© 2010 Rapid TV News
Chris Forrester ©RapidTVNews | 21-03-2010
With its May 1 launch now only a few weeks away, and test transmissions already on air, On Digital Media’s Top TV has unveiled its opening prices, and they are much lower than arch-rival DStv. ODM is backed (20%) by SES Astra.
On Digital Media (ODM) says it will offer between 25 and 55 local and international channels, broadcasting in MPEG4, for between R99 and R249 (US$13.50-US$34) a month, depending on the package. It comes in a lot cheaper than its competitor.
TopTV's big selling point is a la carte pricing, where subscribers can choose the channels they wish to watch from about 25 channels within the bouquets they select, which is a departure from MultiChoice's business model which offers set channels within a basic bouquet.
Marketing director Elouise Kelly said the new service would be launched in May. Prices of satellite dishes and for installation and decoders are to be released closer to the launch date. ODM has been developing its product for four years and has spent about R80m on the venture. It hopes to attract about 5.5m of the total 10-million households presently watching free-to-air channels in South Africa.
Its flagship channel Top One, which is available on the basic bouquet, will carry a variety of entertainment from children's television programmes to series and movies. Four of the basic channels will have Christian-based content, five will be news channels as well as SABC1, SABC2, SABC3 and e.tv. TopTV will offer only two sports channels - a soccer channel and Fuel, an extreme sports channel.
CEO Vino Govender said the company’s market research revealed that soccer was popular. "Our competitor has tied up a lot of sporting rights but as soon as they come up again we will definitely bid for them," he said. Govender said ODM’s target market also had strong religious values, which prompted the inclusion of Christian and Gospel channels.
Questioned on whether TopTV would be carrying any ‘adult’ content, ODM said it will not be carrying ‘porn’. Subscribers would be able to use the present satellite dishes, but Govender recommended that TopTV's larger 70cm-80cm dishes be used for "more reliable coverage" during rain and thunderstorms.
Govender said TopTV intended to use as much local content as it could to promote local talent. He said the company would break even once it reached about 380,000 subscribers, which he expected to be achieved in 36 months. Any money made after that would be profit which would be used to develop the service, he said.
Stockholm-based NonStop Television will supply a three-channel portfolio on the new platform. The company has signed exclusive long-term contracts to broadcast Showtime, Star and Silver in South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho. The channels will go live at the launch of ODM on May 1.
© Rapid TV News 2010
Comments
thank you
i want installation for top tv 230 victoria road woodstock
7925 cape town please i need more soccer channel
thank you
and for R249.00 package