MultiChoice scraps porn channel
MultiChoice has announced it will not be carrying adult content on its pay TV channels, after an outcry from the South African public over the possibility of the move.
The provider of pay-television service DStv said on Thursday evening that the research it had conducted into the area has been “misinterpreted”.
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Nolo Letele, Group CEO of MultiChoice South Africa, said the research survey conducted in February 2010 focussed on adult content, “since some competitors about to launch in South Africa may or may not include adult channels on their services”.
Two new pay-TV operators will launch soon to end MultiChoice’s long monopoly over digital satellite TV, after many years of commercial and legal wrangling.
On Digital Media (ODM) and Super 5 Media (the latter is what emerged from the now-defunct Telkom Media) are both set to launch pay-TV offerings in 2010, according to TechCentral.
MultiChoice’s general manager Jackie Rakitla previously told the media that the company was doing research “to determine the extent of interest in porn, and we’re looking at the feasibility of implementing such a service”.
The move inspired an outcry from religious groups, feminists and even the opposition of government ministers.
However, on Wednesday MultiChoice said the research indicated that a significant portion of subscribers were against adult channels, while some were indifferent to it and another significant section positive.
