e.tv Botswana that is taking South Africa's television signal distributor Sentech to court as well as the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (Icasa) about the continued piracy of the SABC's TV signals in Botswana says it's resorting to legal action after ''our pleas have fallen on deaf ears''.
Sentech is set to oppose the urgent interdict e.tv Botswana is bringing to the Johannesburg High Court to have Sentech take measures to curb the continued availability of the SABC's signal in Botswana where viewers, using pirated decoders, can freely watch SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3.
ALSO READ: e.tv Botswana set to take Sentech to court as the issue of broadcast signal piracy in Southern Africa keeps growing.
The piracy of television broadcast signals within Africa is growing at an alarming rate. An influx of grey decoders, as well as decoders having their software altered and illegally modified, has given rise to a growing black market business in illegal television watching. Viewers buy modified decoders and can then watch free-to-air signals like South Africa's SABC TV channels that's not supposed to be watchable in other Southern African countries, as well as unscrambled pay TV channels originating from Europe and elsewhere that forms part of pay TV operators' subscription channel bouquets.
The signals of the SABC's TV channels is currently being pirated off of Sentech's Vivid satellite television bouquet in Botswana with the use of a satellite receiver referred to as the Philiboa.
''The SABC is not licensed to broadcast in Botswana. Despite repeated requests to the SABC's signal distributor Sentech to reslive the problem, our pleas have fallen on deaf ears,'' says eBotswana's general manager Dave Coles. ''It is for this reason that we have now taken the matter to the courts.''
In a press statement eBotswana says ''the continued piracy of the SABC signal is having a negative effect on the local television industry as a whole in Botswana. Advertisers wishing to target the Botswana market are not buying airtime on Botswana television channels as their commercials are being viewed on the SABC channels across Botswana. This has a severe impact on the viability of television channels in Botswana which depend on advertising income for their survival. This, in turn, affects the ability of these television channels to spend money on Botswana local content which is relevant to the Botswana population.''
eBotswana, talking about the interdict, says the piracy problem can be solved ''speedily by Sentech ensuring that the SABC signals are adequately encrypted. The interdict is aimed at insuring Botswana has a vibrant and strong television industry.''
