DStv rival bites the dust
StarSat South Africa marketing manager Jan Hendrik Harmse has told MyBroadband that OnDigital Media, the pay-TV broadcaster’s licence holder, has been liquidated.
StarSat was forced to stop broadcasting in the country after the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) disconnected its signals during a raid in October 2024.
The pay-TV broadcaster hasn’t updated customers since it issued a notice informing viewers of the challenges on 8 October 2024.
“Due to Icasa’s removal of broadcasting equipment, StarSat is experiencing signal interruptions,” it said in its latest update to customers.
“We apologise for the inconvenience caused and will continue to work tirelessly to return your viewing pleasure.”
StarSat temporarily suspended all payments following the disconnection.
“Customers who have paid will not lose their money and will be rewarded with bonuses once the signal is restored,” it said.
With many complaining that they were unable to get their subscription fees from October refunded, MyBroadband asked StarSat about its fight with Icasa and its challenges in reimbursing subscribers.
“OnDigital Media, the independent broadcasting licence holder that processed payments of StarSat, has been liquidated,” said Harmse.
StarSat customers had taken to the broadcaster’s Facebook page to voice their frustration over the lack of service and refunds.
For reference, StarSat instructed customers who wanted refunds to email their requests to [email protected]. However, many report that their emails have gone unanswered.
Calls to the customer support centre also go unanswered.
“StarSat SA can you please reimburse me now? It’s been months without any subscriptions. I can’t afford to lose my money. Please just pay back my money for the month of October,” one user said.
“Since your last communication with us on 8 October 2024, it’s now 4 months later, and you just went mute on us as if we don’t exist anymore,” another commented.
Failure to meet deadline
The issues stem from OnDigital Media’s failure to renew StarSat’s broadcasting licence within the required timeframe.
StarSat’s broadcasting licence expired in July 2023, and it missed the deadline to submit the documentation required for the renewal.
However, the pay-TV broadcaster continued operating despite its expired licence, prompting Icasa to instruct it to shut down by 18 September 2024 — an instruction StarSat defied.
The regulator, in partnership with law enforcement officials, conducted a raid on StarSat’s Midrand headquarters on 2 October 2024, during which it disconnected its broadcast signals, including those to the rest of Africa.
At the time of the raid, Harmse acknowledged that StarSat was late to submit its application, blaming several factors, including the Covid-19 pandemic and unfinished shareholder agreements, that resulted in its late submission.
“We kept communicating the issue to them,” he said, adding that StarSat had warned Icasa that the application would be late.
The broadcaster still hoped to relaunch its services as of January 2025, when Harmse told MyBroadband that it was fighting to operate in South Africa once again.
However, StarSat has failed. Customers hoping to get their money back from the broadcaster will have to get in line with the rest of its creditors.
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