On Digital Media's StarSat opens its first StarSat branch in South Africa in Pretoria; pay-TV operator says it sees 'positive changes'.

On Digital Media (ODM) and StarTimes Media South Africa which runs the StarSat pay-TV service in South Africa has opened its first physical shop outside of the satellite pay-TV platform's walk-in customer centre at its Woodmead-based office complex in Johannesburg.

It's StarSat's first walk-in shop and branch and its first branch in Pretoria. The dedicated StarSat shop which StarSat calls a "customer experience centre" or CEC is the first of several ones planned to open countrywide in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban over the coming months.

The StarSat branch, just like the Woodmead headquarters, allow StarSat subscribers to visit the brand, experience the StarSat TV channel offering on the in-store TV sets, as well as buy a StarSat decoder, pay subscriptions, bring decoders in for repairs and help with technical queries.

StarSat's Pretoria branch opened on Saturday at Station Square, in the heart of the LSM market StarSat is targeting since China's StarTimes TV group invested and overhauled the TopTV brand.

"The launch of the StarSat customer experience centre is a clear indication that StarSat is committed to ensuring that our customers are able to receive a high level of service with the minimum amount of fuss," said Marius Liebenberg, the head of sales at StarTimes Media South Africa which is the operational service provider to StarSat subscribers, in a statement.

"We can already see very positive changes within the business and I'm confident to say that the StarSat brand is proving to be a force to be reckoned with," says Marius Liebenberg.

BREAKING. TopTV confirms its plans to pump pornographic channels to subscribers as part of a new R18 porn package.

TopTV is getting ready to pump pornography to TopTV subscribers, with On Digital Media (ODM) confirming its major pornography TV channels plans, saying in a just released statement it has the ''intent to broadcast adult content on these additional channels''.

ALSO READ: TopTV wants to titillate; wants to pump 3 porn channels to subscribers.
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Without specifying what kind or by whom, TopTV says that research has shown ''that there is a definite market for adult content and channels among South African television viewers''. TopTV want to carry hardcore pornographic channels with a rating of R18 and has applied to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) to deliver these channels to TopTV subscribers.

TopTV's porn plans comes in stark contrast to CEO Vino Govender who said at TopTV's launch in May 201o that TopTV will not be carrying any pornographic TV channels. TopTV failed to add any commercial TV channels in 2011, besides adding the community TV channel 1KZN and and losing the two channels Hi Nolly and One Music recently.

TopTV says the porn will be on the three channels that will ''carry a strictly enforced R18 age restriction and will only be accessible on a secure, encrypted and separate subscription package''.

In the press release TopTV seems to take a pre-emtive strike to defend its new porn plans saying ''television viewers have the right to choose what content they view in the privacy of their own homes''.

''It will not be possible for the three additional channels to be viewed inadvertently by TopTV subscribers,'' says Marius Liebenberg, TopTV's senior vice president for sales and marketing.

''As a pay-TV operator, we are constantly reassessing the market. We have established that there is a niche market for such a service and are ensuring that we offer it to potential subscribers in a responsible and secure environment,'' says TopTV.


ALSO READ: From ''strong Christian ethical values' and not wanting ''to poison the minds of millions of SA children'' to adult channels.
ALSO READ: TopTV planning their own adult TV channels, now in an ugly porno spat with PSat.TV that has plans for their own porno channel.
ALSO READ: ''Will they call it Top T*ts?'' South Africa's wide-eyed TV industry reacts to TopTV's plans for channeling pornographic television.
ALSO READ: TopTV wants to titillate; plans to pump 3 adult TV channels with a rating of R18 to subscribers as part of a separate porn subscription package.

BREAKING. TopTV promotes execs; claims an 85% customer call centre answer rate.

You're reading it here first.

I can be first to tell you that On Digital Media (ODM) running the TopTV pay television platform in South Africa has made some executive level promotions.

Frans Lindeque who was the chief technical officer at ODM has been promoted to chief operating officer. He will now look after both these portfolios which includes being overall responsible for things such as customer service at TopTV. Also promoted from the beginning of this month is Marius Liebenberg who has been appointed as the chief sales officer.

TopTV's customer call centre now has a 85% call answer rate, Elouise Kelly, TopTV's chief marketing officer tells me. ''We still have a slight problem doing TopTV installations in outlying areas but we are working on recruiting installers who are based further away from the main centra to work in those areas. The time frame in which people's TopTV decoders are installed and activated are definitely improving, we've fixed up and improved the TopTV billing system and after the conclusion of the 2010 World Cup we will also be able to track TopTV decoder sales more accurately,'' she says.

TopTV is currently using focus groups to test consumer reaction to the TopTV launch, getting feedback from subscribers as well as non TopTV subscribers. TopTV is also doing email panel research (TopTV sent out a questionaire to get feedback from subscribers on what they like and don't like as well as their thoughts about TopTV's pricing).