e.tv and Sentech have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the appointment of national transmission provider Sentech to provide signal distribution services to e.tv for its digital terrestrial television (DTT) services.
e.tv was granted a minimum of 50% of a DTT multiplex in terms of the regulations issued in December 2012 by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa). This will enable e.tv to launch multiple new channels on the DTT platform.
“We are pleased to have entered into this MoU with Sentech. Sentech has invested significantly in the national DTT rollout and has developed a considered vision for the future of free-to-air television on all platforms. This MoU ensures that we are able to move quickly to launch our new channels when the performance period for digital migration is announced,” says group chief executive officer of e.tv, Marcel Golding.
Sentech CEO, Dr Setumo Mohapi also welcomed the signing of the MoU. “This is a significant milestone in terms of the country’s Broadcasting Digital Migration (BDM) Policy. The industry is now a step closer to ensuring that the country will meet the commitments it made to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to switch-off analogue television broadcasting services by June 2015.”
e.tv currently uses Sentech to provide national terrestrial distribution of its existing analogue channel. The analogue transmission of the main e.tv channel will continue during the ‘dual illumination’ period until all television households have migrated to the digital platform, allowing the analogue service to be switched off.
