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Cape Town – MobileTV wants to launch its new TV4U video-on-demand (VOD) in South Africa on 1 February 2015, offering viewers a selection of content from Hollywood, Nollywood, Joziwood, Lollywood, as well as other entertainment and sports programming.
The TV4U decoder will cost around R1 700 – half of that of the Altech Node – and a subscription less than VIDI's R149 per month.
Besides MultiChoice's existing DStv BoxOffice and DStv Catch Up VOD services, Times Media Group last month launched its VIDI VOD service that costs R149 per month, followed a week later by Altech which launched its Altech Node set-top box (STB) costing R3 500 with a R299 monthly subscription fee.
MultiChoice then extended its DStv BoxOffice service at the end of last month to lower-tiered DStv subscribers on the DStv Compact package.
MobileTV's TV4U will also make use of Intelsat's IS-20 satellite, similar to MultiChoice and Platco Digital's OpenView HD (OVHD), meaning that those satellite TV viewers would be able to use TV4U without having to install a new satellite dish.
"TV4U has assembled an international arsenal of aggregators, content providers, and billing management partners in Los Angeles, London, New York, Toronto, Canada, Paris, Seoul and Korea to provide a Hollywood, Bollywood, Nollywood, Lollywood and Joziwood4U eclectic mix of premium entertainment and sports programming," says Mothobi Mutloatse, the chairman and founder of MobileTV.
MobileTV has chosen a local decoder manufacturer for its dynamic VOD decoder and says it will cost consumers less than half of Altech's Node, and also less than VIDI's monthly subscription charges when TV4U plans to launch in February next year.
Unlike VIDI, users will also not have data charges, says Mutloase.
"This is a robust service we have developed with some of the best push VOD experts in the field in Europe, through software we shall reveal when we launch on 1 February," says Mutloase.
