Pay-TV competitor ready to go
Super 5 Media, formerly known as Telkom Media, has announced this week that it expects a final broadcast uplink licence to be issued to the company this week.
This will allow the company to legally begin offering broadcasting services to the public, although there are still a number of technical issues that need to be confirmed before consumer packages can become available.
In March this year Telkom sold its 75% interest in Telkom Media to Shenzhen Media South Africa for a nominal amount. The company revealed that it wished to reduce its investment in this area to focus on other pursuits. The pay-TV company was subsequently renamed Super 5 Media.
In order for the transaction to be approved, ICASA was informed of the sale and submitted a notice to other prospective pay-TV providers in order for comments to be lodged. According to company spokesperson Chris Van Zyl ICASA received comments from ODM, to which Super 5 Media responded.
Product offering
Although Van Zyl could not reveal too much information regarding product offerings he did however confirm that Super 5 Media will begin broadcasting within the first half of 2010.
The company will offer pay-TV services through the conventional satellite interface as well as IPTV (broadcast over dedicated broadband networks) and the web. Van Zyl added that although product offerings had not been confirmed for each service IPTV “would be something different, it’s not web streaming, it’s more interactive.” Van Zyl added that customers can expect Video on Demand (VoD) and additional content through the IPTV service.
Thus far Super 5 Media has not yet confirmed which channels and bouquets will be available or at what price. This is expected to be communicated to the public closer to the launch date. Currently the only information that is available is that the company “will offer a bouquet of channels that will address a broad range of interests across sports, movies, news, general entertainment, knowledge and education.”
Van Zyl did however confirm that Super 5 Media would not be following On Digital Media’s (ODM’s) route of allowing users to choose the channels they would like to watch as “this is an additional cost to ODM, from a billing perspective there is a cost involved [in providing statements for so many different customers]”.
Getting the ball rolling
The impending issuance of Super 5 Media’s broadcast uplink license may be a sign that ICASA is ready to issue the same licence to competitor ODM, which in turn will hopefully stimulate competition in the pay-TV market in 2010.
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