e.tv to compete with streaming services with Openview Plus

e.tv will be expanding its Openview satellite-TV offering and will launch Openview Plus in October as a video streaming service in South Africa.

eMedia Investments CEO Khalik Sherrif said in the latest 2020 eMedia Holdings annual report, that by October 2020 the group will launch its own over-the-top (OTT) offering called Openview Plus.

eMedia’s Investments intends for Openview Plus to carry eMedia’s Openview channels and content as a direct-to-consumer offering through the internet. Openview was launched in 2013, to have a cheaper option for pay to view TV services and the first free HD satellite TV service.

The new Openview Plus will likely be available as a bundled-offer together with Openview Connect that eMedia plans to launch as a new broadband connection service.

Sheriff said there were plans to launch Openview Connect as a new broadband internet service, a utility service that will help to carry and a channel to its Openview Plus content. Sherrif added it would expand eMedia’s technology offering and target South African households that don’t have internet fibre connections yet.

The pricing nor launch date has been announced, however, the company does have the intention to expand and augment its existing Openview satellite-TV footprint as soon as possible into streaming services.

The company wants to compete with the likes of MultiChoice’s Showmax, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and some smaller services like VIU that are all available in the country.

Competitors such as DStv have recently launched new features to their offerings, such as the DStv Explora Ultra decoder and payment rewards for their customers.

Openview satellite-TV services are now available in 2 million TV households across Southern Africa with offerings such as eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra, eToonz, eReality, eRewind and eAfrica.

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