Speaking at the public hearings forming part of Icasa's inquiry into the review of the digital migration regulations of 2012 held in Pretoria on Friday, eMedia CEO Khalik Sherrif told a panel of Icasa councillors that although DTT has been problematic in many parts of the world, much of the "woes" in South Africa have been self-inflicted.
"The actual state of DTT in this country leaves much to be desired - instead of taking broadcasting to a new level. Maybe 10 years ago we could have done something to ensure that DTT could survive, [but] there has been a laziness to the process and we are now at a point where DTT is archaic, expensive and will not work because television has evolved," said Sherrif.
In its written submission to the inquiry, eMedia said reasons for the delay in the migration to digital broadcasts are "numerous", citing problems associated the with government subsidised set-top-box roll-out, low levels of awareness among many households and the continued non-availability of set-top boxes in retail stores.
Sherrif said that while South Africa was embroiled in these self-inflicted delays, technology continued to evolve. He likened South Africa's broadcasting evolution to that of the telephone, saying most South Africans leapfrogged landlines in favour of mobile devices.
eMedia predicts that some 4.5 million households will still be reliant on analogue television to receive free-to-air channels (which also includes the SABC channels) after the analogue switch-off, mostly due to them not being able to afford the set-top boxes that will allow them to access digital broadcasts. Losing this sizeable customer base would be harmful to the livelihoods of employees at both eMedia and the SABC , said Sherrif.
