Sentech has launched Freevision Play, a new addition to South Africa’s video streaming market.
The service aims to compete with major platforms such as Netflix, Showmax, and Disney+.
Freevision Play provides access to local TV and radio channels and is available on multiple devices for free.
South Africa’s already crowded video streaming market has expanded with the introduction of Freevision Play by the state-owned signal distributor Sentech.
The streaming service joins a litany of available local and international video streaming services in South Africa, which already saw a shake-out of market entrants like Altech Node, PCCW’s OnTAPtv, Cell C’s Black, TelkomONE, Vodacom’s Video Play, Acorn TV and the BBC’s BritBox shutter.
Freevision Play will now try and compete in South Africa against MultiChoice and Comcast NBCUniversal’s relaunched Showmax, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV+, the public broadcaster’s SABC+ and eMedia’s eVOD.
Smaller players like PCCW Media’s VIU, Jou Afrikaans, Marquee TV, AfriForumTV, PrideTV and CineMagic also exist and are trying to sign up subscribers.
On its debut Wednesday at freevisionplay.co.za, the streamer did not feature any SABC TV channels but included community TV channels such as Cape Town TV (CTV), 1KZN TV, Soweto TV, Tshwane TV, Faith TV, and the government-funded BRICS Africa Channel. Additionally, the service offers radio channels like Vuma FM, Engcobo FM, Moutse FM, Pheli FM, Mohodi FM, Waterberg Wave Radio, and Ekhephini Community Radio. However, it lacks any SABC radio stations.
Freevision Play is free and available online and as an app for major smartphone operating systems, with Sentech noting that it can be “accessed via smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs.”
Sentech says Freevision Play is “a groundbreaking over-the-top (OTT) video streaming platform designed to provide seamless and free access to a wide array of local and community TV and radio channels”.
The company isn’t disclosing how much it cost and what it spent to create Freevision Play as a late OTT entrant but says it is “part of our ongoing commitment to digital transformation and enhancing connectivity” to “bridge the digital divide by offering rich, diverse content to all South Africans”.
According to the signal distributor, Freevision Play “offers broadcasters an innovative solution to reach a broader audience without the high costs associated with creating and maintaining their own OTT platforms and the challenge of aggregating audiences”.
“By joining Freevision Play, broadcasters can expand their viewership, engage with their audience more effectively, and generate additional revenue through advertising. Freevision Play takes care of the upfront investment costs. It creates a multitenant platform, giving viewers and listeners diverse choices while providing broadcasters with new audiences and viewers.”
Sentech says Freevision Play has “a wide range of live TV and radio channels along with on-demand content” and features Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) channels.
According to Kopano Thage, Sentech’s executive for media business, “The launch of Freevision Play marks a significant milestone in Sentech’s journey of addressing universal access to towards enhancing digital connectivity and content accessibility in South Africa”.
Article written by News24
