StarSat Looking To Launch A Streaming Service To Rival With YouTube

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During the month, ICASA and SARS raided the offices of StarSat confiscating several equipment belonging to owners On Digital Media and StarTimes Media. This has led to a number of TV channels viewed in Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda to have been blocked while consumers in South Africa experience a complete blackout.

In an interview on SABC News, the company's head of public affairs had outlined plans to launch its own YouTube type service which would allow bloggers podcasters and other local creators to curate content on that platform. This was part of a recovery plan as the broadcaster was dealing with financial woes during that time.

With this market already crowded with other platforms such as Showmax, Netflix, YouTube, eVOD and SABC+ the best guess here would be that this platform will rollout on the StarTimes app. With the StarSat already platform already having very little consumers this seems like the only probable option for sustainability.

Considering this will take up a format similar to YouTube, it may join the rankings of SABC+ and Freevision Play and offer no monthly fees while as offering a pay service similar to DStv Stream. A lot of streamers are struggling right now so I don't see how StarSat would be any different as some like SABC and Showmax rely on partners to survive.

Let's say this platform does launch how are local creators getting compensation and better yet will this platform ever get anywhere in terms of consumer growth. If StarSat from its 10+ years in South Africa sees their reach sitting under half a million how sure are they that these endeavours won't up like TelkomOne or Acorn TV.

With the company already facing several hurdles with their pay-tv operations, consumers are probably going to refrain themselves from these endeavours. Besides that, YouTube and TikTok are already dominant players in that regard so similar to the likes of DStv it would be challenging to find an audience in a market filled with constraints.


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