e.tv's satellite service OpenView HD introduces a second movie channel in October as part of the platform's third birthday celebrations. eMovies Extra launches on Friday, 14 October at 12h00 as a sister channel to eMovies+ (on channel 106).
It's going to be on channel 107 and the line-up features a medley of genres covering action, comedy, romance, sci-fi, horror, thrillers, crime and drama. Other channels change channel numbers as a result - keep a lookout on TVSA for a listing of the new numbers.
This addition of a movie channel comes shortly after the culling of four underperforming channels: ASTV, Spirit Word, Ekurhuleni TV and the shockingly awful Wild Africa TV have been ditched. eMovies Extra will no doubt serve OpenView HD more positively as the platform manoeuvres itself into position for the upcoming digital migration.
As you know, the government's rollout of DTT has been plagued by delays, court cases and a multitude of problems. OpenView HD, as well as StarSat and DStv, are primed to decrease this stress for viewers because everyone who has a satellite service has already gone digital.
OpenView HD's decoders cost R399 (installation and the dish cost approximately R800 extra) but what sets it apart from other services is that there's no additional monthly subscription fee. This means that it's currently the only service that offers South Africans an option of going digital without getting wrapped up in the DTT problems or a long term commitment.
Sales of the decoders reached 500 000 in August this year and this latest shake up clearly indicates that e.tv is on a mission to gain market penetration as the go-to DTT service.