BREAKING. TopTV on its porn debacle: 'It was never our intention to become the porn channel.'

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"We didn't want to be known as the porn channel. It was never our intention to become the porn channel," TopTV told journalists and TV critics at the South African pay TV operator's first ever programming preview in Cape Town.

TopTV was asked about whether the pay TV operator has reached a decision yet on whether to again pursue its stand-alone pornographic package of channels after South Africa's TV regulator turned it down earlier this year.

"It's with the lawyers. It's still with the lawyers," said Heather Kennedy, TopTV's vice president for marketing, when asked whether TopTV has reached a decision yet on whether it will be appealing the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa's (Icasa) decision. Icasa decided not to grant TopTV's application for authorisation to start broadcasting pornographic TV channels.

It started when TopTV - which didn't have an authorisation of application letter from Icasa - told subscribers in a letter at the end of last year that it would start a new stand-alone, separate pornographic bouquet requiring a separate PIN, during the week of Christmas 2011.

At the same time TopTV which has not added new channels, started losing channels from its normal bouquet when channel providers ceased broadcasting. That lead existing subscribers to feel that TopTV was suddenly focusing its attention on a niche product instead of improving its main general offering. The former CEO Vino Govender who has since resigned, also said at TopTV's launch that TopTV wouldn't have pornographic channels.

TopTV was however under immense pressure to launch the porn bouquet since it had already signed broadcasting rights with the European company which it stood to lose if it didn't start broadcasting the channels. Public outroar followed, organisations called for a boycott of TopTV and TopTV advertisers and asking TopTV subscribers to cancel, TopTV investors threatened to disinvest, TopTV and Icasa went to court, and TopTV didn't show up at its own public hearing at Icasa where it's public application for the bouquet was heard.

The embarrassing public porn battle did huge damage to TopTV brand reputation. Eddie Mbalo is the new interim CEO of TopTV which turned two last week.

"The timing was wrong," admitted Heather Kennedy. "It all happened when a company called PSat suddenly came forward and advertised porn; told people they will be showing porn and that people can get TopTV, throw TopTV's smartcard away and get porn through our decoder. At the same time we had lodged an application at Icasa for adult content. And always our intention was for a completely different package, from Playboy. Then events unfolded and I don't need to unpackage it further."

"Our focus is and remains on family viewing. We didn't and don't want to be seen as an adult service. Our focus is on family and family viewing. But there is a market for adult content,'' she said. "Interestingly, Sky in the United Kingdom has 17 adult channels in their basic bouquet - un-PIN-coded to be seen by anyone. Of course we do have in South Africa a slightly different market," she said.

She said TopTV will continue to strengthen it content offering in future as an affordable, pay TV alternative option in South Africa. 

BREAKING. Today's urgent court interdict to block TopTV from launching hardcore porn channels only to be decided on Wednesday.

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I can break the news that the battle to pump hardcore pornography over South Africa's TV airwaves got even more complicated as the high court case heard today of South Africa's broadcasting regulator - seeking an urgent court interdict against the pay TV operator TopTV - will only be decided upon by the court on Wednesday.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) applied for an urgent court interdict which was heard on Friday in the South Gauteng High Court - a case which I can tell you went for several hours and only ended late Friday evening.

At issue: The regulator wants TopTV to stop from launching its new stand-alone pornographic package of hardcore 24 hour pornographic TV channels - Private Spice, Adult XXX and Playboy Europe - which TopTV now intends to launch on 20 January according to its affadavit.

Despite reputational damage and having no approval certificate from Icasa (who must still hold a public hearing on the matter and after that make a decision) TopTV is adamant on launching its new pornographic channel set.

TopTV's porn plan which has been making international news has meanwhile been met with resistance from TopTV subscribers, the South African public which includes South African Christian Muslim and Hindu faith-based groups, and organisations such as the Film and Publication Board (FPB).

TopTV planned to launch its porn package on 20 December as it told TopTV subscribers in a letter at the end of 2011; then moved the date to 20 January.

The channels Private Spice, Adult XXX and Playboy Europe are provided by Playboy UK/Benelux Limited. TopTV which signed carriage agreements in 2011 with them, says it needs to launch and start broadcasting the porn package due to contractual time stipulations made with the content providers or lose money. TopTV plans to make the three TV channels available at a combined additional price of R199 per month in a separate subscription requiring an additional PIN code.

Icasa argued that TopTV can't launch any TV channels until the regulatory process, which Icasa is obliged to carry out, has been completed and then only if permission is granted. TopTV argued that Icasa has no basis to bring an urgent interdict since the pay TV operator believes that it has automatic approval to start broadcasting porn.

TopTV wants to launch the porn channels without an approval certificate from Icasa, saying it has the right to do so since it applied for the porn package on 13 September and that 60 days had lapsed since the application which gave the pay TV operator automatic approval by 13 November 2011.

The ''application for authorisation for channels'' was first published in the Government Gazette on 17 November. That gave the public and stakeholders two weeks to comment after which Icasa can then at its own discretion call for a date for a public hearing.

Further complicating the matter: Besides the court case and urgent court interdict (of which a court decision will only be made on Wednesday) is the fact that the normal regulatory process for TopTV's television porn application is still actually underway. The public hearing on TopTV's application to broadcasting the tripple porn play package will take place this coming Monday 16 January at 10:00 at Icasa's office in Sandton which anyone can attend.


Here's a breakdown of the latest dates and what will be happening - basically two parallel processes about the same issue, now running concurrently:

16 January (Monday): Public hearing at Icasa in Sandton on TopTV's porn application. After this Icasa must still make a decision about whether to approve or deny the application in its own time.

18 January (Wednesday): A separate process: A decision by the South Gauteng High Court to either grant or refuse Icasa's urgent court interdict. If granted it will block TopTV and make the pay TV operator revert to Icasa's timeframe for possible channel approval. If refused TopTV will go ahead without an approval certificate from Icasa and launch its porn package as soon as possible.

20 January (Friday): The date that TopTV now wants to launch Adult XXX, Private Spice and Playboy Europe as three pornographic channels in a new stand-alone, separate subscription package, irrespective of whether it has clearance from Icasa or not.


ALSO READ: Analysis - The fight for the heart of TopTV: As it pushes for porn the South African pay TV operator arrives at a crossroads.
ALSO READ: Analysis - TopTV's porn plans: A deeper look at the bigger problem with the South African pay TV platform.