Customers furious at MultiChoice over software update technical glitch that has left DStv subscribers without a signal.

Paying customers are furious at MultiChoice over a faulty software update that has left DStv subscribers without a DStv signal.

MultiChoice that isn't willing to say how may DStv subscribers have been affected by the software update fault, says a faulty software update on DStv Explora and HD single view DStv decoders caused the signal loss problem.

"Some customers who live in a complex or village where the DStv signal is distributed from a central point through a single cable, and who have a specific decoder model, the DStv HD 4U decoder, could experience an E48 error on their decoder. This error means the decoder is searching for a signal," says MultiChoice in a statement.

"We're assisting customers on a case-by-case basis to clear this error via our contact centre, our service centres and agencies. We encourage any of our customers who experience this problem, to get in touch with us – either via phone or by going to their nearest DStv service centre or agency," says MultiChoice.

Meanwhile DStv subscribers are furious with MultiChoice over the software update mistake, the long time it takes to get through to the call centre, and threatening to cancel their DStv subscriptions.

MultiChoice updates and releases a new, smaller version of its DStv WiFi Connector for DStv Explora decoders.

MultiChoice has updated and is rolling out a new version of its DStv WiFi Connector that links its DStv Explora decoder to the internet.

Moving from the small black box, the new WiFi Connector version that is smaller, with a paddle shape, still plugs in at the back of the DStv Explora and comes with a USB docking station.

Sold separately, the DStv WiFi Connector is available from any DStv service centres or DStv agencies and retail stores for R199​.

Through it the DStv Explora is able to connect to the internet making additional content downloads available like 1 000 films in the DStv Catch Up Plus M-Net Movies collection.

For an additional fee of R69 DStv Premium subscribers can also access Naspers' subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service, Showmax, and subscribers can also set recordings remotely through the internet when they're away from their decoders.

MultiChoice says the new DStv WiFi Connector makes it easier to connect to a router in a home, even if it is in another room and that there's no need to run a cable from a router to a DStv Explora.

"When we first launched the DStv Explora in August 2013, we promised our customers that we will keep on enhancing the experience on this flagship platform. An easy-to-use, DStv WiFi Connector helps us to deliver on that promise," says Gerdus van Eeden, MultiChoice's chief technology officer.

How Africa's best TV curator, MultiChoice's content boss Aletta Alberts, keeps up with the massive amount of TV to watch - as she shares insights into the latest trends influencing shows.

As an extremely dedicated and very well-informed TV executive, she's Africa's most prominent, and possibly most powerful, TV content curator when it comes to television - but how does Aletta Alberts keep up and watch it all when the number of just the new American TV shows made per year have jumped from 210 series in 2009 to over 455 last year?

For over a decade since she joined MultiChoice in July 2006 as general manager of content, Aletta Alberts has held sway as the arbiter of what's ultimately gets to your screen in a local and international blurry, noisy, crowded TV-multiverse that is filled by a constantly, fast-evolving and every-increasing kaleidoscope of channels, shows, new TV genres, distribution methods and yes, more real, desperate housewives.

Having started as a production secretary in the late 80s, becoming an assistant producer, then a producer and working on large live shows, after which she transitioned to become SABC2 programme manager and eventually rose to SABC2 channel head, Aletta Alberts then joined Vodacom after which MultiChoice followed.

From her office in the airy MultiChoice City in Randburg, Johannesburg, Aletta Alberts is not just the content queen seated on the iron throne of TV land's intricate and sprawling television Westeros - she's actually George R.R. Martin.

But like the monk who looms over the sprawling and intricate map in the Game of Thrones opening title sequence - filled with continuously turning cogs and a daunting number of moving parts over a vast area - how on Earth does even she manage to keep up, and up to date, as a content curator in a world where there's more TV made than ever before, in a realm where everything and all the main players are constantly changing?

TVwithThinus asked her a bit earlier this year at the MultiChoice Media Showcase where TV executives converged over a 2-day presentation to speak to the press about upcoming content and channels.

Aletta Alberts not only shared how she keeps up with the avalanche of TV content, but also shared her fascinating insights into the latest TV trends shaping and impacting the television industry and the new shows that DStv subscribers are getting to see.

"Obviously we see the channels all the time, we read the dailies, we go to television markets. And I must say that our channel partners - often we go to events with our channel partners - where there are other platforms. So Sky will be there, and all these big platforms. And we have continuous conversations with them," said Aletta Alberts.

"Then we're also very lucky to work for an organisation that every year we have a conference called 'The Business of Television' and at that conference we really bring the best that's out there to come out and speak to us and keep us up to date".

Courtesy of M-Net, Aletta Alberts said that she for instance would be attending an HBO Masterclass event to understand how that pay-TV outlet commissions drama for instance.

"Our jobs are really a lifestyle. It's not a job, you really eat and sleep with it," she said.

Film stars and showrunners
Aletta Alberts shared some fascinating insights about the big, current TV trends that are impacting what DStv subscribers are seeing on their TV screens, and will be seeing more of in future.

"If you think of the stars you've seen on TV in the last 18 months - it started with Glenn Close doing Damage a few years ago - and it just continued. Now we have Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. I think the Brits actually set the ball rolling if you think about this."

"Now if you're an A-lister or Hollywood star, if you're not in a TV series, you haven't quite made it," said Aletta Alberts who highlighted how showrunners are also becoming the stars.

"Then the next trend is that the creators of these shows are not in the background anymore, they are becoming the celebrities. If you think about the Shonda Rhimes, Terence Winter, Dick Wolf and so on, the list continues. Greg Berlanti for instance is responsible for a huge amount of TV shows."

"Then there's the movie producers and directors. Who would ever have thought you'd see Martin Scorsese doing a television series? And Steve Buscemini, Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Bay. It just keeps getting better and better."

"Now even the Coen Brothers have entered the fray and they're in development with a series and that looks very, very interesting [the Western The Ballad of Buster Scruggs]."

'Then there's also actors turning down big film series - like 007's Daniel Craig stepping down and committing to a three season series for Showtime [Purity] - so really, really it's just getting exciting".

"Just out of Hollywood, since 2010, the amount of new television, it's just gone out of control. In 2009 Hollywood was making 210 . Last year at the end it was 455 series," said Aletta Alberts.

"Then on top of that, add the British series and the foreign series being made. So it's unbelievable," she said.

Brit-invasion and Indian telenovelas
"So every year when we go to Los Angeles, we see different trends. Last year it was basically movies that became TV series."

"Then we see remakes of previous series, some more successful than others. MacGyver for instance is doing well, globally."

"And then we're also seeing the growth of British series. We see those on specifically channels like BBC First (DStv 119) and ITV Choice (DStv 123) - and these series do incredibly, incredibly well."

"And then something that we don't often speak about, but sometimes I think in the United States they run out of ideas. And because the Brits are so good at what they do, we see a lot of duplication."

"So you might not know but House of Cards was a remake, The Office went to an American series, Broadchurch was remade, Shameless, Elementary - these are just a few examples of all the brilliant British stuff that have been remade."

"And then we see the trend of franchises. So we see the DC franchises. Every year we go to LA there's another two or three. And as they do the movies, the TV series pick up as spin-offs off of that."

"Then the big one on the African continent is the rise of the telenovela," said Aletta Alberts.

"For a while now it was Latin [Telemundo], but we see that now being completely overshadowed by the Indian telenovelas on Zee World (DStv 166)."

"The Indian telenovelas are incredibly popular across the African continent. I think the one thing that the Indian novelas got right was they did a lot of research on the dubbing."

"The dubbed it and the research told them they have to dub it into a South African Indian accent, which is different from other Indian accents. And I promise you that is the success of this."

"So I think if we had dubbed the Latin novelas into a Sofia Vergara type English accent it would probably sit better and would be more accepted."

"Also, not to leave out, is the Turkish novelas. You're staring to see those on FOX. It's a little bit more conservative, but they have incredibly, incredibly high production values and great stories that are taking the world by storm at the moment".


DStv getting more rights to in season stacking
"At MultiChoice we're working very hard to get more and more rights to series, to first of all having it on DStv Catch Up, and secondly to have 'in season' box sets of available episodes because consumers don't want to come in at episode 3 and the previous ones don't exist and then it's like a broken experience for you," said Aletta Alberts.

"We're really working very, very hard on that."

"Because we haven't had broadband [in South Africa], or broadband's been very expensive, 6 or 7 years ago we came up with this thing called the DStv Explora and it has X amount of hours available on its hard drive and we simulated that over-the-top (OTT) experience."

"But the reality of it is, is that it's got limited space and we can only put a limited amount of content on there."

"So we were very excited when the DStv Explora box could then connect to the internet and now we can have hours and hours on there - but more so the fact that we can put lots more hours on DStv Now. And we're working very hard to get, and to put most things on DStv Now," she explained.

On how MultiChoice decides what content goes where, Aletta Alberts explained that "we select the content and we do have data of what people view".

"So each device has got a different strategy. Because TV series is the most watched, the bulk of what sits on the box is series. We've got limited sport and movies - we only put the latest and the greatest movies on the box so as they come off of our premium channels, that's what goes on there. And then very selectively we've got reality, like big reality shows."

As the TV world continues to evolve, Aletta Alberts ended the trends session with a bit of a prediction: "In 5 years or 10 year's time, I don't think there will be decoders. Everything will sit behind an app."


■ The 7th season of Game of Thrones will see its season premiere episode simulcast on Monday morning, 17 July at 03:00 on M-Net (DStv 101) at the same time as in America, and with it then broadcast again on the same day at 21:35 during late primetime.

While MultiChoice adds 600 000 subscribers by the end of September and DStv Explora uptake remains strong, DStv Premium subscribers are declining.

While MultiChoice is adding DStv subscribers, the African pay-TV operator is now losing one specific type of subscriber, with one of its products that is no longer resonating as strongly with consumers as representing enough value for money: DStv Premium.

MultiChoice has released its results for the six months until the end of September 2016 that shows an increase in revenue and subscribers - but one specific type of DStv subscriber is not growing and in decline: DStv Premium subscribers.

After a previous slump of losing 164 300 pay-TV subscribers, MultiChoice bounced back by adding almost 600 000 subscribers (591 968 subscribers to be specific) during the reported six month period. GOtv added 150 000 subscribers across Africa compared to the previous year.

Interestingly, this growth is not coming at the high-end of its offering range, represented by its DStv Premium product.

MultiChoice's results for the six months until the end of September 2016 shows that while the lower end of the pay-TV customer base remains stable, the top end is contracting. Naspers says net subscriber additions now come from mainly middle and lower tiers.

While lower-end subscriptions remain stable at 52%, the subscriber mix is changing, with DStv Compact growing from 26% to 30% of the total, while DStv Premium is sliding from 22% to 18% (2.24 million subscribers to 2.005 million).

DStv subscribers who paid for DStv Premium are switching down to DStv Compact and new customers are opting for DStv Compact outright.

Looking at this graph from Naspers' presentation, it can be seen that the growth in DStv subscribers numbers are now coming from the middle - DStv Compact - while DStv Premium declines.

But why? Naspers and MultiChoice are not giving reasons but worsening economic conditions impacting on discretionary consumer spend is obviously making subscribers think twice about what they're actually getting in real terms, for what they have to pay and whether DStv Premium is worth it.

In addition, MultiChoice has also been changing the value offering of DStv Premium and DStv Compact (the others DStv packages as well, but for this report lets focus on these two specifically) over the past year.

This value change can be said or stated in two ways, depending on how you want to see it: MultiChoice has been diluting the value of DStv Premium by not adding enough exclusivity, products and services to this product - or, MultiChoice has been increasing the value of DStv Compact by adding a lot of the former exclusive products, services and functionality of DStv Premium to DStv Compact.

In essence the the totality of what DStv Compact offers has grown faster than DStv Premium, or stated another way, what DStv Premium offers subscribers hasn't grown as fast or kept up with what's made available to lower tiered DStv packages.

Over the past year MultiChoice added several TV channels to lower-tiered packages, but not nearly the same exclusively to DStv Premium.

HD channels were originally for DStv Premium subscribers only. (At 30 September MultiChoice offered 27 HD channels to subscribers).

The video-on-demand rental service DStv Box Office was originally for DStv Premium subscribers only. DStv Catch Up was previously for DStv Premium subscribers only.

The subscription video-on-demand service (SVOD) ShowMax was made available to DStv Premium subscribers first, but can now be accessed through all active, internet-connected DStv Exploras, irrespective of the DStv subscription.

There's also been several unencoded, so-called "open" weekends, weeks and half month periods during the past year where lower-tiered DStv subscribers got access to a lot of of premium content and channels for free that DStv Premium subscribers have pay for - ranging from Disney to M-Net.

For DStv subscribers clearly the perceived "value gap" between DStv Premium and DStv Compact in terms of what they get has narrowed, compared to the "price gap" they have to pay.

(Click on the graphic above and it will open bigger.)

In November, M-Net CEO, Yolisa Phahle, in an interview, alluded to the decline in the popularity of DStv Premium. She said the DStv Premium market could be reaching saturation point, but that the future still offers significant growth opportunities for subscription television.


Uptake of DStv Explora decoder remains strong
Naspers' video entertainment division that comprises MultiChoice running services like DStv and GOtv in South Africa and across the African continent says in its six months' report that it has come under pressure due to sliding African currencies, since TV content is procured in dollar.

Video entertainment revenue declined by 8% to $1,6 billion, while trading profit in the video entertainment segment fell by a third to US$331 million, from $492 million previously.

At the end of September 2016, MultiChoice now has 11 million pay-TV subscribers across Africa.

MultiChoice says that the "contraction in the South African economy continues to impact our customers" while "increased competition and the rand depreciation contributed to rising international dollar-based content costs".

"Despite the current environment, we have not compromised on delivering unrivaled local and international content, demonstrated by our dedicated coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics on 7 HD channels, the coverage of the Euro 2016 football and the best local and international shows such as Isibaya and Suits."

In a statement Naspers says "the focus remains on giving subscribers the very best local and international content, while managing costs, improving customer service and retaining customers in an environment where there is intensifying competition from global players such as Amazon, Netflix, Apple and Google".

"ShowMax, the subscription video-on-demand service, is growing steadily".

Naspers says "DStv Catch Up was made available to DStv Compact customers, as well as a decoder payment plan, which boosted the uptake of our personal video recorders (PVRs)".

MultiChoice says that uptake of the DStv Explora decoder "remains strong and customers who make use of the Explora continue to report high levels of satisfaction".

Naspers' video-on-demand (VOD) service ShowMax added to MultiChoice's DStv for subscribers with DStv Explora decoders connected to the internet.

Naspers' subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service ShowMax and its pay-TV platform MultiChoice will now be including the SVOD service within its broader DStv service and will now offer ShowMax to DStv subscribers who have a DStv Explora decoder that is connected to the internet.

Any DStv subscriber with an active DStv Explora can access ShowMax as long as it's connected to the internet, regardless of which DStv package they have.

To access ShowMax on the DStv Explora once the software update has been loaded, a subscriber can press the blue DStv button on the remote control, move to Watch Now and choose ShowMax.

"Our customers have told us they would like to see the previous seasons of shows that are currently on DStv," says Mark Rayner, MultiChoice South Africa CEO.

"Adding ShowMax to the DStv Explora puts the entire history of the best TV shows in one place for you to watch from the very beginning – you see the latest season on DStv, and can binge on previous seasons on ShowMax. For example, the latest season 6 of Game of Thrones is showing now on DStv and DStv Catch Up, whereas previous seasons 1 to 5 are available as box sets on ShowMax".

"The DStv Explora is our flagship decoder, manufactured entirely in South Africa. It was built with the future in mind and when we launched it, we committed to continuously push the innovation envelope and grow the functionality to enhance our customers' viewing experience."

"Since its launch in 2013, the DStv Explora has been changing the way South Africans watch television. Adding ShowMax to the DStv Explora is an extension of this vision," says Mark Rayner.

MultiChoice that already offers the DStv Catch Up and DStv BoxOffice services,  says the DStv Explora with ShowMax added "will now offer a richly varied and comprehensive video-on-demand experience".

"For DStv Explora owners this is a risk-free proposition - binge entire box sets from the very beginning without having to buy any new equipment," says Barron Ernst, ShowMax's chief product officer.

ShowMax is being added to MultiChoice's DStv Exploras in a phased roll-out from today and a ShowMax subscription of R99 per month is needed to get access to the service. New ShowMax subscribers will have to sign up online and existing ShowMax subscribers can log in using their email and password.

DStv subscribers who pay with a debit order can pay for ShowMax through their DStv account. Because ShowMax content is streamed through the internet, data charges apply and a high cap or uncapped data service streaming at 4Mbps or higher is recommended.

"We're already busy busy on the next phase which is developing apps for additional streaming media devices as well as game consoles. Our goal is to provide a great viewing experience no matter what you're watching ShowMax on," says Barron Ernst.

The services point out that DStv and ShowMax are competing services, which are part of the same group and offer different approaches to video entertainment. 

MultiChoice says DStv subscribers will continue to get the freshest local and international content directly from Hollywood, as well as live sports and news, through live TV and the DStv Catch Up service.

New upcoming 6th season of HBO's Game of Thrones on M-Net Edge will again be simulcast in South Africa on DStv at the same time as in America.

Great news for South Africans and DStv Premium subscribers is that the upcoming new 6th season of Game of Thrones will once again be seen on M-Net Edge (DStv 102) at the exact same time as it starts in the United States on HBO - meaning the first episode will be shown in the very early hours of Monday morning 25 April.

With HBO confirming a starting date of Sunday 24 April in America for the highly anticipated new 6th season of the fantasy drama series set in the land of Westeros, I asked M-Net whether Game of Thrones would again be, and continue to be, an "Express from the US" title, and if it would be shown simultaneously in South Africa again.

M-Net tells me that Game of Thrones' upcoming 6th season will be broadcast "as per last year" and that Game of Thrones episodes "will be simulcast".

What is means is thus: DStv Premium subscribers who simply cannot wait, can stay up with their dragons and watch the 6th season premiere of Game of Thrones on M-Net Edge (DStv 102) on Monday morning at 04:00 (South African time).

Those who can't stay awake, can set a recording, or just leave it - the current ongoing problems with the DStv Catch Up service will likely be sorted out in another two and a half months' time and Game of Thrones first episode should be available on DStv Explora and PVR decoders automatically.

What's not clear is on what day of the week Game of Thrones will be broadcast on the linear M-Net Edge channel in prime time; viewers will find out closer to the time.

Last year, with the 5th season of Game of Thrones, M-Net showed episodes early on Monday mornings at the same time as the Sunday nights in the United States on M-Net Edge, and then showed them on the channel on Thursdays at 21:00.

M-Net and MultiChoice launch Express to Explora, adding new series to DStv Explora first before broadcast; adding first episodes of series on M-Net, M-Net Edge.

In response to the flurry of streaming video-on-demand (VOD) services that started in South Africa M-Net and MultiChoice are now adding several new TV series straight to its DStv Catch Up service on the DStv Explora for DStv Premium subscribers before its been broadcast on M-Net linear channels.

The new M-Net and DStv service - essentially a whole new M-Net provided "channel" - is branded as "Express to Explora".

M-Net and MultiChoice will add episodes of the new thriller procedural drama series Limitless and hospital drama Code Black from tomorrow, Thursday 24 September to the DStv Explora, as well as the new 6th season of Blue Bloods, all within 24 hours of their American broadcasting dates. The new season of Blacklist will be added from 3 October.

M-Net will broadcast Limitless, Code Black, Blue Bloods and Blacklist later on the linear M-Net (DStv 101) and M-Net Edge (DStv 102) channels when the linear play-out schedule allows.

M-Net and MultiChoice are also from now on adding the first episodes of all shows on M-Net and M-Net Edge to DStv Catch Up for the DStv Explora for DStv Premium subscribers, with viewers who now longer have to remember or know to record the first episode of a show when a new series starts.

"Instead of waiting for a gap on the already bumper-to-bumper prime time schedule on M-Net or M-net Edge, hand-picked series will be available exclusively on the DStv Explora within 24 hours of their United States launch times," says M-Net.

"Our superfast Express from the US delivery service has already revolutionised the way in which many people watch TV," says Gideon Khobane, M-Net director for general entertainment.

"We believe that series fans will love being able to watch more shows for which there simply are no available time slots yet, as they play out in the US. We're thrilled that we're able to make use of the incredible technology provided by the DStv Explora to make Express to Explora happen".

M-Net and MultiChoice are also from now on giving DStv Premium subscribers the first episodes of series as they premiere on M-Net and M-Net Edge.

"The new age of television is all about convenience - as a result of their busy lifestyles, viewers sometimes miss out on an entire series because they couldn't watch the first episode that introduced the main characters and vital story lines," says Gideon Khobane.

"We're now making it easier for them to never miss out on one of our excellent series again".

MultiChoice improving DStv Explora with better software; enhanced interface will make the content discovery process easier.

MultiChoice will start to download newer software to the DStv Explora from Tuesday 15 September onwards to primarily improve the interface for the operator's content discovery process on this decoder.

With growing pressure from video-on-demand (VOD) services like Naspers' ShowMax, the Times Media Group's VIDI and others, South African pay-TV subscribers are becoming accustomed to better integrated interfaces, especially when it comes to how available content are displayed and presented on services' "storefront" screens.

The better pay-TV services and VOD players present their content and the easier they make it for users to search and discovery either what they want to watch and have been looking for, or what's on offer, the higher the likelihood is of "sticky-ness" - the potential that a viewer will engage with content and actually watch it and keep watching.

"DStv Explora customers will soon experience a whole new range of exciting improvements that will further enhance their viewing experience on DStv when the latest software is delivered to their Explora," says MultiChoice.

The latest software will be downloaded automatically to all active DStv Exploras from 15 September onwards.

Improvements include a separate tab for weekly recommendations and additional categories under the different genres arranged by Newest, Last Chance, 1st Episode and A-Z.

On connected DStv Exploras, MultiChoice is adding the option to download content in SD or HD, the ability to schedule downloads for specific times, as well as a new history screen and a ready to watch option.

The DMX DJ will also get a refresh on the DStv Explora to ensure song information is loaded quicker. 

"When we launched the DStv Explora in 2013, we promised that we will continue to build on this platform to give our customers the best entertainment experience possible," says Nyiko Shiburi, MultiChoice general manager for consumer devices.

"We’ll continue to explore further ways to enhance the Explora."

MultiChoice's DStv Explora named 2015 Satellite Television Product of the Year in South Africa.

MultiChoice's DStv Explora decoder manufactured by Pace has been named the 2015 Satellite Television Product of the Year in South Africa.

It's the second big accolade for the latest MultiChoice PVR, which was also named as one of the 12 most beautiful objects in South Africa in 2015 a few months ago at the Design Indaba.

The DStv Explora, nicknamed "the pebble" by MultiChoice insiders for the sleeker design of the latest PVR version, is manufactured by Pace in South Africa.

Designed to try and bridge the gap and bring DStv subscribers a seamless video-on-demand (VOD) service by using satellite due to the limited availability of broadband services which are also slow and expensive in South Africa and across the rest of the African continent, the DStv Explora can record up to 220 hours or programming and gives users access to MultiChoice's DStv BoxOffice and DStv Catch Up services.

Now the DStv Explora has been named the 2015 Satellite Television Product of the Year after Nielsen surveyed over 5 000 South African households when researching candidates for the product of the year award.

Product of the Year is recognised in 28 countries globally and MultiChoice now gets the right to immediately brand its DStv Explora with a "Product of the Year" seal for a year.

"The DStv Explora is our flagship PVR decoder - we're very proud of the product that our teams developed," MultiChoice tells TV with Thinus.

"This is the first DStv decoder that was developed internally by our teams in Broadcast Technology and is entirely manufactured in South Africa. So its truly a South African product."

"Not only is it a great product but it also gives our customers a far superior viewing experience - with an expanded Catch Up and BoxOffice catalogue, a very user-friendly interface, the ability to connect to the internet to remote record and download even more content from our Catch Up catalogue," says MultiChoice.

"Pace is extremely proud to have been selected by MultiChoice to help develop this ground-breaking product, and ultimately enhance the viewing experience of their customers," says Jim Henderson, the president of Pace International.

"Recognition as a key contributor to this award-winning product is a true testament to the strength and longevity of our partnerships in the region."

"With this product, the Pace team has proven that they are fully committed to quality and excellence, while addressing the real needs of the Sub-Saharan marketplace," says Phil Nicholson, the general manager of consumer devices in broadcast technology. "Well done to the teams at Pace and MultiChoice who pulled out all the stops to bring this awesome product to market."

The DStv Explora is the first Pace product to be fully manufactured in South Africa at the Vektronix manufacturing plant in East London, South Africa.  Pace has been supplying DStv decoders to MultiChoice since the launch of DStv in 1995.

MultiChoice's DStv Explora decoder named one of the 12 Most Beautiful Objects in South Africa for 2015.

Deserved. MultiChoice's DStv Explora, the powerful new-generation DStv decoder from the African satellite pay-TV platform has just been chosen as one of the 12 Most Beautiful Objects in 2015 in South Africa.

The DStv Explora, nicknamed "the pebble" by MultiChoice insiders for the sleeker design of the latest PVR version, is manufactured by Pace in South Africa.

The DStv Explora cracked the nod on the latest Design Indaba list, with the South African public who gets to vote and decide the ultimate winner and most beautiful object for the year.

MultiChoice's premium decoder shares the list with beautiful objects like the "Boomslang" - the winding and curved walkway bridge of steel and timber at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, a haywire chandelier made from timer and quickly becoming one of the top design collectables in the world, and a De Steyl storage tower.

Also on the list: the puppet Chester Missing from Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola fame on eNCA (DStv 403), a black silk dress by ERRE, repurposed schoolbags by Rethaka made from 100% recycled plastic shopping bags and a mohair and wool felted cape from Milk.

According to the Design Indaba Expo the most beautiful objects are chosen as part of a reflection of the local creative industries "and to bring to light little-known or unforgettable products and projects" that's standing out.

Telkom, MultiChoice in exclusive 6 month broadband deal; customers getting a DStv Explora free when signing a 24 month broadband contract.

From this Sunday 23 November consumers acquiring a new broadband contract from Telkom for 24 months will get one of MultiChoice's DStv Explora decoders for free in an exclusive arrangement between the South African telecom operator and the satellite pay-TV platform.

New Telkom broadband customers who sign a 24 month contract for a 10Mbit/s or faster ADSL service, or existing Telkom broadband customers who upgrade to a 10Mbit/s line, will get a DStv Explora free.

MultiChoice just launched its DStv connected services, enabling the linking of its DStv Explora to the internet.

Through it DStv Premium subscribers are able to set remote recordings from their computers, tablets and smartphones for their decoder, while the expanded DStv Catch Up plus gives subscribers access to more on demand content downloaded through the internet.

A new app, DStv NOW will be released in December.

MultiChoice said last week that it would be making an announcement this week in which it will "take another step to making these services more accessible" for DStv subscribers through the use of these new broadband connected services, but has not yet done so.

"Telkom and MultiChoice have entered into an exclusive 6 month promotion that entails Telkom internet broadband being bundled with the new IP-connected DStv Explora decoder," says Telkom.

"Customers will benefit from faster, high-speed Telkom broadband and more fixed-line data. Furthermore, the free DStv Explora and WiFi connector will allow customers access to the enhanced DStv Catch Up catalogue and additional functionality."

Telkom meanwhile is planning to roll out its own video-on-demand (VOD) service.

BREAKING. M-Net: 'To put it bluntly: We are now faster than piracy,' says the South African pay-TV broadcaster.

You're reading it here first. 

"To put it bluntly: We are now faster than piracy."

So said Victor Eckard, M-Net director, on Wednesday evening when he addressed a conference venue full of advertisers, TV critics and journalists.

Victor Eckard spoke about how the South African pay-TV broadcaster is bringing viewers more premium content, faster than ever before and on highly desirable TV channels like M-Net (DStv 101) and the just launched M-Net Edge and VUZU AMP.

" 'Express from the US' gives viewers in South Africa the opportunity to watch a show within 24 hours of broadcast in the United States and we've done it very successfully with Ray Donovan, and then we also did it now with Homeland and Gotham," said Victor Eckard.

"The good thing about 'Express from the US' is if you don't view or record that 4:00am episode, you can get it exclusively on DStv Catch Up on DStv the DStv Explora. So hopefully everyone's got the DStv Explora to catch up on that content."

" ' Express from the US' is probably one of the coolest brands now in South Africa."

"People are talking about Express from the US, and others are now trying to follow what M-Net has done here. It's first, exclusive and premium. We're taking it once again to another level with Express to the US'," said Victor Eckard.

"On Monday night we successfully launched M-Net Edge - the edge of entertainment on channel 102 on DStv. It's premium property. M-Net Edge has the best, critically acclaimed, award-winning content, iconic content."

"Basically M-Net (DStv 101) has very, very popular TV content from the United States - things like Two and a Half Men, Grey's Anatomy and The Fixer which viewers all across South Africa love to bits and pieces."

"So M-Net Edge basically gives us the opportunity to look after the people that used to stay up past half past 10 at night to watch Game of Thrones, which you'll now be able to get on M-Net Edge at 9 o' clock at night. So we're moving closer to the edge," said Victor Eckard.

"All of the content on M-Net Edge (DStv 102) will be significantly different than what is on M-Net (DStv 101) in the fact that it is award-winning, thought-provoking, and critically acclaimed content."

"The content is risque but once again, it is award-winning, critically acclaimed content. And we give viewers the opportunity not to wait until half past 10, but to actually get it on M-Net Edge at primetime," said Victor Eckard.

Revealed! The massive PVR for television that can hold 26 000 hours of recordings - or 3 years worth of storage space for programming.

It makes MultiChoice's 2 terabyte DStv Explora PVR seem small: the giant 24 terabyte PVR that TiVo in America unveiled today, allowing pay-TV subscribers to record a massive 26 000 hours of recordings, or can hold 3 years' worth of recorded programming.

TiVo unveiled the TV recording monster today which can store a massive 4 000 hours of high definition (HD) programming, or 3 years worth of TV recordings, and can record 6 TV channels at the same time.

The TiVo Mega also enables subscribers to stream whatever they're watching, or recorded and want to watch, to their tablets and cellphones even outside of their homes, wherever they are thanks to built-in transcoding.

Called the TiVo Mega, the PVR comes at a price though - $5 000 (R54 650) which puts it out of reach from all but the wealthiest or most TV obsessed and looks more like a data server stack unit.

"People hate being forced to delete cool stuff from their PVR before they want to, or finding a TV show they had recorded is now gone," says TiVo.

TiVo Mega will become available from the first quarter in 2015. The monster recorder is perfect for people and places that's obsessed with watching television, or television monitoring.

The Independent Communications of Authority of South Africa (Icasa) which is supposed to monitor South African TV channels for local content quotas and other things (but has admitted that it isn't capable to perform this function), as well as the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) would hugely benefit from a device like this for the South African market.

Telemarketing call for a DStv Explora for R149 per month over two years is not a scam - MultiChoice

A so-called "cold call" from a telemarketer, offering you a DStv Explora decoder at R149 per month is not a scam, says MultiChoice.

TV with Thinus heard from consumers - existing and former DStv subscribers - who've received calls from a company called On Air, upselling them on MultiChoice's top-of-the-line digital personal video recorder (PVR) introduced last year.

Some consumers have been wondering whether the offer and the company doing the selling on behalf of MultiChoice is legitimate or a scam.

Some former and existing DStv subscribers were upset that their personal and contact details are in the hands of an outside company and that it has apparently been given without their knowledge to an external telemarketing company.

MultiChoice tells TV with Thinus that the offer to buy a DStv Explora at R149 per month over a two year period is a real and legitimate sales offer.

"MultiChoice has commissioned On Air to assist with sales of our DStv Explora decoder. This sales effort has been very successful – over 15 000 customers have taken up this great offer which is a DStv Explora fully installed for R149 per month over 24 months. Any customers interested in this offer can contact On Air directly at 0861 277738".

MultiChoice says On Air "is using customer data provided by MultiChoice".

"Customers who've indicated they do not wish to receive marketing calls from us have been excluded. We would like to reassure our customers that every care is being taken with the security of their data".

"We invite our customers to let us know if they have any problem with the calls from On Air so we can address this with our supplier. Customers can tweet us @DStvCare, contact us on Our DStv Facebook page or talk to us on the DStv Forum on DStv.com".

BREAKING. MultiChoice drops the DStv Explora price to R1999 from today for a month for 2014 FIFA World Cup soccer.

You're reading it here first.

MultiChoice is dropping the price of its wunder machine the DStv Explora, with its top-of-the-line high definition (HD) PVR decoder which is costing only R1999 from today - for a month - to help stimulate DStv Explora sales and uptake for the 2014 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament.

The DStv Explora will cost only R1999 from today until 15 June as part of a marketing campaign of MultiChoice for the 2014 FIFA World Cup which kicks off on 12 June.

MultiChoice and SuperSport have not released details, but similar to the last Rugby World Cup, it is a absolute certainty that sports and soccer lovers will get multiple additional programming, extra content, magazine shows and further DStv Catch Up and on demand content which will be made available on the DStv Explora to DStv subscribers once the World Cup soccer starts.

The new recommended retail price of R1999 (a DStv Explora usually retails for R2499) is effective in South Africa at Game, Dion Wired, Makro, House & Home, Pick & Pay, Hi-Fi Corporation, OK Furniture, Bradlows and Morkels.

Last month MultiChoice Nigeria announced that it will be slashing DStv Explora decoder prices by almost half (43%) for the 2014 FIFA World Cup where the DStv Explora was just introduced as a new DStv decoder model.

Strangest (funniest!) non-TV headline of the day: DStv Explora the first to arrive in Rio.

The DStv Explora was the first to arrive by sea in Rio de Janeiro.

Not MultiChoice's spiffy new PVR decoder, but the boat named DStv Explora. MultiChoice part sponsored the boat, skippered by Craig Sutherland.

And the DStv Explora was the first South African boat to cross the finish line in this year's Cape to Rio race, completing the 5 300km in 16 days and 4 hours.

MultiChoice downloading software upgrades to DStv Explora; upgrades vastly improve the new decoder's interface and on-screen usefulness.

MultiChoice is downloading additional new software upgrades for its DStv Explora decoder launched in August which vastly improves the on-screen experience and usefulness and gives DStv subscribers "episode stacking", better functionality on the electronic programme guide (EPG) and other improvements.

MultiChoice will download upgrades to the DStv Explora software this week which will now give subscribers the season as well as specific episode number of a particular episode within the Playlist.

The first of two major improvements is that in the EPG subscribers will now be able to jump directly to a channel in the guide instead of having to scroll, by simply pressing the channel number. (If you type in a channel number which doesn't exist, it will take you to the closest channel number.)

A second major improvement is that individual episodes of the same TV series in DStv Catchup will be automatically grouped in one folder.

Instead of episodes of a specific TV series - where each has its own poster art being displayed separately, they will now be stacked one behind the other in a way that shows how many episodes are on offer.

By highlighting the series and pressing OK, information on all the episodes in the stack will become available to the viewer.

Other improvements include the option of 5 colour-coded channel groups which will allow different users such as people in a family to each set up a unique group of favourite TV channels.

DStv Catchup content also gets a new "Kids" category, as well as sub-genres which are listed.

The Movies, Sport and Series categories will now get sub-genres which are listed, like "Animation", "Drama", "Adventure" and many more for Movies for instance. Sport gets "Rugby", "Soccer", "Boxing" etc.

With the new software also comes an updated SuperSport Active app as well as the Easy Info app. The Easy Info app contains information regarding payments, self-service which includes trouble-shooting problems and FAQ's, agencies, decoder products and features.

DStv Explora, MultiChoice's powerful next generation high definition decoder, goes on sale in South Africa.

MultiChoice's new next generation DStv Explora, nicknamed "the pebble" by insiders for its sleek curvature design, has gone on sale from this morning in South Africa, turning the page for a new chapter in direct-to-home (DTH) video content delivery for both the satellite pay-TV operator and for the continent.

The DStv Explora, the satellite pay-TV operator's latest high definition personal video recorder with a 2 terabyte hard drive, has a recommended retail price of R2 499 in South Africa but is already discounted by some retailers like Makro to R2 399. According to MultiChoice the DStv Explora will go on sale in the rest of Africa next month.

The DStv Explora, manufactured in East London, was originally designed for internet connectivity. MultiChoice says that although the new decoder has the capacity, internet connectivity will follow later for the box due to the poor broadband availability and speed in South Africa.

Accordint to MultiChoice an internet link for the new DStv Explora will be rolled out. The first service the pay-TV operator will enable once that happens, is to make it possible for DStv subscribers to then set specific recordings for their decoders through the internet when they're not home or at the decoder.

With the new DStv Explora and its new-look and very visual on-screen interface, MultiChoice wants to mimic through satellite the look, feel and service for pay-TV subscribers of the on-demand content and viewing experience available in America and Europe.

In these countries pay-TV subscribers have access to a massive amount of on-demand content through catch-up services and pay-per-view titles because decoders can be connected to fast, cheaper and readily available broadband services still largely lacking in Africa.

Thanks to the larger storage capacity, the DStv Explora decoder offers DStv subscribers more space to record their own TV programming but also a bigger number of movie titles through the successful DStv BoxOffice service. 

The DStv Explora also stores more shows and episodes of TV series which are automatically downloaded and which are available on the DStv Catch-Up service.


ALSO READ: Unboxing the DStv Explora - Exactly how it looks and what's inside the box of MultiChoice's newest HD decoder.
ALSO READ: Gerdus van Eeden, MultiChoice's chief technology officer talks DStv Explora and the latest powerful addition to DStv's decoder line.

UNBOXING. DStv Explora: Exactly how it looks - and what's all inside the box - of MultiChoice's newest HD decoder.

MultiChoice's brand-new high definition PVR, the DStv Explora will be going on sale in retail from today for R2 499 and TV with Thinus has one to show you the unboxing first.

The blue and white box itself looks great; the black DStv Explora decoder - nicknamed "the pebble" by MultiChoice insiders due to its curvature physical design elements - is packed inside very sturdily in cardboard. 

I like the black gloss design (it will only come in black). 

There's only three buttons on the front of the DStv Explora and the smart card slot is hidden on the front right behind a flap. 

The DStv Explora decoder is a bit heavier than its predecessor the HD PVR (but I don't feel it's a drawback, it feels sturdy and "real" like a real piece of powerful TV technology and sits and fits in very nicely in my TV wall unit with all of the other black TV tech from my hi-fi and HD PVR to TV set, Sony Blu-Ray etc.). 

The digital display on the front black panel once the DStv Explora is on and installed, is a teal colour instead of the lime green of the HD PVR.

Inside the DStv Explora box is the DStv Explora decoder, the DStv Explora remote control, a blue DStv Explora welcome pack with various booklets and cables (not pictured here which I forgot to unplug before I took the picture above is the HDMI cable and the power cable).

The box also contains a DStv Switch which the new decoder needs.

The DStv Explora's sockets at the back and the cables cables are all "dummy proof" and colour marked, so at the back you can clearly see that the red HDMI cable tip plugs in where its marked red; that the purple power cord tip plugs in where it's marked purple at the back.

After I have been playing with it for just over a week the one thing I don't really like so much, or probably just need to still get used to (or grow muscle memory with my fingers) is the new DStv Explora remote control. 

There's a number of things I don't like about the DStv Explora remote control which I will keep for the actual Review of the DStv Explora, mostly pertaining to where some of the buttons are located. 

The one physical thing about some of the buttons themselves which I don't like a lot is specifically the toggle buttons in the middle - rewind, pause/play, fast forward and record - and the blue DStv button towards the top of the DStv Explora decoder.

These specific buttons are made of a different plastic/rubber than the rest of the buttons and are somewhat sticky - possibly to enhance grip and prevent sliding. I don't like it, it doesn't feel nice - like you've touched a kid's toy which got dirty and needs to be cleaned.

These specific few buttons also attract dust and dirt; after just a week micro particles are already sticking on it which I can't get off but clearly see. I live in a real house not a laboratory and already there's things sticking to it. 

It's also where the police will be able to get a very clear left hand thumb print of mine.

Besides that the DStv Explora remote control has no other physical irritations, although I also don't like where the Status Bar button is now located. I do like however the hot buttons incorporated at the top taking DStv subscribers directly to Catch-Up, Playlist, BoxOffice, Search instantly.

The DStv Explora welcome pack has several booklets: a DStv Explora introductory guide, a thicker Quick Guide, DStv Switch user guide, remote control guide, safety information, legal matters booklets and debit order registration form.

Overall I'm very impressed with the physical look of the DStv Explora, it really feels, holds and looks like a real and serious decoder upgrade from MultiChoice: modern and sleek with understated powerfulness packed inside.


ALSO READ: Gerdus van Eeden, MultiChoice's chief technology officer (CTO) talks DStv Explora and the powerful upgrade to DStv's decoder line.

FIRST INTERVIEW. DStv's chief technology officer Gerdus van Eeden talks DStv Explora and the powerful update to DStv's decoder line.

Gerdus van Eeden, MultiChoice's chief technology officer (CTO), sat down with TV with Thinus for an exclusive and comprehensive exclusive first interview about the satellite pay-TV platform's brand-new and much bigger capacity HD PVR decoder, the DStv Explora, which was just unveiled to the press and which will become available to DStv subscribers from 15 August.

ALSO READ: MultiChoice unveils its DStv Explora as the satellite pay-TV platform's brand-new, next generation HD PVR with a lot more content.

What are the basic specs, how is the DStv Explora the best new decoder of MultiChoice and representing the new next generation of what MultiChoice is bringing to market?
Gerdus van Eeden: The big feature with the DStv Explora is that it's got a 2 TB hard drive. That is four times the size compared to the current PVR that's available in the market. It has a dedicated tuner that's dedicated to pumping the DStv Catch Up and BoxOffice and TV guide data into the DStv Explora decoder.

On the current PVR the second tuner shared. So if you set a lot of your own recordings, that tuner is not free to pump the Catch Up and BoxOffice assets. Now it's a dedicated tuner and the second tuner is free for only your recordings. The first tuner is for what you're viewing. So you can expect a lot more reliability around getting your BoxOffice and Catch Up assets into the box.

The operating system is Linux. It Linux with essentially Java applications on top of it. The development for the application, that which the viewer is interacting with, that has been done by us here in South Africa.

That's a big departure from the past. In the past we've outsourced development of that to overseas entities. We've decided for the time to market and the sake of absolute control to take it into our own hands. So we're in control of a lot more of the development process. It's very much a South African product. The DStv Explora is assembled in East London.

With a mix of standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) recordings - most people use a mix of SD and HD recordings - we're talking about 220 hours of recording. It is more than twice the capacity of the current DStv decoder.


What's the price and when will it be available?
Gerdus van Eeden: It's manufactured by Pace. We contracted Pace. Pace is also one of the suppliers of our current PVRs. It will retail for R2499. We think it's a great price considering the fantastic specs on this decoder. It will be available from 15 August in retail.

With the roll out of the new HD channels on DStv and the launch of the new satellite last year I figured that MultiChoice must be hard at work on the development of an upgraded and more powerful HD PVR and now its the DStv Explora. When did you start development and how long have you've been working on the DStv Explora?
Gerdus van Eeden: Since this is a brand-new platform it's been a long development. The current PVR we can bring them out within a year because its basically the same platform which we just port to new hardware. But this is a brand-new platform from a hardware perspective and from a software perspective.

So it's been in the making for about two years. To be quite honest with you, initially when we conceived it, it was primarily a decoder or a PVR giving you internet connectivity. Two, three years ago we were hopeful that the South African broadband market from a fixed line perspective would become more mature. But it hasn't.

So we have actually changed tact about 18 months ago where we said okay, we have to deprioritise the internet connectivity a bit because you can make a big fanfare about it, but just about nobody will be able to use it out of the box. With the DStv Explora we will have to have this interim step of big video-on-demand (VOD) pumped in via satellite in order to give the DStv subscriber the experience. So we changed tact as well a bit through that two year period.


All of the DStv decoders, if you look at them, look quite different. The DStv Explora design and look physically is again a departure for MultiChoice. Why always these big changes?
Gerdus van Eeden: There's a good reason for it. In the past we've left it to our suppliers to bring a design to us and we've selected between a couple of designs. We didn't have this mindset of creating a design language.

With the DStv Explora this is completely different. We own the trademarks and that design. And when we bring a new PVR to the market it will follow that same design language. So the DStv Explora is the start of that era now.


Because I was surprised when I found out that oh MultiChoice will now give a name. And then I thought, oh will subscribers in future see a DStv Explora 2.0 for instance? And would it also be, or is it premature to say, that there will only be one name? Or might there be different product lines of DStv decoders from now on, all with different names? And why did you decide to name it?
Gerdus van Eeden: You will see there is a commonality between our devices. Think of the Walka with the "a" at the end. Think of the Drifta with the "a" at the end. So the Explora falls within that new scheme of naming of devices. And sure, there will be down the line - hopefully not to soon - more. For now for the future Explora will be the name used for our PVR product.

So there will be variations of the name, maybe Explora version 2 or whatever but essentially it will from now on always be Explora down the line.

How will the search functionality on the DStv Explora be better? Two weeks ago I watched on YouTube when Comcast in the United States unveiled their latest PVR. 
They reiterated that that is what subscribers struggle with the most: finding the content and knowing where it is, and knowing what there is and being exposed to the choices and having it easily accessible.
And no pay-TV player is really there yet. But I suppose the DStv Explora is evolving in terms of search functionality as well for the South African sphere.
Gerdus van Eeden: We've recognised that with all this additional content on the hard drive and available to you, you can easily simply get content buried. People simply don't discover that content and it's content which they would have watched. You will see now in terms of the interface with BoxOffice and Catch Up that we've reverted to a much more graphic interface.

We're using the poster art for BoxOffice and for the series and for the sport. It's much more identifiable. When you see the graphics it helps to pull you in. That's the one thing. We've really expanded the search in a big way.

You're obviously aware that the current decoder has limited search functionalities. There's a hotlink button on the remote for search. You press that button and you go straight to the search area. Now in that search area we've expanded it big time. There's  what we call advance searches that we've precooked for you.

So for example: You want to know what movies are on now, on all the channels on DStv, and you want to know for the next 2 hours. And there's one item that you select, "Movies on Now" and "Movies Next".

It will search across all the properties, not only the 8 day guide. Up until now we've only searched the 8 day guide. Now not only the 8 day guide but we search through BoxOffice, we search through Catch Up. And we search your Playlist.

So if you've happened to have recorded something a month ago and you've forgotten about it, it will show up in your search. Now you have this list of results across all these properties. Now we have a filtering function. As the search completes you just press left and right to select the filtering categories like "action" or "drama" for example.

I think DStv subscribers will really like this new feature and we've worked really long and hard to make it easy to use. We've included theme search which is included in the current decoder. There is text search, there's advanced search where you can really say only search in BoxOffice or only search in Catch Up. I don't think a lot of people will use it, but for those people who really want to do a pinsharp search, that is there.

The second thing is "Other Airings". That is something that people have really asked for and we've given it to them now with Explora. On any live event you bring up the i-plate and you press OK. You will now see a little menu associated with that - set a recording, set a reminder. You select that and it shows you now immediately when that particular event is showing again.

If you look globally also in decoder sales one of the things where pay-TV operators in terms of marketing tries to one up each other is saying 'You can record 4 things at the same time', 'With us you can record 5 things at the same time'. I always wonder why we don't see that kind of progression in South Africa. Is it because the technology becomes too expensive for the price point or because not enough people want it?
Gerdus van Eeden: Typically those systems are what they these days call "home gateways", so they would put in -especially the cable operators in the States but even the satellite operators like DirecTV - where they would supply a very big box with many tuners and lots of resources and then they would have thin clients hanging from that and it then shares these.

Unfortunately our market dynamics - if we would do that - it would make the price point for our entry PVR way too expensive. And that's the entry point [a decoder], you have to have this thing before you can do anything else, You know, we've looked at it, we've crunched the numbers, everything. It's just too expensive for our market.

So we've gone for the ExtraView route where if you want a secondary recording facility you buy the hardware, you link it in, you pay the additional monthly fee - which is not a double subscription - and you have a secondary recording facility.

We're also planning with this a second generation ExtraView version which will mean that you will be able to share content in HD between boxes, but that's in the future, that's coming.


People often ask me do i watch on fast forward with two or with three green arrows. How is fast forward and slow motion going to be different?

Gerdus van Eeden: The trick modes - as we call them - are much smoother and more useable. And there's four levels for forwarding, and the fourth one is really fast. You can really quickly go through content. Rewind the same. Slow motion is pretty much the same as we have on the current box.

You activate these differently. There is a brand-new remote control. It doesn't have the colour buttons anymore and we've removed Shift. People told us they don't like the Shift and too fiddly. We've added these additional hopping buttons.

Slow motion for example is activated by pressing the Play button in for 2 seconds. Then you're in slow motion mode. Then you use the normal forward and rewind buttons to go through the different levels. It's all there but works slightly differently - and in our minds much better.

You will also find that with Explora the interface is very responsive. On current decoders as you crunch through the catalogue you will see a 5 to 10 second delay. Now you will see it's instantaneous.

You press that hotlink button for Catch Up and it's there. You press the hotlink button for BoxOffice and it's there.


When the HD PVR was launched in 2008 just before the Olympics it was a bit buggey. 
I think MultiChoice felt to push it to market to not lose out on Olympic viewing and rushed the product as part of a marketing strategy. 
Can you assure people that they don't have to be scared to go and buy this new generation DStv Explora? That MultiChoice isn't bringing the Explora to market now because you're forced?
Gerdus van Eeden: We absolutely did not force this launch. We're launching the Explora because the product is ready to launch.