The nastiest surprise when it comes to the linear TV channels carried on Cell C's new subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service, black, is the horrible discovery that all of the FOX supplied channels are blocked and that Cell C and FOX Networks Group Africa wants you to pay even more if you want to see any of it - even if you're on the most expensive monthly package already.
An even more eye-rollingly bad decision is that Cell C's black decided to front-load the FOX channels like FOX (channel 201) and FOX Life (202) at the very beginning of the linear TV channel list.
If you don't have the FOX channels and are not paying for them (presumably the bulk of Cell C black users) the very first thing all Cell C black customers see, and will see constantly, are just "blocked", "blocked", "blocked" and off-putting reminder notification pop-ups that "You lack the permission to view this content".
Out-of-the-box when you start up the blackBOX, it creates a very bad impression of Cell C's black.
Even after you've become used to it, Cell C and FOX are going to continue to keep "reminding" you of this - since it's what you're always going to see when you return to the start of the BINGE TV or "BTV" menu and channel list for the linear TV streaming section.
The biggest disappointment of opening Cell C black on the blackBOX was how it spoiled that feeling of excitement and anticipation you have when opening something new when, with the opening, unboxing and starting up of Cell C black, I discovered that all of the FOX supplied channels are blocked unless you pay even more.
The BINGE Premium Plus package of Cell C's black costs R389 per month.
That's the single-most expensive package on Cell C's just launched black streaming service.
Yet, when it comes to its linear TV channels offering, that R389 isn't enough for Cell C black to give you access to all of the TV channels.
Somehow Cell C black and FOX Networks Group Africa want the user to pay yet another R99 per month on top of the R389 to see channels like FOX, FOX Life, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, Baby TV, FOX News, FOX Sports and FOX Sports 2.
Why didn't/isn't Cell C black bundling the FOX offering and its costing into the existing channel carousel pricing?
And why isn't Cell C black not making it upfront in its package information much more explicit that you won't and don't get the FOX Networks Group Africa channels as part of BINGE Premium Plus?
DStv carries National Geographic, and StarSat carries Baby TV, FOX News, Fox Sports and FOX Sports 2.
It feels disingenuous of Cell C black to offering a "BINGE Premium Plus" package when 8 linear TV channels are still blocked out, meaning it's not truly "binge", nor "premium", nor "plus".
Where is the Cell C black package that is really, truly all-inclusive of everything?
The answer is there isn't one which means BINGE Premium Plus is actually a bit of a minus - minus 8 to be exact.
Cell C black should move something like the two Sony channels, or the set of news channels upfront, and then middle or back-load the FOX channels.
In that way new and existing customers starting up the linear TV channels on Cell C's black, immediately see something that "works" instead of just stuff that are blocked.
When you pay R389 for a month's "premium plus" TV content and the first thing on the very first TV channel on Cell C black that you see is "You lack the permission to view this content", it creates not just a shock but a very bad feeling about the product - as if it's "broken" somehow, although it's not.
PS:
The pay-another-R100-if-you-want-FOX shock should also serve as a warning to those pay-TV subscribers who keep clamouring for a "I want to pick my own channels" on DStv or StarSat - the so-called a la carte option.
The R100 for the FOX caboodle shows how DStv subscribers and StarSat subscribers will very quickly end up paying more, and have less TV channels, if MultiChoice or StarTimes do actually "unbundle" channels and individually price tag a supplier's TV channel set like the ones from FOX, or SuperSport or M-Net or Discovery or Scripps Networks.
