BREAKING. Platco Digital's OpenView HD satellite TV service won't be engaging in licensable activities, says it is merely a platform.

Platco Digital, the new satellite TV operator seeking to launch the new OpenView HD service in South Africa by October with 15 TV channels but which isn't licensed by the South African broadcasting regulator says that it will not be engaging in any licensable activities on its own because it's only providing a platform for free TV channels.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) told TV with Thinus on Monday that Platco Digital's OpenView HD would need to get licensed before it starts broadcasting and that it's never heard of Platco or OpenView HD.

Platco Digital with its head office in Johannesburg is backed by e.tv's parent company Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI). HCI owns Sabido Investments, which holds a 67% interest in Platco Digital and a 63% stake in e.tv. Platco Digital is however a separate company housed in a separate building.

Platco Digital wants to start a free satellite TV service with approximately 15 free-to-air standard definition and high definition TV channels which only acquires a once-off installation cost of around R2 000.

"The authority is not aware of any launch of a new satellite television service," says Icasa. "The law is very clear that no broadcasting service can be provided without a valid broadcasting service licence issued by Icasa in terms of the Electronic Communication Act."

Platco Digital says that "in any territory where it operates, Platco Digital willwork with licensed broadcasters to provide viewers access to channels licensed to operate in those territories. Platco Digital will therefore always be in compliance with national broadcasting laws and regulations."

"Platco Digital's South African direct-to-home (DTH) platform, OpenView HD, will not be engaging in any licensable activities on its own behalf as it merely provides technical platform services to licensed free-to-air broadcasters on the basis of their existing licences," says Platco.

"Viewers wishing to access the OpenView HD offering will need to purchase and install a satellite dish and set-top box from retail outlets," says Platco. Approximately 15 TV channels will be available.

"We are excited about participating in the digital television space - there are vast opportunities to grow free television in Southern Africa and drive digital migration and we believe satellite, digital terrestrial television (DTT), mobile TV and other digital platforms can play an important role," says Maxwell Nonge, Platco Digital's managing director.

"Platco Digital has entered into partnerships with a range of companies including satellite providers, leading set-top box (STB) distributors, major retailers and broadcasters. The company is very keen to create a strong free TV platform that will benefit all."

A national roadshow is taking place this week for installers and distributors of OpenView HD to which press has not been invited.

Besides Platco Digital's OpenView HD initiative, e.tv is separately still committed to run a free-to-air digital terrestrial television (DTT) channel offering working in conjunction with the SABC to make available TV channel clusters broadcasting digitally when South Africa eventually switched from analogue to digital broadcasting, a long-delayed process known as digital migration.

BREAKING. Porn TV takeover battle heats up as Longkloof Limited increases its bid for New Frontier Media.

Longkloof Limited really wants to get full control of the the pornographic content purveyor, New Frontier Media, as an aggressive takeover bid of the company just heated up further with an increase in the unsolicited bid.

Longkloof Limited is an offshore Channel Islands investment company. Longkloof Limited's parent is the South African investment company Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI). HCI is the parent firm of South Africa's e.tv. HCI own 64% of the broadcaster e.tv through its subsidiary Sabido Investments.

New Frontier Media produces and distributes pornographic movies and owns the porn channel Penthouse TV and The Erotic Networks, or TEN, which packages VaVoom, Juicy and XTSY. Longkloof Limited is already the biggest single shareholder in Longkloof Limited with about 15,9% shareholding but does not control the board.

Longkloof Limited made its first unsolicited offer for New Frontier Media in March. That was followed by a competing offer from Playboy TV distributor Manwin Holdings.

According to reports, HCI through Longkloof Ltd, originally acquired the stake in New Frontier Media a few years ago due to plans to start a pornographic channel that Sabido Investments would run for MultiChoice's DStv pay TV platform. MultiChoice, the company which approached Sabido Investments, eventually didn't follow through with the plan.

HCI, through Longkloof Ltd, sits with the 15,9% stake and aggressively wants the whole company. Longkloof Limited has now increased its unsolicited bid to $1,75 per share.

Hosken Consolidated Investments, through Longkloof Ltd, has also put forth the names of 4 members to the 6 member board of directors of New Frontier Media.

In written notice to New Frontier Media, Longkloof Ltd has indicated that it wants to nominate TV executive Eric Doctorow, Mahomed Khalik Ismail Sherrif (Sabido's chief commercial officer as well as e.tv's chief commercial officer), Willem Deon Nel (chief financial officer of Sabido as well as chief financial officer of e.tv) and Barbara Wall (until recently executive vice president of development, production and current programming at Lionsgate Television) for New Frontier Media's board.

According to Multichannel News, in a letter to New Frontier Media's board of directors on Wednesday this week, 23 May, Longkloof Ltd expressed its frustration with what it called the special committee's "inaction".

According to the Dow Jones Newswires Longkloof Limited's offer is now about $28,3 million for the shares of New Frontier Media.

The porn giant Manwin - which already operates Playboy TV through its Playboy Plus Entertainment division and also owns YouPorn and Twistys, as well as Spankwire, Webcams Tube8, ExtremeTube, KeezMovies, Mofos, ExtremeTube, JuicyBoys and PornHub - has made a competing $24 million offer for New Frontier Media, according to CNBC.

BREAKING. The eNews Channel is BREAKING EVEN!

You're reading it here first. The eNews Channel (DStv 403) with famous news hound faces like Pat Pillai and Debora Patta has been up a running for only A YEAR AND FOUR MONTHS and now South Africa's first independently run 24 hour news channel is breaking even.

This is an enormously impressive feat, and a huge feather in the cap of e.tv.

The remarkable performance is even greater given 1. the difficulty of launching any new TV channel, especially a 2. news channel with huge overheads (news is an especially expensive TV genre to produce), 3. the relative state of the economy as well as 4. shrinking ad budgets.

Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI) who owns 64% of e.tv indicates in their half year results that the eNews Channel has passed the breakeven point.

The eNews Channel should start to actually contribute to the group's income during the period of October 2009 to end-March 2010. The eNews Channel (this news ia a month old already) is now also the most popular news channel on the fast-growing DStv Compact bouquet.

MY SCOOP CONFIRMED! I was first on 1 October already with THIS NEWS that e.tv is planning a brand new spin-off channel from the eNews Channel, that will be broadcasting to the rest of Africa. HCI's half year results now confirms this.

The new channel is starting out as that late night, three hour news block, called eAfrica News, but that will be the proper name of the new 24 hour channel that should be launching soon.

BREAKING. Lots more ebucks for e.tv.

You're reading it here first. I read through Hosken Consolidated Investment's (HCI) half year results for this nuggets about e.tv.
HCI owns 64% of e.tv and just came out with their half year results from between March and end of September this year.

E.tv upped their operating profit  by 19% to R331 million.
E.tv's revenue grew by 2,7% to R766 million.

The broadcaster's ad income also went UP during these six months (comapred to the SABC's ad income going DOWN).