Over 10 new channels, some of them HD, will be offered free-to-air (FTA) to South
Africans on Platco Digital’s OpenView HD satellite TV platform, set to start broadcasting
on 15 October this year.
To access the OpenView HD offering, consumers will have to pay a once-off installation
fee of R1,599, which covers both the satellite dish and the decoder. Thereafter viewers
will receive content free without any more additional charges. The installation fee is
expected to drop as OpenView HD take-up increases.
Platco Digital is a sister company of the South African independent broadcaster e.tv
(Pty) Limited. Both are owned by Sabido Investments (Pty) Limited, a South African
media group with holdings in a variety of broadcasting, content, production, facilities
and distribution businesses.
Says Platco Digital MD Maxwell Nonge: “After conducting extensive research we have
come up with a channel line-up for OpenView HD that not only speaks to South African
viewers’ needs, but also addresses affordability of quality content.’
The channel line-up has been divided into four genres: Entertainment, Culture and
Lifestyle, Children and Education and Religion. Thus far channels include South Africa’s
four current terrestrial FTA channels (SABC1, 2 and 3 and e.tv), as well as e.tv’s soon
to be launched new channels, eKasi+ (local content channel), eAfrica+, eMovies+ and
eToons+ (kids channel). Other channels are Zest TV, ASTV, Deen TV, eToons+, Mindset
TV, Da Vinci Learning, English Club, Spirit world Channel and Inspiration TV. More
channels are set to launch in the future.
“We are excited about our channel list, and look forward to bringing more choice to the
South African consumer,’ concludes Nonge.
For more information about OpenView HD see the October issue of the Screen Africa
print magazine.
