by Thinus Ferreira
MultiChoice has hit back at eMedia Investments that took the pay-TV operator to the Competition Tribunal for dumping its e.tv packaged TV channels from DStv, with MultiChoice slamming eMedia and saying that it should use its own free-to-air satellite service Openview to distribute its own TV channels.
eMedia and MultiChoice's presentations started this week before South Africa's Competition Tribunal in the TV channels carriage war between MultiChoice and eMedia Investments over eMedia's channels that the pay-TV operator decided to dump from DStv.
eMedia is seeking a 6-months interim relief order from the Competition Tribunal, pending the final determination of its complaint before the body.
While MultiChoice decided not to renew its contract with eMedia for the eMovies, eMovies Extra, eExtra and eToonz channels, MultiChoice has kept those channels on DStv for the time being while the case is being heard before the Competition Tribunal.
eMedia also carries these e.tv-packaged TV channels on its own, free-to-air satellite platform and service Openview.
MultiChoice has decided to keep eMedia's TV news channel eNCA (DStv 403) as well as e.tv in a new channels carriage contract, while the Afrikaans TV news bulletin supplied by eNCA to M-Net's kykNET (DStv 144) and kykNET & Kie (DStv 145) TV channels on DStv continues as well.
The commercial relationship between MultiChoice and eMedia has however been more than frigid for several years running.
After eMedia's presentation before the Competition Tribunal, MultiChoice in its turn slammed eMedia and said it should use its own Openview to show its e.tv-packaged TV channels.
While MultiChoice initially said that its decision not to continue to carry eMedia's other TV channels was due to "commercial reasons", MultiChoice now told the Competition Tribunal in this week's hearings that eMedia can use Openview to distribute its own content.
"Openview is a highly successful service. The papers show that this is not disputed by eMedia. It's grown and has continued to grow at a very rapid pace," the pay-TV operator told the hearing.
"Openview has a market share of over 35%. This is not an insignificant means which eMedia itself has of broadcasting the e.tv channels."
MultiChoice said that "“Over and above that, eMedia has a range of other options to distribute the channels and the programmes on those channels. The content doesn't necessarily need to be distributed in the form of a TV channel. There are other ways that they can distribute and derive advertising revenue."
MultiChoice was referring to eMedia's video streaming service eVOD, with the e Extra TV channel which is also carried on China's StarTimes, under the StarSat brand in South Africa.
