Pay TV porn channels for SA

On Digital Media, the company that operates TopTV, has submitted an application to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) for three pornography channels, ICASA spokesperson Paseka Maleka recently told MyBroadband.

Maleka explained that public consultation on the application would close this week on 7 December 2011, but emphasised that no decision on the channels has been made yet.

Once the public consultation period is over a public hearing still needs to take place, Maleka said, after which the council must decide whether to approve the application or not.

This news comes after reports that African Satellite Installations (ASI) plans to launch Porn Satellite Television, or PSat.tv, during January 2012.

PSat.tv advertisement on African Satellite Installations website

An advertisement on the ASI website states that subscribers will be able to use the same dish as TopTV to receive PSat.tv, but notes that the channel does not form part of the TopTV bouquet.

The channel will be available 24 hours a day, all year round, according to the advertisement, and will cost R99 per month.

Channel24 reported that ASI’s John Solomon said that South African authorities would have no say in whether PSat.tv could broadcast locally because it is based in France.

This doesn’t seem entirely accurate as broadcasters need to be licensed by ICASA to operate in South Africa.

When asked whether ASI or PSat.tv have a license to operate a pay TV channel in South Africa, ICASA referred to ODM’s application to add porn channels to its platform.

TopTV were unable to confirm whether PSat.tv would be partnering with ODM in order to broadcast in South Africa, but ODM’s request for three new porn channels hints at such a partnership.