OpenView HD, the new direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV offering from Platco Digital which will start broadcasting with 16 TV channels from 15 October including four new TV channels from e.tv wants to reach 5 million South African TV viewers after 5 years.
Maxwell Nonge, the managing director of Platco Digital said at a press briefing of the new satellite TV offering which will cost R1 600, that OpenView is hoping to reach 2 million viewers within the next 2 years which will be its break-even point.
Platco Digital projects to have 200 000 subscribers by October 2014; 2 million by 2018 which would be Platco Digital's break-even point, and 5 million OpenView HD satellites on roofs in South Africa after 5 years.
MultiChoice currently has 6.8 million DStv subscribers in South Africa on its satellite pay TV service; the struggling On Digital Media's (ODM) TopTV has less than 200 000 on its satellite pay TV service after more than three years and numerous mistakes and public brand reputation damage the company's management inflicted on its service.
Maxwell Nonge said Platco Digital, a sister company to e.tv under the holding company of Sabido Investments, believes that there are huge growth opportunities for digital television in South Africa. OpenView HD makes use of the DBV-S2 broadcasting standard with MPEG-4 compression and supports Dolby Digital for surround sound audio.
The OpenView HD decoders, supplied by NDS has a conditional access system so that decoders can be cut off if used outside of South Africa. OpenView HD will supply an electronic programme guide (EPG) and a parental age restriction control lock.
Platco Digital is paid and derives its ongoing income from carriage deals from the TV channels on the OpenView HD bouquet; with Platco Digital saying those channels getget their revenue in turn from advertising and an increased reach through being seen by more TV viewers on OpenView HD.
