South African public broadcaster SABC and parastatal signal distributer Sentech have reached an agreement to broadcast SABC channels on a free-to-air basis on the Sentech Universal Access Direct To Home satellite (DTH-S) platform by the end of September 2013.
This agreement will see the SABC providing SABC1, 2 and 3 as well as the recently launched 24-hour news channel, SABC News (currently airing only on MultiChoice’s DStv pay-TV platform), for DTH-S. Sentech will manage the distribution channel for the DTH-S set-top boxes (STBs) which will be required for access to the services. The SABC will also add another two channels to this platform as soon as they are ready.
A recently released SABC statement is at pains to stress that this launch does not replace digital terrestrial television (DTT) that is to be launched nationally at some point in the future, but is intended to supplement it. As per the SABC, ultimately SABC1, 2, 3 and SABC News will be available on DTH-S, DTT and DStv.
The SABC statement reads: To-date, 1.7 million households in South Africa do not receive television services because there are no terrestrial television networks in their area. This translates to approximately 5 million people without access. The Universal Access DTH-S platform is particularly created to enable reception of broadcasting services, and in particular, public broadcasting services, to areas where there is no access to normal terrestrial services. The inclusion of the SABC channels on this platform will ensure that more people have an opportunity to receive SABC services.
The launch of these services will also respond to the concern that SABC News, which should be available to the public, is currently only available on the DStv pay television platform.
SABC acting chief operations officer (ACOO), Hlaudi Motsoeneng, said: “As the SABC our primary focus is to create universal access for all South African citizens, in line with our mandate as a public service broadcaster. The launch of SABC services on the DTH-S platform will help us further this objective and provide a service to the public of South Africa. In addition to the 4.5 million subscribers on the DStv platform, the SABC News channel will now also be available to 1.7 million households, which is in access of 5 million viewers, who have previously not been able to receive any SABC television services on a free-to-air basis’.
Sentech’s chief operating officer (COO) Kganki Matabane added: “Sentech and the SABC share a common public service mandate to ensure that all public broadcasting services are available to all South African citizens.
“We are quite excited to confirm that SABC services will be available on the Universal Access DTH-S platform; it is even more pleasing to note that the 24-hour news channel will be available to all citizens on a free-to-air basis as well’.
SABC Group CEO (GCEO) Ms. Lulama Mokhobo, together with the CEO of Sentech Dr Setumo Mohapi will launch the services at a date to be announced by no later than the end of September 2013.
