A decision on whether On Digital Media (ODM) will be allowed to start a separate porn bouquet of three sex channels on its struggling TopTV pay-TV platform in South Africa will be made within the next two to three weeks.
South Africa's broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) tells me that a decision will be made known within the next two to three weeks, although there's not a specific date yet.
"We cannot confirm a specific date yet for a decision on TopTV's application for authorisation for the channels," Icasa tells me.
"The regulator will have deliberations on all of the submissions Icasa received - both oral and written submissions. We would like to finalise the process as soon as possible. We expect to announce a decision within the next two or three weeks or so."
Icasa denied TopTV's similar application the struggling pay-TV operator brought a year ago. TopTV this time wants to broadcast Playboy TV, Desire TV and Private Spice as a separate bouquet and with a rating classification of R18. The sex channels are provided to TopTV by Playboy TV UK / Benelux Limited in England and are uplinked through SES Platform Services in Munich, Germany to South Africa.
TopTV's original application for its new second attempt at the porn bouquet said it wanted to broadcast the channels 24 hours per day. Yesterday TopTV told Icasa that it now wants to limit broadcasting the channels to what the TV industry refers to as the so-called "watershed period" of between 20:00 and 05:00.
