SABC iPlayer coming - reports

Cape Town – Is the SABC working on something like an SABC iPlayer, similar to the BBC iPlayer, when the South African public broadcaster makes the move to digital terrestrial broadcasting (DTT) in 2012?

The SABC's latest timeframe roll-out chart for DTT in South Africa shown at the AfricaCast 2011 TV summit contained something intriguing earmarked with the date of mid-2012: an SABC video/audio media player.

Reference to the iPlayer

Gelfand Kausiyo, the SABC's general manager for broadcast facilities, spoke about the public broadcaster's DTT plans at the AfricaCast 2011 TV summit in Cape Town which is part of the 14th AfricaCom conference.

His Powerpoint presentation contained a SABC video/audio media player reference that wasn't explained.

With the move to digital, it's likely that the SABC is working on having the public broadcaster's TV and radio content available on more platforms and devices, as well as with a time-shifted capability for the viewer and listener.

The BBC launched its now highly successful BBC iPlayer in 2008. The BBC iPlayer is an internet television and radio service and a player that allows viewers to watch BBC content online as a kind of catch-up service.

Most BBC shows are available for a week after its original broadcast so that viewers that can watch shows on their computers if they've missed them.

More platforms

If the SABC were to develop its own similar kind of service and own unique media player, it would fit in with the SABC's plans to make more of the broadcaster's original and newly-created digital content available on other platforms during and after the coming consumer phase of DTT in South Africa.

The SABC was asked in a media enquiry late on Thursday if a unique media player is planned and being worked on, and possibly scheduled for roll-out in mid-2012, but the broadcaster has yet to respond.