17 Sep 2019

Broadband wholesaler Botswana Fibre Networks (BoFinet) is expected to launch an online video on demand platform before close of this year.

The platform will broadcast video signals allowing users to enjoy local and international television and film content online.

BoFinet Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) project manager, Mr Phenyo Moipolai said the IPTV platform was underway as calls had already been made for film and TV content producers to submit proposals for evaluation.

He said consultants specialising in content acquisition were engaged with the acquisition process, including other stakeholders such as CosBots and CIPA to ensure that contractual agreements for intellectual property rights were covered.

He noted that upon launch the IPTV platform would feature live channels which would include BTV 1 and BTV 2, Now TV, Access TV and Kuduga and would also include in its offerings, a Catch-Up television service and live local radio stations.

He said the platform would launch with 187 titles, 57 of which would be local titles upon launch.

He added that 15 of those titles would be commissioned for the first year while 37 would include titles from the southern African region.

He said the service would be free for its subscribers for the first month like other IPTV services such as Showmax and Neflix.

Furthermore, he said the IPTV content would be sold through licensed local service Internet providers (ISPs) and public telecommunications operators (PTOs).

He noted that strategic fibre networks had been set up in key areas around the country to enable network neutrality and improvement of ultra-high Internet speeds that ISPs and PTOs could tap into to enhance service networks for streaming IPTV content to the end user.

“Opening up a market for film and television production in the online space will open up employment opportunities for production companies and its affiliated industries,” he said.

IPTV is a video online platform different from terrestrial broadcasting which broadcasts video signals online allowing users to choose what they wanted to watch.

Different versions of IPTV exist in the market such as Showmax and Netflix, whose net profit for the third quarter of 2018 was US$408 million (about P444 million), with a net subscription base of 137.1 million which had helped streaming services to overtake traditional television providers.

Chengeta’s Boy Production CEO, Mr Ndinaye Chengeta said the IPTV platform would be good for production standards within the country.

He noted that current distribution mediums in the country had over-allowed a lot of advert quality content to air which led to a proliferation of low quality in the industry.

He expressed hope that the platform would finally give a chance for producers to view the audiences as intermediate in crafting their productions, noting that for a long time the audience had taken a secondary position.

Mr Chengeta said they had a lot of projects in the pipeline and they were currently waiting to bid.

He also expressed hope that the platform afforded by BoFinet would also give other mediums in the country more competition allowing for polished quality productions. ENDS