TOPTV GRANTED AUTHORISATION FROM ICASA TO BROADCAST ADULT CONTENT CHANNELS
In what has been hailed as a victory for democracy and freedom of speech and choice in our country, TopTV was today (24 April) informed by Icasa that it has been authorised to broadcast three adult content channels.
Following a lengthy process that included detailed submissions from all parties concerned and extensive public consultation, TopTV is pleased that Icasa has finally ruled in favour of its application to broadcast the three channels.
What TopTV proposed in its application is that the channels will be offered as a completely separate, stand-alone package to the current TopTV channel offering. This will require a separate monthly subscription, age verification and other security features such as a secure pin code, as outlined in TopTV’s submission documents to Icasa. These security measures will be put in place to ensure that only viewers who willingly subscribe to the channels will have access to their content.
As requested by TopTV in its public hearing process, Icasa confirmed that the authorisation was given on the basis that TopTV will only broadcast the three channels during the ‘watershed period’, which is the period from 20:00 to 05:00 daily.
However, since TopTV is still under the provisions of Business Rescue, the decision on how to proceed regarding the launch of these channels will be taken with due regard to the particular requirements of this process.
NEW CHANNEL STRUCTURE RESULTS IN LOSS OF TWO TOPTV-PACKAGED CHANNELS
As TopTV continues to operate under the business rescue plan, announced in October 2012, it has become necessary to review the pay-TV operator’s current channel line-up and make certain adjustments in the interim period.
The effect of this is that two of the TopTV channels, Top Movies +24 and Top Junior, will be discontinued with effect from midnight on Wednesday, 17 April.
TopTV regrets the timing of this change to its channel make-up but, due to operational reasons, it has become necessary to prepare for a proposed new channel structure.
TopTV is currently in negotiations with a prospective investor and more details regarding this issue will be made public in the coming weeks. These talks are at an advanced stage and should they reach finality, a much-needed cash injection will be made into the operation that could result in a restructure of the business and the channels that are currently on offer.
TopTV would like to take this opportunity to thank its loyal subscribers for their continuous support over this trying period in the company’s history, as it awaits confirmation of new developments for an exciting new future for the pay-TV operator.