Competition in the pay-TV market is set to continue, as Close-T Broadcast Network Holdings, and its branded pay-TV platform, CloseTV prepares for the final stages of its application for a new Subscription Broadcast license from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA).
According to Mia Groenewald, director of Close-T Broadcast Network Holdings, “We have approached the growing need for choice in the payTV market from the consumers’ perspective and developed niche audience specific bundles that won’t be made up of rehashed bouquets of older or lower quality programming, but rather high quality international and local programming.”
The company’s intention is to allow consumers to custom build their viewing preferences, by paying only for the bouquets that are of interest to them, as opposed to paying a monthly subscription for a premier service and then only watching 20% of the total bouquet. Should something of interest fall outside of the bouquets that form the basis of the subscription, a ‘Pay-per-view’ demand based service will also feature as one of the service offerings.
As part of its launch phase, CloseTV will offer the country’s first pay-TV bouquet for the dynamic and thriving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA) community and has set up exclusive partnerships with global content providers such as OutTV group, LOGO TV and OUT in African Film Festival.
“Our research shows that there are approximately six million LGBTQIA lifestyle consumers in South Africa, with virtually no television based programming,” adds Groenewald.
To complement non-LGBTQIA interests, the bouquet will include independent and art house movies; cinema nouveau, foreign language films, cultural programming, travel and fashion events.
CloseTV has already identified other niche audience groups that will form a critical part of its growth and service extension strategies.
Concludes, Groenewald “We believe the future of cost effective and audience tailored television viewing, without sacrificing quality and fresh programming, starts with CloseTV”.
Close-T Broadcast Network Holdings (Pty) Ltd will be presenting at the ICASA Subscription Broadcast hearing on Thursday, 25 July 2013 at 13:00.
* Image via Shutterstock
Staff Writer
