by Thinus Ferreira
MultiChoice on Tuesday night finally axed the set of four e.tv TV channels on DStv with immediate effect after the Competition Tribunal dismissed eMedia Investments' application for MultiChoice to keep these TV channels on DStv pending an investigation into MultiChoice's market dominance.
After not signing a TV channel carriage agreement contract extension earlier this year, MultiChoice wanted to remove eMedia's TV channels of eMovies (DStv 138), eMovies Extra (DStv 140), eExtra (DStv 195) and eToonz (DStv 311) from DStv at the end of March.
MultiChoice did opt to keep - under a separate agreement - the TV news channel eNCA (DStv 403) and e.tv (DStv 194) also from eMedia, which includes the 7-day a week eNuus Afrikaans TV news bulletin packaged by eNCA and supplied to M-Net's kykNET (DStv 144) and kykNET & Kie (DStv 145) channels.
eMedia however took MultiChoice to the Competition Commission's Competition Tribunal, seeking to force MultiChoice to keep carrying eMovies, eMovies eExtra, eExtra and eToonz.
These channels are available on the eMedia-owned free-to-air satellite service Openview, and are some of the most-watched TV channels on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV service.
MultiChoice decided not to drop the four e.tv TV channels from DStv for the time being, pending the outcome of the Competition Tribunal's judgment, which meant that the channels remained available for another two months to DStv subscribers.
MultiChoice told the Competition Tribunal that the Randburg-based pay-TV operator had satellite transponder capacity constraints and that eMedia's TV channels don't fit into its 5-year strategy. eMedia said that MultiChoice did have enough satellite capacity.
Earlier this year, Marlon Davids, managing director of e.tv channels, told TVwithThinus that e.tv believes the channels should be carried and be available on DStv.
"Our strategy is that our channels are free-to-air channels and should be available wherever people access channels. So that's their decision, there's no regulation that they need to carry the channels. Our view is that they should," he said.
Itumeleng Thulare, MultiChoice spokesperson, told TVwithThinus earlier this year that the e.tv four channels "will now remain on DStv until this matter is concluded, which we expect to be no later than 31 May 2022."
On Tuesday evening DStv removed the four e.tv channels after the Competition Tribunal decided in favour of MultiChoice in the case.
