South Africans hoping to get their hands on new satellite channels will be pleased to hear that pay-TV newcomer On Digital Media (ODM) will unveil its commercial TV product on Saturday.
Speaking at a press conference today, ODM CEO Vino Govender stated: “This moment will change the face of South African TV.”
Govender said that from Saturday, all the major retailers will stock the Top TV decoders and installation, which includes the satellite dish, labour and decoder, will cost R499.
ODM hopes to have 500 000 subscribers over the next few months. “That number will make our business work, but what we really want is the 5.5 million available households,” said Govender.
Top TV's 55 channels are broken down into four sections, starting with the low-cost bouquet, called Top TV Basic, which will cost consumers R99 per month. Within the bouquet, viewers will have access to 25 channels.
The flagship channel will be available on the basic bouquet and is called Top One. It will carry a variety of general entertainment, from children's TV to series and movies. The channel will likely be similar to etv's current offering.
The company's shareholders, including SES, Astra, the National Empowerment Fund (NEF) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), all expressed their excitement at the prospect of competition for MultiChoice.
The NEF has invested R100 million in Top TV. Chief investment officer Frencel Gillion explains that the new satellite provider creates an ideal platform for local development. He expects that the new TV channels will immediately create 150 new jobs.
