Yesterday I broke the news RIGHT HERE about a surprising six month extension for Super 5 Media after the wannabe pay TV operator was supposed to lose its licence at the end of August. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) okay'ed a further six months for Super 5 Media (formerly Telkom Media until Shenzhen Media SA took over the shareholding) to come up with, and start a viable subscription television service in South Africa.
Now I can be first to tell you why!
Icasa granted the dubious extension to Super 5 Media who now has until the end of February 2011 to start a service, because, according to Super 5 Media ''its application for an Individual Electronic Communications Network Service licence to self-provide is yet to be finalized by Icasa''. Super 5 Media told Icasa that the company intends to provide its own signal distribution for the service.
Firstly, in normal language, it means that Super 5 Media (basically a shell of a company now after firing basically everyone last month and mired in financial problems) doesn't want to make use of outside signal distributors like for instance Sentech or Orbicom but want to handle signal distribution themselves.
Secondly, its VERY STRANGE that Icasa granted this extension. Super 5 Media had three years already since it was granted a pay TV licence in 2007, burned through more than half a billion rand and has no service to show for it. Why has the issue of an electronic communications network service licence not been resolved much earlier? Why is Icasa granting an extension to a company clearly not able to mastering the rudimentary requirements of a pay TV service in three years and after the flood of news about the quagmire Super 5 Media is currently finding itself? Why is a struggling company getting what seems to be special treatment after being a no-show for three years and several fake, empty promises, and then go pleading right at the end for more time?
