I knew as far as the beginning of the year that it's coming and MultiChoice just announced that they're expanding their DStv on Demand service in South Africa which will now be immediately available to DStv Premium subscribers on their digital personal video recorders (PVR) as well as online through a computer. MultiChoice plans to roll it out to the rest of Africa soon.
The extended DStv on Demand service is free to DStv Premium subscribers who can now access a selection of up to 20 hours of shows for up to seven days after it's been shown on DStv TV channels on a PVR. On the internet DStv on Demand is available through MWeb ADSL. MultiChoice says discussions are underway with other internet service providers as well to expand the online availability.
With DStv on Demand MultiChoice is bringing South African TV viewers closer to ''cloud television'' - the TV shows are stored on a server and hard drive and viewers request it at a time that is convenient to them, when it gets streamed online or broadcast to a TV set. MultiChoice says the DStv on Demand content will constantly be updated. Because most international content suppliers like the various Hollywood studios restrict access in broadcasting contracts, most international TV shows will only be available for seven days after real-time scheduled broadcast. DStv will however keep their local TV content available on DStv on Demand in some cases for up to 30 days after the original air date.
