AFRICA’S FIRST GAY TV NETWORK ON ITS WAY
Africa’s first gay TV network is a step closer to reality with the company behind the ambitious project now asking what kind of pink entertainment you want to watch on the box.
CloseTV will be a South African satellite-based broadcast platform that will deliver high-quality gay and gay interest content straight to your home.
It promises international movies, documentaries, award-winning series, and local talk-shows that delve into the heart of issues affecting the community.
According to the company, CloseTV is majority black owned and led by individuals with strong television broadcasting, media, marketing and advertising backgrounds.
It’s been granted a conditional license by ICASA (Independent Communications Authority of South Africa) and will be making a final submission to the broadcasting authority later next month.
CloseTV says that while costs and details of its platform and programmes will only be announced later, “we can confidently say that we will be offering our service at very competitive rates that should allow the majority of the market to comfortably enjoy our service.”
At this point of its journey to start transmission of your new favourite shows, CloseTV wants to hear your views on what you want to watch.
“If movies are your thing, tell us… if dramatic series or informative documentaries keep you glued to the telly, let us know. We’ve scoured the globe and partnered with the world’s leading LGBT networks to source the widest range of top quality and relevant international programming, just for you,” says the company.
“We’re committed to investing into our viewing public and want to make sure that the programming we commission is entertaining as well as socially relevant,” it adds.
To make your voice heard, take the CloseTV online survey (and you could stand a chance of winning an iPad). Click here.
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Will this be a channel on DSTV or a whole new platform where you will have to buy a decoder? If its a new platform and not a channel on DSTV, then it wont work and you might just as well quite already. From my point of view, I am not willing to give up DSTV (Supersport, Series, Mnet etc) for a view gay interest programs…. Would be great if DSTV has a gay channel….
@ derek, DSTV monopoly is sure big, but a platform similar to netflix could work. Any smart device (tablet, phone, SmartTV computer will be able to watch) Does require broadband though. However people willing to pay DSTV at more than R 700 per month can be expected to have broadband too.
So, in other words, the majority of gay South Africans who are unable to subscribe to DSTV will not have access. Since only about 5% of the population (2.5 million) might be gay, and most of them are in the closet or are underage, or cannot afford a subscription, do you honestly think that the subscriber base will be big enough to support this venture?
In this case, it will just be better to download from a torrent reactor in HD and watch the programs at a suitable time… DSTV needs a gay channel.
agreed if not on dstv you might as well give up
Fab about time. I hope it will be available to all areas in the country?