The next broadcasting generation
After all, these innovations are occupying the minds of some television executives around the world, they see these two “new media” services as a centrepoint of any long-term pay television strategy.
Effectively, both Web TV and VOD will see content delivered to people’s media centres, mobile phones, decoders, PS4s, among others. This would allow for niche content, that wouldn’t normally warrant broadcast time, to be sent to the multitude of devices.
So, for example, though skateboarding is a fad among sectors of the youth market, the market is still so small that it doesn’t justify much broadcast time. But with VOD, these videos could be sent directly to skateboarding enthusiasts.
MultiChoice’s Arjan Kolkman says VOD will be available within a few months free of charge to DStv Premium subscribers who own a PVR.
“A lot of the debates have been about the security of the content, and about convincing the studios to release more content closer to the release dates in cinemas,” he says. The studios, it seems, are wary of new technologies, mainly because of the possibility that the content may not be secure, and could be pirated.
MultiChoice’s VOD strategy is two pronged: it will launch FreeVOD, which will deliver content free-of-charge to subscribers. It will also launch a transactional VOD service, where subscribers will pay for each movie they choose.
Initially, MultiChoice will push the content to the PVR’s hard disk. “From a content point of view, quality becomes very important with VOD. In an area with lots of thunderstorms, break-ups in audio quality aren’t acceptable for a movie you’re trying to sell,” he says. So this will require MultiChoice to guarantee the file transfer. The real benefit of this service is convenience.
As Kolkman says: “The titles are available when you want them, without driving to the DVD store (and) if you don’t view it, you don’t pay.”
When it comes to TV programming over a broadband Internet connection, MultiChoice launched its DStv on Demand pc service to selected DStv Premium subscribers on November 1 2007, through the website www.dstvondemand.com.
This allows premium subscribers to download high-quality video content through a broadband connection, ranging from highlights of SuperSport channels, M-Net channel programmes like Carte Blanche and even full-length movies. Currently most content is local, with more international content to follow.
Put simply, this new service from MultiChoice allows subscribers to choose when they want to watch world class content on their laptops or PCs.
MultiChoice general manager for new media Richard Fyffe says that the Web TV service will expand and develop over time. However, the broadband infrastructure in SA may mean slow uptake initially.
Fyffe says another problem has been that the broadband providers generally put a cap on how much can be downloaded, and charge hefty fees if that cap is breached. “There has been a lot of talk about these caps being removed. As soon as they are removed, it will become a very popular way to view TV,” says Fyffe. “It may become even more useful to SA viewers who want to catch up on the shows they may have missed due to power blackouts.”
Throughout the world, other channels are catching on to Web TV. The UK’s Channel 4, for example, has a wealth of content available for download.
MultiChoice’s Rudolf Kogler says there are a fair number of technical issues that also need to be overcome, depending on how many of MultiChoice’s subscribers want to use the service. Bandwidth could be a real problem if a large chunk of the subscriber base uses the Web TV service.
The trials done before the November launch were a huge success, Fyffe says.
“The trialists loved it, with the obvious problems being the speed of downloading and the issue of caps. From a content point of view, we only offered local content, such as Carte Blanche,” he says.
“This will change. MultiChoice recently secured international content that would be available to be downloaded to users’ devices. “Further evidence,” says Fyffe, “of MultiChoice’s commitment to investing in technology to bring even more convenience and choice to DStv customers.
“It’s another convenient way for premium subscribers to get content, but there’s a lot we can do with it. For example, we could begin to offer niche content that isn’t available (on the television channels).”
Some subscribers are champing at the bit for these new services, and are almost ahead of the curve in demanding certain VOD and Web TV services. Given that this is the obvious future of broadcasting, this is hardly surprising.
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