Editors Comments

Screen Africa's Agony Aunt to the rescue!

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:03

AUNTIE SCAFFIE writes…To all those dear Screen Africans in the South African television universe - do not panic! Your local free-to-air commercial channel and your local pay-TV service have not deployed batallions to march against each other in the ‘simple digital converter’ versus ‘non-simple set top box’ (STB) skirmish that occurred on the broadcasting border this week (as reported by TechCentral).

Auntie Scaffie’s own stealth reconnaissance mission has revealed that this is a mere ricocheting of viewpoints between the insurgent (M-Net), which already has a very commercially successful STB and apparently doesn’t particularly want to see other parties have one; and the retaliatory combatant (e.tv), who has been promised a digital terrestrial television (DTT) STB by the government for years but still doesn’t have one.

Yes, the M-Net and e.tv squadron leaders certainly held their fortresses, the former issuing tactical manouevres based on the strategy that South Africa should forget about manufacturing and selling (and in some cases subsidising) pricey DTT STBs and opt for an el cheapo ‘simple digital decoder’ instead, thus saving the country huge sums of moola and time.

E.tv counterattacked by ambushing the M-Net squadron leader’s comments, launching a barrage of verbal missiles that the pay-TV operator was acting out of self-interest and did not want a strong free-to-air DTT scenario which would see e.tv offering a tasty multi-channel line-up to compete against M-Net and sister company MultiChoice’s DStv bouquet.

Auntie Scaffie cannot but be saddened by this skirmish as she remembers how M-Net and e.tv worked together for years on the country’s very successful DTT trials. Will there be collateral damage from this altercation? Is this a case of friends now foes?

Let us wave the white flag, call for an immediate ceasefire, and suggest that terms of engagement be defined to ensure the true liberation of DTT in South Africa. Let us not see a repeat of the Yalta Conference where one player landed up with a tank load more than the two others. A blitzkrieg must be deflected at all costs! All radars must be programmed to DTT Automatic Target Recognition to prevent the South African television consumer from becoming the casualty. DTT must become a de-militarised zone.

Of course, if the STBs specs aren’t finalised soon and their supply lines ignited into rapid fire mode pretty quickly, then DTT D-Day (December 2013 – government’s deadline for the analogue switch off) will have come and gone and e.tv (and public broadcaster SABC) will still be STB-less. Auntie Scaffie doesn’t want this to happen – DTT must be a decisive victory for all!

That’s all for now dear Screen Africans, it’s time for Auntie Scaffie to be on her merry way…

AUNTIE SCAFFIE

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