Having started in May with a commercial pay TV service in South Africa, On Digital Media's (ODM) TopTV surprised critics and the industry by becoming viable subscription television competition in the country with around 55 TV channels, and selling and signing up thousands of subscribers with an innovative marketing approach by subsidizing TopTV decoder installation.
And while TopTV is tops in several aspects, there's several things where TopTV is actually under – as in underperforming. Personally I like TopTV as I do all things television. I want it to succeed as I want them all to succeed to build and grow a vibrant and strong public and commercial television industry in South Africa. However TopTV is doing some things wrong, and erring by not doing some things which it should have started months ago already.
From a real TopTV ''conspiracy'', a failing grade online TV guide, too little press interaction, no effort to get TV listings in publications, no subscriber magazine and no ''wow'' channel, there's things that TopTV needs to do and do better.
Click on READ MORE below for the underperforming spots creating blemishes on TopTV's performance that the company should rectify as soon as possible.
''Is there a conspiracy going on?'' a reader of TV with Thinus asked recently. ''Why is TopTV nowhere in stories and in print? Why is the schedules not in newspapers?'' The answers is yes. There is a conspiracy. But it's one of TopTV's own making. Besides only one or two publications in South Africa even carrying some kind of TopTV information (and its basically highlights) subscribers and readers can search as much as they want but won't find TopTV listings, highlights or stories basically anywhere.
Inanimate objects first need to move before they build up momentum. Then they can coast. TopTV needs to go to publications and talk to them. Yes it will take an enormous amount of time. Yes, you need to go to them individually. Then you can move on the momentum you've build when they've created space to you. But they're not going to do it by themselves (yes, even though it's actually there work in a sense).
Very few journalists actually have TopTV. Basically none have done any effort to watch TopTV and see the channels and content first hand. So nobody knows what TopTV really have on and how it really even looks. Not even the press. (Check this blog. At least TV with Thinus pro-actively tries to cover TopTV in all its fascets.)
TopTV has not visited publications one by one directly, sat down, investigated and analysed their TV schedules, scrutinized their pages and content and value offerings and approached them with customized plans as to why its important to devote their precious real estate print space to TopTV schedules and information. And what TopTV doesn't realize is that it aint going to happen automatically.
All the existing TV players have their entrenched space and editors are not going to redesign pages just because there is another new TV entrant who wants space on a crowded A3 or A4 page. Besides one or two I'm aware of, TopTV has not approached anyone, or are having pro-active talks to get their schedules into things other than on the TopTV website. If you want viewers and subscribers, you need them to see what you've got, and that is listings or more highlights or TV schedules of you're most important TV channels. That readers haven't seen it yet in four months means that TopTV is not putting any effort into making it happen. And it's not going to happen by itself.
2. No subscriber magazine
TopTV has no subscriber magazine or even a monthly pamphlet. Consider the start-up mess in May and June when the on screen electronic program guide (EPG) of TopTV didn't work. TopTV didn't have a paper backup or any other in-house media mechanism to fall back upon to indicate to viewers what the channels are and what the schedules are. It still doesn't. Furthermore a big chuck of TopTV subscribers are people who didn't previously have access to pay TV.
Firstly they're still have to get familiar to an EPG and on screen guides and more intricate remote controls. Secondly they're actually used to print media. A monthly guide or booklet or pamphlet not only would provide highlights or some sort of schedules (even though some of it might become outdated but it doesn't matter), it will also provide an (additional) communication tool for TopTV to actually reach and talk directly to their subscribers. Something TopTV is not doing currently.
TopTV basically has no set, secure and mass communication way of informing its thousands of subscribers what it is doing and busy with.
Logic also tells me TopTV has churn – subscribers who cancel subscriptions. Having a magazine provides you with the golden opportunity to enhance and build your message to existing subscribers (and entice new ones who get to see the magazine) and to provide them with messages that support their decision to remain active subscribers.
3. Not meeting the press
The lack of TopTV attention by the press in South Africa is also due to a lack of attention to the press. Yes. Several TV writers are absolute morons. But besides two press conferences during the launch and one pre-launch, TopTV has not once since May interacted with the press covering TV in South Africa to boast about its performance, make its top level execs available for Q&A's about TopTV's progress, making specific channel representatives available or organizing press events around specific channels or programs.
Basically all the other TV channels and TV platforms in South Africa have done so since May and continue to. Even SABC1 and SABC2 who are the worst of the bunch when it comes to holding and having any press events have mustered little press events for the media covering television over the past four months.
Even a number of international TV channels like Discovery, CNN International and some others have started taking a very direct (and very successful) approach with dealing with the media and making sure they and their programming are top of mind in the writings of TV critics and journalists covering the medium. TopTV is missing an enormous amount of opportunities to introduce channels that are young and new and fresh.
Next year, they won't be able to sell a channel as ''new'' anymore, won't be able to (or it will be harder to) entice press to write about a channel's content or look or style or get excitement going for something they could have gotten for ''free'' – built-in cache which is blatantly allowed to trickle away.
TopTV's only TV guide beside the EPG and that's on its official website doesn't pass the grade. It's weak, limited, not detailed enough, not comprehensive, for one day only. And its bad. Full stop. This is pay television so TopTV's online guide needs to be better than what e.tv or the SABC provides on their websites.
The one day only TV guide and measley highlights is not good enough and needs serious expansion. It also doesn't require more money or resources from TopTV who does have the information available. It only asks structural changes.
Nobody lives by one day TV guides anymore just as nobody only plans for their future one day in advance. People go to places, plan evenings and have lives that's booked days and weeks and even months in advance. Showing subscribers and viewers what they can see seven days or more into the future, will get more people to plan their viewing around something specific that is still to come later in the week or next week and that they deem worth watching.
5. TopTV needs it's ''wow'' channel and needs to punt it
What is TopTV's top channel? Top One (TopTV 150)? I can guess, and I guess it's Top One, even though they've never said it. Just like every car dealership has it best show vehicle right in front and every supermarket its best cheese on special packed in the centre middle, TopTV needs its big car, big cheese channel squarely front and centre in front of the press, in front of subscribers and in front of the world. Nobody will ever have DStv and not know that M-Net (DStv 101) is its number one best channel. Problem is, TopTV is not doing enough to promote, build and enhance its best channel. If its Top One, people need to see it and know what's on it. All. The. Time. Buzz is often more created than intrinsically part of something. TopTV actually has buzz but is not channeling it. TopTV can create a lot more buzz but isn't bothering. And the problem is that the words ''no buzz'', could lead to the words ''buzz off'' in the future.
Besides Top One – whether it's TopTV's top channel or not – TopTV needs (even if its just one) a really great channel. One channel that a subscriber would pay for because of its premium TV content that makes it worth having a lot of channels that's hardly ever watched. There are channels like that still available. It will be interesting to see whether the between five and ten TV channels TopTV plans to add in October will include perhaps a real, buzz-awesome, must-have channel.
