MultiChoice launches GOtv in South Africa

South Africa’s MultiChoice has launched its GOtv digital-terrestrial pay TV service in its home market for the first time.

The launch of the DTT pay platform, which is available in 11 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, is designed to replace MultiChoice’s M-Net analogue pay TV service with an offering aimed at lower-spending customers.

GOtv South Africa is offering 12 channels for ZAR99 a month – the  GOtv Value package with a range of entertainment, music, kids, sports, lifestyle and culture and religious channels. Services include M-Movies Zone, Africa Magic Epic, Mzansi, TLC Entertainment, Disney Junior, Nicktoons and Dumisa.

A GOtv Lite package with the religious and music services only, is available for ZAR45 for three months.

Subscribers can also pay ZAR699 to acquire a GOtv decoder and one month’s subscription to the value pack.

According to local press, MultiChoice is targeting the service at consumers with analogue TV who want to migrate to a digital pay TV service for the first time.

The launch of GOtv is timed to coincide with South Africa’s troubled digital switchover, with analogue M-Net customers being forced to choose a digital offering when the analogue signal is switched off.

The GOtv brand currently has about 2.4 million customers in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.