ashraf Paruk said "the two can coexist very closely".
He sees DVB-H being used for full match broadcasting during the event in four years, with 3G video clips continuing to offer things like highlights packages and short broadcasts.
Paruk believes DVB-H penetration levels will depend on the price of the handsets, saying this might be key to the success of the technology.
Related stories:
Sentech to roll-out digital TV infrastructure
DVB-H race 'hotting up`
MultiChoice goes mobile
SA tech-ready for World Cup, says minister
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