Not only did the new TV channels promised for February not arrive, but it now seems as if Free2View (f2V) - the troubled ''free'' pan-African satellite TV service from Great Media Limited - has failed.
There is no indication that Free2View that hailed itself as ''Southern Africa's only free to air satellite television platform'' is still commercially operational since its websites got closed down and suspended.
Since 2007 Free2View - with/despite legal threats from South Africa's television regulatory authority Icasa (Independent Communications Authority of South Africa) due to unlicensed regional TV content - has tried to bring a ''free'' satellite television service to Southern Africa.
Subscribers would only pay to buy the Free2View decoder (about R800) and also a once-off activation fee (a so-called ''Switch-on voucher) and then receive so-called free-to-air (FTA) channels. Free2View said as late as September that its business model would/is working by making money through selling commercial airtime on the FTA channels through pan-African commercials. Of course other bouquets also existed on Free2View offering more pay TV channels or ''premium digital satellite television'', although several promised encrypted channels like f2V ONE, f2V Movies and f2V Kids never materialized as commercial broadcast channels, or were turned off. Pay per view TV and music channels also remained just promises.
As late as September last year Free2View (which incidentally made use of the same Astra 4A satellite that On Digital Media (ODM) is using for TopTV) still promised new TV channels by February 2011 as well as a wider footprint across Africa on Intelsat's IS17 satellite.
In 2008 Free2View ran afoul of Icasa that said the satellite TV operator would be broadcasting illegally - at least in South Africa. Icasa said Free2View was never granted a license and that it's illegal for any operator - even ones located outside of South Africa - to beam ''unauthorised'' TV channels into South Africa.
Like many erratic and failing satellite pay TV wannabe-services trying to become operational in Africa's shadowy and often unregulated pay TV industry (look at how just South Africa's Super 5 Media and Walking on Water (WoW) have been struggling who both haven't started a commercial pay TV service yet), it seems as if Free2View has finally failed. Last year Free2View said its working on engineering ''a robust technical platform'' and ''pledged to give you 100's of free digital TV and radio channels with no monthly bills''.
Both of Free2View's websites have now been suspended that late last year still kept subscribers up to date about possible Free2View bouquets and constant promises about new TV channels. Attempts to contact Elissa Wilding, CEO of Free2View since 2004 (if indeed she is still with the company and serving in this capacity) failed and she couldn't be reached. Just like the websites, her email address also no longer works.
