Cape Town - Black business body the National African
Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc) has made its maiden
investment in cutting edge media technology by purchasing a 20% stake in Mobile
TV.
Said Dr Mothobi Mutloatse, founder and chairperson of Mobile
TV: "The Nafcoc investment is a major step, as it represents the first
time that an organised black business grouping has invested in cutting edge
technology in the media sector.
“This investment is likely to have a major impact on
ownership, control and management demographics in South Africa."
Lawrence Mavundla, chairperson of the newly created
investment arm of Nafcoc, said: "The new technology that Mobile TV brings
into the broadcast sector will deal with the issue of lack of access to
information and entertainment in the rural and deep rural areas.
“If one considers the investment required to purchase a
set-top box to decode encrypted television signal, it makes complete sense to
circumvent the cost and go directly to the mobile technology that is
available."
Mavundla will gain a seat on the Mobile TV board as a result
of the stake that Nafcoc has taken up. "The business opportunities are
endless and the investment decision wasn’t a hard one to make," said
Mavundla.
He explained that the Korean technology that was chosen,
Digital Multimedia Broadcasting, is not only ubiquitous but is far ahead of
anything currently available in SA, specifically in terms of its innovative
interactive services.
After 15 months of testing and a temporary licence to refine
the technology, Mobile TV is ready for the next round, which includes raising
capital and applying for a permanent broadcast licence.
Turning to the content, Mutloatse said: "We will have a
combination of aggregated content as well as introducing new channel streams
under the brand TVG4U, incorporating the innovation referred to as GOV4U, a
first in SA broadcasting."
- Fin24