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Is Kagiso TV, Siyaya Free to Air, Mindset Media Enterprises, Close-T Broadcasting Network and Mobile TV the new Telkom Media, Shenzhen Media, On Digital Media, Walking on Water (WOWtv) and eSat?
All five of these companies are looking to start brand-new pay-TV services in South Africa and will do presentations before South Africa's broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) next week from Wednesday until Friday for possible subscription television licences.
South Africa has a dysmal track-record when it comes to the licensing, actual start, and flourishing of pay-TV operators.
MultiChoice has built the successful DStv satellite pay-TV service. Telkom Media which was licenced with the rest and had the highest hopes of starting a service crumbled and failed and turned into Shenzhen Media, after which On Digital Media managed to launch TopTV which floundered as well and is currently in business rescue since December 2012.
eSat, Walking on Water (WOWtv) and Telkom Media - despite investments of millions -never got off the ground leaving DStv and TopTV as the only two choices besides M-Net as an analogue pay-TV broadcaster which isn't offering individual new subscriptions to just M-Net until digital terrestrial broadcasting (eventually) launches commercially in South Africa.
Now Icasa is trying for round two of licensing more subscription television operators and Kagiso TV, Siyaya Free to Air, Mindset Media Enterprises, Close-T Broadcasting Network and Mobile TV are all willing and wanting to start pay TV in South Africa.
Public hearings will be taking place next week in Sandton at Icasa's head office where all five wannabe subscription TV service operators will do presentations and state their cases after Icasa received applications for individual commercial subscription broadcasting service licences.
Kagiso TV and Siyaya Free to Air will do their presentations at Icasa on Tuesday. Mindset Media Enterprises and Close-T Broadcast Network will present on Wednesday. Mobile T will do their presentation before Icasa on Friday morning.
The public hearings are open for the public to attend.
