An "innovative and exciting" entertainment service will be unveiled next week, according to an ambiguous media invite sent out yesterday afternoon.
The invite was sent out by a PR company that is often used by Naspers-owned MultiChoice. It does not, however, have any company branding on it. This has led to widespread media speculation that Naspers will introduce a video-on-demand service in anticipation of video-streaming service Netflix launching in SA before the end of next year.
The invite features cover pictures of popular TV series - True Blood, Vikings, Ray Donavon and The Big Bang Theory - across multiple devices. It reads: "On the 19th August the most innovative and exciting entertainment service will be unveiled in South Africa. We wish we could tell you more but we'd rather show you."
Naspers was contacted for comment, but declined to confirm or deny the speculation.
In July, Naspers was reported to say: "Competition from international online players with global reach, such as Netflix, Amazon and Google, is increasing. MultiChoice is investing in its online offering, expanding its delivery platforms and improving products and services."
In January, it was reported that Netflix hopes to add another 150 countries to its portfolio in the next two years, taking its reach to 200 countries around the world. Netflix has been rumoured to be in talks with local operators around bringing its services to SA before the end of 2016.
The service is (legally) available to viewers in North America, Australia, New Zealand, South America and parts of Europe. Netflix has over 42 million subscribers in the US, and added 2.4 million international subscribers and 900 000 US subscribers during the second quarter of this year.
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