MultiChoice launches mobile Dstv

Published Nov 24, 2010

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Pay-tv broadcaster MultiChoice added another dimension to its offerings with the launch of its broadcast mobile television service on Tuesday evening.

The service is the first of its kind in South Africa, MultiChoice's home market, but it comes two years after the broadcaster launched the same product in its other operating markets Namibia, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria.

MultiChoice already holds an agreement with Vodacom and has signed up with MTN and Cell C to stream a cellphone-friendly version of its DStv product over the 3G network of each cellphone company.

Broadcast mobile television, however, is different because content is transmitted to consumers via an independent network that is dedicated specifically to tv via cellphone and is not bandwidth dependent.

Mark Rayner, general manager of DStv South Africa said consumers were therefore allowed unlimited access to the network without the payment of data charges.

MultiChoice has spent over R3 million to set-up the network but are not in a hurry to reap profits, allowing the market time to warm up to the concept.

“We're taking a long-term view to this,” Rayner said on Tuesday. “We see it taking at least five years before realising profitability. The challenge will be to get people interested in the service. The problem is that today the devices are too expensive.”

Imtiaz Patel, chief executive of the MultiChoice South Africa Group said it was important for South Africa's information and communications technology engineering capability to constantly experiment “on the cutting edge of new technologies”.

DStv Mobile can be accessed on a DVB-H enabled cellphone or via MultiChoice's newly introduced Mobile TV decoder, the Drifta.

The DVB-H enabled cellphones currently available in the South African market are the Nokia 5330, Nokia N96 and ZTE F900. DStv Mobile is in discussion with various cellphone manufactures and is confident that more DVB-H enabled phones will be available in the South African market soon.

Network coverage is available in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Soweto, CapeTown, Port Elizabeth, Polokwane, Mbombela, Rustenburg, Bloemfontein and Durban.

According to MultiChoice the frequency spectrum allocated to mobile broadcasting currently enables 15 channels via DVB-H technology. This spectrum was licensed to both MultiChoice (60%) and e.tv (40%) who will be offering pay and free-to-air services respectively.

The channel line-up on the DStv Mobile bouquet will initially include a selection of SuperSport channels (1, 2, 3 and Blitz), Africa Magic, Cartoon Network, Trace and a DStv Events Channel. The e.Mobile bouquet contains The eNews Channel and Channel O. More channels on both services will be announced soon.

The DStv Mobile bouquet will cost subscribers R36 per month from 1 April 2011.

The Drifta, a detachable device that receives the DStv Mobile broadcast signal and relays it over WiFi to a range of WiFi-capable laptops, PC, tablets and smartphones, will be available for R599 from major retailers from the beginning of next month and the service can be activated via the MultiChoice call centre or the DStv Mobile website. DVB-H cellphones will available through the cellphone companies Vodacom, MTN and Cell C. The subscription is activated directly off the handset.

MultiChoice said at launch the Drifta supports Windows and iOS devices such as the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Blackberry OS, Symbian 3 and Android applications are in development and more devices that work with the Drifta will be enabled soon. - Asha Speckman

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