eNCA's Patrick Conroy to head up OpenView HD, Anton Harber the new head of eNCA, while Maxwell Nonge appointed as new technology boss at eMedia Investments.

eMedia Investments is making executive changes with eNCA TV news channel boss Patrick Conroy taking over the reigns of Platco Digital's OpenView HD (OVHD) free-to-air satellite service, noted academic Anton Harber taking over as eNCA news boss, and OpenView HD boss Maxwell Nonge appointed as the group's overall chief technology officer.

All 3 appointments will become official from 1 March 2016. The group news editor position at eNCA is still empty.

eMedia (the former Seardel media group owned by Hosken Consolidated Investments Limited (HCI that changed its name in September 2015) is surprising the TV and news industry with the appointment of academic Anton Harber on a fixed term contract, the length of which isn't being specified, to now head up the electronic TV news service.

Anton Harber, in the role of editor-in-chief of eNCA, will take over from Patrick Conroy.

Anton Harber is the Caxton Professor of Journalism at the University of the Witwaterstand and was a founder of the Weekly Mail (now the Mail & Guardian).

e.tv's announcement of the three executive changes interestingly only notes a mentorship role that Anton Harber will be playing at eNCA and nothing business wise or business goals to be achieved like the other two.

eNCA's TV news offering, supplied as a TV news channel to MultiChoice's DStv where it remains the most watched TV news channel in South Africa, was severely cut back and reduced the last year with several programming strands and shows that were axed and journalists and on-air talent that left.

"Anton Harber's extensive experience in South African media will allow him to mentor and grow the future leaders of the television news industry," says eMedia in a statement, noting that "he is a seasoned journalist, experienced manager and highly respected professional".

Patrick Conroy is now moving to head up OpenView HD that now has 360 000 subscribers as becomes the new managing director.

He was asked to take over management of the Platco Digital satellite TV service to help it to make more money, to add ways to generate more income, and to exploit the existing TV content to market OpenView HD.

"Since 2005 Patrick Conroy has built a news company and management team which is world class. We believe he has the skills to capitalise on OpenView HD's success to date and also to build the platform's revenue generating opportunities. He will also look to explore a new content marketing opportunity which we believe is important to a rapidly evolving media environment".

Maxwell Nonge who headed up Platco Digital since the launch of OpenView HD in 2013 is now the group's new chief technology officer.

"His knowledge and technological experience will allow him to leverage technology across the group and take advantage of the rapidly changing media environment" and to "future-proof the business".

"Patrick Conroy and Maxwell Nonge also know each other very well and will be working closely together to develop strategies for the group".

Platco Digital's OpenView HD passes 300 000 South African households after 2 years; adds 100 000 OpenView households in the last 4 months.

Platco Digital's OpenView HD free-to-air satellite platform has passed 300 000 South African TV households.

The platform launched in October 2013 as e.tv's plan to create a workaround for its own digital television given the government's long-delayed and ongoing inability to commercial launch digital terrestrial television (DTT) in South Africa.

HCI owns Sabido Investments, which holds a 67% interest in Platco Digital and a 63% stake in e.tv.

Its broadcasting component didn't want to be left behind as MultiChoice's DStv and StarTimes Media SA's StarSat launch more channels, community TV stations grow and channel fragmentation increase and individual channel audience share keeps decreasing.

Several of the existing e.tv packaged and supplied channels on OpenView HD like eKasi+, eMovies+, eAfrica+ and eToonz+ are very likely part of the channels offering that e.tv will launch its commercial DTT service with once the actual commercial digital migration switch from analogue to digital terrestrial TV finally happens.

OpenView HD saw its share of difficulties with losing some channels that went dark over the past two years as well as some new additions as well as signing up radio stations, currently sitting with 20 TV channels and 8 radio stations and more promised.

However, as the country's economic steadily situation keeps worsening for consumers, OpenView HD has seen a sudden surge from TV viewers opting for its free satellite service which requires a once-off decoder and satellite buying and installation fee.

It's also become easier for existing pay-TV subscribers to make the switch to Platco Digital's service since it started using space on Intersat's IS20 satellite in 2014. It means that subscribers who had a DStv dish installed don't need a new installation since the existing dish is already pointed in the right direction making it easy for OpenView HD buyers to just plug-and-play.

Platco Digital has now experienced a surge, with 100 000 new satellite and decoder installations in the last four months - a third of its overall total users it managed to amass the past two years.

"The strong retail partnerships have contributed to a 300% increase in uptake of OpenView HD decoders in the market," says Maxwell Nonge, Platco Digital managing director who says OpenView HD is now active in 300 000 South African households.

"We constantly strive to secure content that is guided by customer research to ensure that the channels are in line with the target audience's viewing patterns," says Maxwell Nonge.

Platco Digital's OpenView HD reaches 200 000 customers; will enhance offering with further new TV channels added soon.

OpenView HD will reach its 200 000 installation and activation within days since the free-to-air satellite TV service launched in South Africa in October 2013.

OpenView HD is operated by Platco Digital with its head office in Johannesburg and is backed by e.tv's parent company Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI).

In 2014 Ellies, the JSE-listed electronics distributor said that OpenView HD "has been slow to take off" and that there's been a poor uptake of the service but OpenView HD.

E.tv started OpenView HD as a counter and interim measure to due to government's long-delayed switch-on of commercial digital terrestrial television (DTT) in South Africa and things are now looking better for OpenView HD.

OpenView HD tells TV with Thinus that a target of 170 000 box sales was set for this financial year and OpenView HD has already sold 100 000 boxes.

OpenView HD sold an average of 3 500 boxes per month last year and is now averaging sales of 26 000 boxes per month.

"The growth of OpenView HD is better than expected," says Maxwell Nonge, the managing director of Platco Digital.

"In its 1st year OpenView HD was accepted into 50 000 households. To date there has been a 300% increase in the uptake which will get OpenView HD to 200 000 active decoders."

Maxwell Nonge says "viewers can look forward to an even more enhanced offering from the platform, as new channels will be added to the bouquet soon".

"Content that will be added is guided by focused consumer research to ensure that the channels are in line with the target audience's viewing patters."

OpenView HD has 19 entertainment channels, including the SABC's SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3, and carries 5 radio stations.

OpenView HD decoders retails for R399 which excludes the dish and installation. It uses the same dish alignment as MultiChoice's DStv which means that OpenView HD viewers don't need to buy a second satellite dish and only the decoder.

BREAKING. Relevant TV gone from OpenView HD; Alex TV also abruptly disappears from OpenView HD after its broadcasting licence expires.

Relevant TV channel (OVHD 253) is gone from OpenView HD with no warning to OpenView HD viewers or telling the press, while the community TV station Alex TV also disappeared abruptly and went off the air without warning after its broadcasting licence expired.

Although Relevant TV and Alex TV are still sold to OpenView HD viewers as two of the available channels on the satellite TV platform's channel line-up on its website, Relevant TV and Alex TV have both been scrapped, with no word from OpenView HD as to why.

The shocking and sudden termination of Relevant TV, a non-denominational, multi-national Christian lifestyle TV channel with Joshua McCauley as founder, is apparently due to Relevant TV no longer forming a part of the "focus" of OpenView HD which is run by Sabido's Platco Digital division.

"Relevant TV will be off air due to unforeseen circumstances that the channel could not avoid," says OpenView HD.

Furious OpenView HD viewers who got no warning nor any explanation are fuming about the abrupt removal of Relevant TV which was added to OpenView HD in September 2014.

"Please take the necessary action to rectify your unforseen circumstances," said OpenView HD viewer Viv Mellows.

The community TV channel Alex TV (OVHD 453), stylised as lx tv, is also abruptly gone from OpenView HD without prior warning to viewers or the press.

Alex TV's licence apparently expired since the TV channel covering the Alexandra township started broadcasting in May 2014.

In response to a media enquiry made on Tuesday about Alex TV going dark, Maxwell Nonge, the managing director of Platco Digital said "the channel is in the process of renewing its broadcast licence with the regulating body".

In response to a media enquiry made on Tuesday about Relevant TV, Maxwell Nonge says "the channel is ending its contract due to business contraints. Viewers can look forward to the introduction of more channels on the platform over the course of the year".

BREAKING. Platco Digital's OpenView HD adding Christian TV channel, Relevant TV, from 15 September to channel 253.

You're reading it here first. 

Platco Digital's OpenView HD (OVHD) is adding Relevant TV as a brand-new Christian TV channel from Monday 15 September on channel 253 which will broadcast for 24 hours per day.

Relevant TV calls itself a "non-denominational, multi-national Christian lifestyle TV channel" and has Joshua McCauley as founder.

Relevant TV, primarily targeting young adult viewers, says it will be covering premier conferences from around the world and from local African churches as a free-to-air TV channel, and will also broadcast Christian faith-based, family-friendly movies as part of the weekly schedule.

Relevant TV will also aim to broadcast kids programming, music, live events, talk shows and weekly inspirational shows as it covers the whole spectrum of Christianity.

TV with Thinus understands that Relevant TV will provide South African viewers with a 6 hour loop of fresh new content on Monday to Friday, and a 12 hour loop on Saturday and Sunday, repeated during the rest of the time.

"Relevant TV will bring great content which will motivate and uplift the viewer," says Joshua McCauley. "We strive to bring quality to the Christian TV market that has not yet been experienced in South Africa".

"We are proud to welcome Relevant TV to the OpenView HD family," says Maxwell Nonge, the managing director of Platco Digital.

"This new addition allows us the ability to offer a Christian TV experience that is in line with our diverse audience and quality programming".

BREAKING. A SECOND dedicated, 24-hour Oscar Pistorius trial TV channel starting on OpenView HD (OVHD) on Monday.

Besides MultiChoice's Oscar Pistorius trial TV channel starting on Sunday on channel 199 on DStv, South African viewers are now getting an additional, second 24-hour Oscar Pistorius which will be bringing viewers  around the clock court coverage of the sensational court trial.

The paralympic athlete shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year. His court trial will start on Monday in which he stands accused of premeditated murder.

Besides MultiChoice's DStv channel, the Sabido-owned OpenView HD (OVHD) satellite TV platform from Platco Digital, is now adding its own Oscar Pistorius trial TV channel to feed the huge interest in the case.

OVHD will launch its Trial TV: The State vs Oscar Pistorius TV channel on Monday on channel 119, and will bring viewers live court proceedings from the Pretoria High Court daily from 10:00 to 16:00. Court proceedings will be repeated on a 24 hour basis.

"OpenView HD is pleased to be able to broadcast the Oscar Pistorius trial live on our platform," says Maxwell Nonge, the managing director of Platco Digital.

"The decision to provide our viewers access to information of public interest is in line with our commitment to afford OpenView HD viewers with as broad a range of programming as we have at our disposal".

"There has been a lot if interest around the Oscar Pistorius case among our viewers, therefore we would like to afford our viewers the opportunity to witness and follow the trial of Oscar Pistorius as it happens," says Monde Twala, e.tv's head of channels.

Besides the OVHD Oscar Pistorius TV channel, the e.tv group will also do heavy coverage of the Oscar Pistorius trial on e.tv's eNews Prime Time daily news bulletin, as well as on the eNCA (DStv 403) 24-hour TV channel.

South Africa's TV executives in attendance - and talking - at the upcoming week's annual 16th AfricaCom 2013's AfricaCast TV

TV executives from South Africa and across the African continent will descend on Cape Town this upcoming week who will be in attendance - and talking - at the 16th annual AfricaCom 2013 event and its AfricaCast 2013 seminar series taking place from 12 to 14 November at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).

AfricaCast - fast becoming a must-attend event on the annual calendar in already busy TV executives' diaries - is filled with television and technology executives giving keynote speeches, talking about, and engaging in discussions ranging across the entire spectrum and aspects of Africa's burgeoning satellite and television market.

Included on AfricaCast 2013's speaking roster is Alex Okosi, the executive vice president and managing director of Viacom Media International Networks (VIMN Africa) who will talk about multiplatform connectednesss and how VIMN Africa is leveraging social media to drive TV viewing.

VIMN Africa will also give a preview of Comedy Central's programming for the African version of the channel on MultiChoice's DStv.

Maxwell Nonge, the managing director of Platco Digital will be in attendance and speaking after the launch of OpenView HD last month in South Africa as e.tv's new push within the direct-to-home (DTH) satellite market. Maxwell Nonge will be talking about how e.tv is preparing to position the free-to-air commercial broadcaster as a "broadcaster for all devices".

Sivan Pillay, the managing director of production company Endemol South Africa will talk on Wednesday about unlocking  African television through digital transformation.

Olivier Laouchez, the founder and CEO of the Trace Group responsible for the Trace Sport Stars and Trace channels on MultiChoice's DStv will talk about Trace as an entertainment broadcaster in Africa.

SABC CEO Lulama Mokhobo will talk about how triple-play is impacting on African broadcasting revenues; and Christoph Limmer, a senior director for Africa at satellite company SES will talk about how satellite will shape future broadcasting in the African continent.

Richard Bell from the Wananchi Group which runs the Zuku pay-TV service in East Africa will talk about how fixed broadband networks and content represent the next leap forward for Africa

Kaisa Kieli, the president and managing director for Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region of Discovery Networks CEEMEA will talk on Thursday at AfricaCast 2013 about engaging target audiences with focused content.

Alessandro Tucci, the senior vice president and general manager for Africa for Fox International Channels (FIC Africa) and the FOX Networks which runs the FOX channels on DStv and TopTV will talk about developing pay-TV channels in emerging markets, creating balanced TV bouquets and share insight from emerging TV markets in Africa.

AfricaCast 2013 panel discussions include topics ranging from "How are broadcasters adapting to multiplatform engagement strategies?", Africa's preparations for the switch-over to digital terrestrial television (DTT) and how it's been going, to what the major challenges are of being a global broadcaster in Africa.

Other notable executives attending AfricaCom 2013 and AfricaCast 2013 include Rudolf Kogler, the head of IPTV at MultiChoice; Sid Wadhi, the CEO of ANB Digital which runs CNBC Africa; Mike Aldridge, the managing director of community TV station Cape Town TV (CTV); Solomon Mugera from the BBC, as well as executives from Neotel, Vodacom, MTN, Orange, Cell C, Telkom and Google.

BREAKING. SABC accuses Platco Digital and OpenView HD of lies, says the SABC TV channels will NOT be available on OpenView HD.

You're reading it here first. 

Drama and controversy just erupted with the SABC accusing Platco Digital and OpenView HD, the new direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV upstart, of misleading the public and of telling blatant lies, and with the SABC now saying the SABC's TV channels will not be available on OpenView HD and demanding that OpenView HD immediately withdraw the false and misleading statements.

Platco Digital's managing director, Maxwell Nonge, a division within the holding company Sabido Investments, told the South African press that OpenView HD will launch on 15 October with 16 TV channels including the SABC's SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3.

TV channels have to sign carriage agreements and have to pay to be available on OpenView HD for which people will have to pay R1 600 for a satellite dish and a decoder after which they will get the TV signals for free. Platco Digital says OpenView HD makes its money from the TV channels, who in turn generate their money from advertising revenue.

In a strongly worded statement the SABC says OpenView HD is lying with false claims that OpenView HD will be carrying SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 on the bouquet of channels and that the announcement "that SABC television channels will form part of their bouquet is not true".

The SABC says the public broadcaster "does not have any agreement with the newly launched satellite television service" and sees the false claims "in a serious light, as OpenView HD is misleading the public".

The SABC says its reached its own agreement for the SABC's channels to be carried on Sentech's new DTH satellite platform Freeview from the end of September 2013, saying OpenView HD needs to immediately stop "confusing the public with false advertising of their services".

"We will not allow anyone to use the SABC's name falsely to advance their business interests," says Hlaudi Motsoeneng, the SABC's acting chief operating officer (COO).

Platco Digital and OpenView HD didn't immediately respond to media enquiries seeking comment as to why it annouced the SABC channels as part of the bouquet, and whether Platco Digital has valid carriage agreements for the SABC channels on OpenView HD.

UPDATED 19 September 17:00 - Platco Digital is now responding, but not with answers to specific questions in a media enquiry, but with a very coy and mysterious and terse statement, saying defiantly that it will go ahead and include the SABC's 3 TV channels at launch in October, refusing to say whether it has a signed carriage agreement and saying the SABC has obligations and would act unlawfully as a public broadcaster by witholding its channels.

OpenView HD aims to break even by 2018, wants to reach 5 million viewers in South Africa after 5 years.

OpenView HD, the new direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV offering from Platco Digital which will start broadcasting with 16 TV channels from 15 October including four new TV channels from e.tv wants to reach 5 million South African TV viewers after 5 years.

Maxwell Nonge, the managing director of Platco Digital said at a press briefing of the new satellite TV offering which will cost R1 600, that OpenView is hoping to reach 2 million viewers within the next 2 years which will be its break-even point.

Platco Digital projects to have 200 000 subscribers by October 2014; 2 million by 2018 which would be Platco Digital's break-even point, and 5 million OpenView HD satellites on roofs in South Africa after 5 years.

MultiChoice currently has 6.8 million DStv subscribers in South Africa on its satellite pay TV service; the struggling On Digital Media's (ODM) TopTV has less than 200 000 on its satellite pay TV service after more than three years and numerous mistakes and public brand reputation damage the company's management inflicted on its service.

Maxwell Nonge said Platco Digital, a sister company to e.tv under the holding company of Sabido Investments, believes that there are huge growth opportunities for digital television in South Africa. OpenView HD makes use of the DBV-S2 broadcasting standard with MPEG-4 compression and supports Dolby Digital for surround sound audio.

The OpenView HD decoders, supplied by NDS has a conditional access system so that decoders can be cut off if used outside of South Africa. OpenView HD will supply an electronic programme guide (EPG) and a parental age restriction control lock.

Platco Digital is paid and derives its ongoing income from carriage deals from the TV channels on the OpenView HD bouquet; with Platco Digital saying those channels getget their revenue in turn from advertising and an increased reach through being seen by more TV viewers on OpenView HD.

OpenView HD set to launch on 15 October with 16 TV channels including the 4 new e.tv "+" branded channels and e.tv in high definition.

OpenView HD from Platco Digital is set to launch on 15 October in South Africa as what is known as a direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV service with viewers who will get free monthly access to 16 TV channels after paying once for the decoder and installation.

e.tv which can't wait any longer for South Africa's long delayed transition to digital terrestrial television (DTT) due to a lack of leadership from the government over the past few years and various TV industry hold ups, will roll out the first of its own free collection of TV channels meant for DTT on OpenView HD.

As South Africa's TV environment keeps fragmenting due to the ongoing addition of more and more TV channels - mostly from MultiChoice's DStv - which keeps splitting the available viewership and the available TV advertising income pie, e.tv will now launch its own eKasi+, eToonz+, eMovies+ and eAfrica+ channels on OpenView HD.

Besides the new e.tv channels on OpenView HD, the platform will also include SABC1, SABC2, SABC3, and will broadcast the e.tv channel in high definition (HD).

Other channels on OpenView HD include the Afrikaans channel ASTV and the Muslim channel Deen TV which have been available only on TopTV's platform until now, as well as Zest TV a new English language Bollywood channel.

Mindset Learning and Da Vinci Learning are educational channels. English Club is a TV channel devoted to English language learning. Spirit World Ministries, as a Christian TV channel, and Inspiration TV are both faith-based TV channels.

Maxwell Nonge, the managing director of Patco Digital says OpenView HD and the 16 free TV channels the platform will launch with, "addresses affordability of quality content".

OpenView HD equipment in the form of a satellite dish and a decoder will go on sale from 15 October for R1 600 although the price will differ between various retailers. After installation satellite viewers will get access to the TV channels for free without a monthly subscription fee and Platco Digital says the number of TV channels will grow over time.

TopTV executives and e.tv management have had discussions about the addition of e.tv's new eKasi+, eToonz+, eAfrica+ and eMovies+ on TopTV platform but no decisions have so far been made. It's unclear whether MultiChoice is considering adding the new e.tv channels to DStv.

The SABC is also set to launch a further collection of its own TV channels as part of DTT such as SABC Sport, similar to the recently launched SABC News which is only available on DStv but will be made freely available once DTT starts.

M-Net will likewise launch its own new collection of M-Net TV channels once it's able to start selling DTT decoders instead of the current obsolete analogue M-Net decoders.

Sentech will soon rebrand its existing Vivid DTH satellite platform in South Africa to FreeVision and plans to offer a similar service to OpenView HD with an assortment of free-to-air TV channels such as those from the SABC.

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.