SES Astra will sell TopTV stake
February 21, 2011
By Chris Forrester
TopTV is the Johannesburg-based DTH rival to Multichoice’s DStv digital TV system. SES Astra currently owns 20 per cent of the enterprise, but SES Chairman & CEO Romain Bausch says it will not be holding onto its TopTV stake.
While no sell date was announced, Bausch, speaking during the SES year-end results call on February 19th, said that Astra had achieved its objective, and that a long-term ownership of TopTV was not part of the satellite operator’s plan.
SES Astra, via its fast-growing Astra Platform Services division, supplies play-out and transmission services for TopTV. Top TV recently said it had passed its initial 200,000 subscriber target.