by Thinus Ferreira
South Africa’s broadcasting regulator is warning StarSat subscribers and the nation’s TV business that the pay-TV service is meant to have shut down by 18 September for its failure to resume its pay-TV licence in time.
TVwithThinus reached out to Debbie Wu, On Digital Media CEO, on Friday and remark shall be added right here when obtained.
Numerous TV channel distributors with channels out there on Starsat had been additionally requested on Friday if they’ve, or are eradicating their TV channels from StarSat and remark from them shall be added right here when obtained.
On Friday TVwithThinus requested The Walt Disney Firm, the SABC, e.television, AMC Networks, Warner Bros. Discovery and ZEE whether or not they have pulled their TV channel units, are planning to take action, or aren’t doing something.
Earlier this 12 months an insider instructed TVwithThinus that South Africa’s broadcasting regulator, the Impartial Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has not renewed On Digital Media’s broadcast licence for StarSat, with the pay-TV operator that has been given till 18 September to inform subscribers, brokers, the business, stakeholders and to then shut down.
The 14-year-old pay-TV service headquartered in Midrand, Johannesburg began out as TopTV and is run by On Digital Media.
On Digital Media is 20%-owned by the Chinese language pay-TV service StarTimes – the utmost allowed for a overseas firm of a South African media enterprise – following a enterprise rescue course of a decade in the past, after Prime TV got here to the breaking point following controversy and public outry over its ultimately deserted plans to hold a bouquet of pornographic TV channels.
Run below the StarTimes model in the remainder of sub-Saharan Africa and as StarSat in South Africa, the corporate competes with MultiChoice’s DStv within the conventional pay-TV house.
It nevertheless has far fewer subscribers in South Africa than MultiChoice’s DStv the place it affords a Particular, Tremendous and World bundle with plenty of Chinese language TV channels.
In keeping with the insider, StarSat staff have been saved at the hours of darkness in regards to the firm’s pay-TV service going darkish. Now 18 September got here and went with StarSat nonetheless broadcasting and in breach of Icasa’s laws – and with subscribers who haven’t been warned.
Icasa now says it’s notifying the business and the general public about StarSat’s “imminent exit from the subscription tv market in South Africa”.
“Within the curiosity of On Digital Media (Pty) Ltd (ODM) / StarSat subscribers, members of the general public and all related stakeholders, Icasa needs to offer readability relating to StarSat’s imminent exit from the subscription tv market in South Africa,” the regulator says.
In keeping with Icasa, ODM’s 15-year licence expired on 8 July 2023.
“ODM did not submit a licence renewal utility inside the required timeframe set by the Digital Communications Act (ECA) and associated laws,” Icasa says.
“The laws requires a licensee that holds an Particular person Broadcasting Service licence to submit its renewal utility to the Authority no sooner than twelve 12 months and no later than 6 months previous to the expiry of the licence.”
“Regardless of quite a few reminders, ODM submitted its licence renewal utility after the expiry date on 10 November 2023.”
Icasa says it despatched a number of letters to ODM, requesting it to offer a plan on how and when it’s going to inform StarSat subscribers in regards to the winding up of its providers. Icasa says ODM failed to offer any solutions.
“On 18 March 2024 Icasa determined that ODM ought to wind up its affairs and stop offering broadcasting providers by 18 September 2024, and additional inform its subscribers.”
