BREAKING. Porn coming to South African television as TopTV's porn bouquet application is approved by South Africa's TV regulator.

South Africa's broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has given the struggling South African pay-TV operator On Digital Media (ODM) currently in business rescue and on the verge of liquidation permission to start its separate porn bouquet of sex channels which will be broadcast in what is known as the "watershed" time period between 20:00 and 05:00.

TopTV will broadcast the Playboy channels Playboy TV, Desire TV and Private Spice. It's was ODM's second application for sex channels - a lucrative driver of pay-TV revenue in countries where the channels are shown - although up until now in in South Africa and in comparable countries like India where pay-TV operators have not been allowed to do so.

ODM's first application a year ago for porn television was denied by the regulator but the fact that TopTV executives got into a public verbal fight with Icasa and also didn't show up to talk and answer questions at it's own public hearing could have played a role in the application being denied.

For the public hearing of the second application TopTV did show up for its public hearing, did do a presentation and amended its application to include a double PIN protection mechanism and also to limit the time period during which the porn bouquet's channels will be operational.

In a press statement TopTV says it is "pleased that Icasa has finally ruled in favour" of its application to bradcast the porn bouquet.

TopTV says the sex channels will "require a separate monthly subscription, age verification and other security features such as a secure PIN code, as outlined in TopTV's submission documents to Icasa."

TopTV says it won't be talking about the matter further and that "since TopTV is still under the provisions of business rescue, the decision on how to proceed regarding the launch of these channels will be taken with due regard to the particular requirements of this process."

Icasa in announcing the approval of the porn channels says the regulator "approved the application on the basis that the licensee shall ensure that programming on this channel which contains sexually explicit scenes, conduct and or offensive language intended for adult audiences shall not be broadcast before the watershed period; and all the security measures including the double PIN code as outlined in the application are in place to safeguard children's rights."

Icasa says in the press statement that the regulator "has also considered all submissions made in respect of this application from all interested stakeholders and it was found that most of the representations made were based on moral grounds; rather than research evidence to demonstrate some of the conclusive remarks linking pornography and gender-based violence. It is the authority's view that indeed there is no basis or law for the rejection of TopTV's application."