ODM TV, WoWtv to go on air in June 2009

“Things are shaping up well and now that we have our final licence issued, we can start implementing our business plan. We will begin broadcasting in June - July 2009,” ODM director Vino Govender said.

“Our potential viewers can look forward to a revolution in pay-TV market on launch of ODM. We will provide our viewers with a new concept in pay-TV. Gone are the days of one size fits all pay-TV packages; we will offer our viewers real choice and affordability.”

“Takes time”

WOWtv co-founder and chief financial officer Luyanda Mangquku said, “Setting up a pay-TV operation is a huge task and it takes time to get all the right pieces in place.

“There are a lot of components that you have to get right and as you make these decisions, you have to make sure that you have considered a lot of possibilities, otherwise you might have to bear the consequences of a bad decision for many years to come.

“But WOWtv is extremely pleased with the progress made to date and we are comfortable that we should be on air by mid-2009. Prior to that, we hope to commence with a soft launch as part of our test phase.”

So, SA consumers who were hoping to ‘free themselves' from DStv's ‘colonisation' and non-DStv households that jumped for joy when ICASA granted four new pay-TV licences in September last year - setting up a scene for fierce competition of products and prices - will have to wait a little longer as the new operators stutter and twist and turn to position themselves in the market.

Promises made by most of these new pay-TV licensees to go on air in the second half of 2008 have remained unfulfilled, due to some unpredictable factors, including technology and content research, funding and the delay by ICASA to issue licences.

Denied

But while ICASA spokesperson Sekgoela Sekgoela confirmed that only ODM and Telkom Media have been issued with licences, he however denied that the regulator is to blame for the delays. “ICASA has not taken long to issue the licences, but has been involved in the process of converting all licences to be in line with the Electronic Communications Act.

“Furthermore, ICASA had to give each licensee its specific terms and conditions before issuing the licence,” Sekgoela added.

WOWtv's Mangquku said, “One would not regard these as delays; what we experienced was a steep learning curve and to do this right, you need to go through that painful experience and hence it may seem like there are delays. It is all part and parcel of getting ready to launch a formidable alternative that will take SA by storm.”

All-out challenge

Nevertheless, in the etymological and realistic perspective, one can safely say that so far ODM and WOWtv are the only pay-TV operators left in the market and ready to mount an all-out challenge against the ‘immortal' MultiChoice.

Telkom Media's wheels seem to have come off since its parent company Telkom SA Limited - which owns 66% of the shares worth close to R7.5 billion - announced that it would ‘substantially reduce' its shareholding. Spokesperson Chris van Zyl refused to comment, except to say that the fixed-line operator is still in discussions with potential investors in this regard.

From an independent pay-TV operator-to-be, e.sat has turned into a content aggregator and DStv channel supplier, with eNews 24-hour Channel - launched on 1 June this year - being its major project so far. According to reports, e.sat threw in the towel and withdrew from the hot race after ICASA granted four new licences in addition to the MultiChoice licence in the small and complex market that could only accommodate two players.

Head of publicity Vasili Vass said that e.sat will produce a number of channels for the DStv platform over the next few years, and will also be producing and distributing channels on the new digital terrestrial television (DTT), due to roll out in November 2008.

For now however, the struggle of TV households that cannot afford the ever-climbing DStv subscription continues, and perhaps the revolution will only triumph if ODM and WOWtv can pose a serious threat to DStv's ‘autocratic' reign.