Company Aims to Supply Pay TV Service to Africa

2006.01.07

A company has formally applied for a commercial broadcasting licence which, if granted, will see a new subscription pay TV service to Africa operating out of Botswana.

Black Earth Communications said yesterday that it had applied to the Botswana National Broadcasting board.

The venture, which would be called Black Entertainment Satellite Television or BEStv, would initially offer viewers between five and 10 channels and cost less than R100 a month.

Andrew Jones, spokesman for the venture, said that, once in place, the company planned to upgrade to a service that would offer viewers a sampling of between 100 and 300 new channels not available on DStv with no significant rate increase.

At present DStv dominates the pay TV satellite market in Africa.

"How we will do it and what exactly we will offer remains of course a trade secret.

"However, we are 100% confident that what we want to do can be done," he said in a statement.

BEStv would enter the market initially targeting both black and white viewers in Africa.