South Africa’s OpenView ready to expand
July 28, 2014
By Chris Forrester
South Africa’s new digital broadcasting bouquet OpenView says it is ready to expand beyond South Africa’s borders. However, current subscriptions in South Africa are more modest than initially anticipated. OpenView is backed by Platco Digital which also owns ther e.tv.
Launched almost a year ago in October 2013 the system has signed up 53,000 subscribers, and blames the low numbers on a shortage of satellite dishes, and terrestrial aerial systems, as well as the slow roll-out of digital TV in the nation.
When it launched almost a year ago it was forecasting 5 million homes would take up the service, out of 10.7 million TV homes. And 2 million, it anticipated, would sign up within 2 years.
OpenView’s MD is Maxwell Nonge says sales have been better over the past month or two.
OpenView is not alone. Multichoice’s DStv has seen further growth, expanding in the 12 months to the end of March from 4.5 million to 5 million subs, while arch-rival StarSat (now in the process of taking over TopTV) has fewer than 100,000 says local sources.