On Digital Media (ODM) is looking into product expansion with regard to new technologies, and says video-on-demand (VOD) will be on the cards once its personal video recorder (PVR) has been released.
ODM unveiled its commercial satellite subscription service, TopTV, in May last year and has since been expanding as a competitive alternative to MultiChoice, which has in the past dominated the pay-TV market.
TopTV has reported strong growth since its inception, selling more than 120 000 decoders in its first three months, including 50 000 during its opening weekend. The company says its ultimate goal is to reach the 5.5 million available households in the market.
While the roll out of its PVR service was initially tabled for launch this year, it was postponed to an as yet unspecified date, likely to be next year. Once TopTV's PVR functionality has been launched, the company will look to enhance its services and bolster its stake in the pay-TV market by looking to other services and offerings.
According to TopTV CEO Vino Govender, the pay-TV provider is “currently exploring opportunities with various new technologies, including a high-definition PVR”.
While TopTV's PVR is still in its development phase, Govender says the process is well on its way, with various suppliers having been in consultation with TopTV. “[We are] considering our options in respect of technologies and launch dates via a request for proposal process.” He says, once these decisions are made, VOD product offerings will be considered.
“From a technology perspective, we are also currently preparing to migrate to the new Sirius 5 satellite that will be launched next year by satellite operator SES, as this will certainly secure more bandwidth and enable additional channels on our platform.”
Govender says the new satellite will give ODM a much better Sub-Saharan footprint. “[Plus] the more significant payload will create a substantial amount of new opportunities for our platform.”
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