The South African pay-TV market is set to become more competitive this year with On Digital Media (ODM) planning to launch their first services in the second quarter of 2009. ODM revealed that it will offer subscribers the option to tailor make packages to suit their viewing needs. <\/p>\n
MultiChoice has often been criticized for not offering their subscribers the option to add and remove channels, building a custom made bouquet, to suit their interests and budgets. MultiChoice’s Jackie Rakitla, general manager of corporate affairs, however says that a model where customers choose their bouquet is simply not commercially viable. <\/p>\n
ODM has a different take on the matter, and the company says it is making good progress. “Things are hotting up at ODM, it’s all systems go. We have already appointed key people within the staff structure and are currently in discussion with technical consultants with regard to installation,” says ODM spokesperson Roz Thomas. Thomas added that the public can expect to hear about ODM in June. <\/p>\n
Thomas also revealed that ODM’s planned subscription fees would be between R150 and R350 “according to level of choice”, but could not yet say how many channels each package will allow for. There are six categories from which ODM subscribers will be able to choose their respective channels, namely “news and knowledge, movies, family and sport, kids, music, cultural programmes” explains Thomas. <\/p>\n
The ODM set top box, similar to MultiChoice’s standard DSTV decoder, will be ”mpeg 4, DVD and S2 compliant” and will retail for around R 400. <\/p>\n
Telkom Media, which only a few weeks ago was set to close its doors, was thrown a lifeline through the sale of Telkom’s 75% controlling stake to the Chinese firm Shenzhen Media South Africa. <\/p>\n
This means that MultiChoice may face competition from two new pay-TV players in future, something which the DSTV provider professes to welcome. “MultiChoice welcomes the new competitors into the industry. We believe competition will attract investment into the broadcasting industry and the South African economy in general,” said Rakitla.<\/p>\n