Following an investment of "tens of millions" of rands, local free-to-air broadcaster OpenView HD says it has opened the door to potentially growing its viewership numbers exponentially, as it now rides on the same broadcast infrastructure that beams DStv's signal to millions of homes on the continent.
According to the company, Platco Digital, which owns OpenView HD, recently entered into an agreement with state signal distributor Sentech, to lease space on the IS20 satellite. This means viewers can now receive OpenView HD via the same satellite dish used to receive DStv, Vivid and Freevision services.
OpenView HD launched in October last year on the SES5 satellite, offering 15 channels, including SABC1, SABC2, SABC3, e.tv and a variety of entertainment, movie and other content.
Platco Digital MD Maxwell Nonge says while the move to the IS20 satellite does not mean the broadcaster is positioning itself to compete with DStv, it does extend the free-to-air service's reach to those who have access to the pay-TV service's satellite dish.
This, he says, is particularly significant in the context of townhouses or residential complexes, where each household is connected to a communal DStv dish. "Many of these people, despite having access to a DStv dish, consider the service too expensive. Now they have the option of buying an OpenView HD decoder, for R849, and never paying for TV again," says Nonge.
Existing DStv subscribers can install a "splitter" that will allow them to connect the OpenView HD decoder alongside their pay-TV set-top box.
OpenView HD consumers are not charged a monthly fee for the service, which means the only cost of accessing the services is the once-off decoder purchase. Nonge says the service currently has a viewership of about 40 000, but this figure is now expected to grow rapidly.
"We are delighted to be able to increase viewer access to the OpenView HD platform and extend options for TV viewers across South Africa. The IS20 offering will make it easier for the consumer pocket, as those with existing satellite dishes will not need to purchase new ones," says Nonge.
The broadcaster should now reach its target of 200 000 viewers, by next March, with relative ease, it says.
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