DStv to launch BoxOffice VOD service

Thursday, 21 July 2011 23:14 Written by Khabza

Satellite pay TV operator MultiChoice finally unveiled at an event in Johannesburg today (21 July 2011) their video-on-demand (VOD) service targeted at the movie rental market.

BoxOffice requires a DStv Premium subscription (R559 p/m) and PVR access (R65) before movies can be rented for a fee starting at R25 per movie, with the first movie free. Kotsafatis said that in some cases they are subsidising the movie, but they wanted to offer the rentals at a low rate to test the service out.

According to Imtiaz Patel, Group CEO of MultiChoice South Africa, “The BoxOffice service is a result of our continuous drive for innovation. The future of DStv relies on us offering simplicity and convenience to our subscribers in a changing world. Last year we introduced DStv On Demand and BoxOffice is the next step in the DStv product evolution.”

The BoxOffice service will be rolled out in several phases. The first phase is today’s launch of a satellite-based value added offering to DStv Premium subscribers via their PVRs. The next phase of the BoxOffice roll-out will be an online offering, available to all South African broadband users by the end of this year.

Using the service is easy: Press the green button on your PVR remote and follow the steps on your television screen. BoxOffice movies are readily available for viewing, as they are pre-loaded onto your PVR decoder.

Payment is done through monthly debit order, by pre-loading funds into your account or by credit card. Once a movie is rented, it can be viewed multiple times within a 48-hour period. For launch, the first BoxOffice movie will be free.