Hey a few weeks ago i heard on the news that we might get a 24 hour porn channel in SA,,,,,can anybody confirm this? Has it been approved or not?

Is it "DEBBIE DOES DALLAS" porn ? or that stupid porn that comes on DSTV action channel Fridays after midnight?

Cheers

Nomad

You're probably talking about the current battle between MultiChoice/ICASA and Otherchoice? I'll paste the article now when I find it...

Since it's a Spanish porn channel, I think it's safe to assume that it's a bit more up-to-date than Debbie Does Dallas. :-)

cut&pasted from here: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&art_id=vn20060311085903524C632197

Smartcard war for porn TV rages on
March 11 2006 at 02:58PM
By Jeremy Lawrence

Something as small as a credit card is proving to be the biggest stumbling block yet for South Africa's rapidly evolving satellite television industry.

The debate over the purpose of a smartcard has highlighted an enormous problem for the future of the satellite television market - creating a significant and direct impact on consumers.

Last month, Centurion-based company Otherchoice approached the Pretoria High Court seeking a declaratory order. This came after the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) laid a charge against Otherchoice three years ago, claiming it was broadcasting illegally. However, the company has denied the allegation, saying that selling the smartcards did not constitute broadcasting.

Towards the end of 2002, Otherchoice had started selling smartcards that were used in the DStv decoder. For R2 000 the smartcard gave access to 24-hour porn for a year. The content was provided by Don't Panic Television, which broadcasts from Spain to Southern Africa.

But after broadcasting successfully for just a few months, MultiChoice blocked the Don't Panic smartcard from being used on its decoders. Around the same time, Icasa laid the criminal charge against Otherchoice, alleging that it was broadcasting illegally.

Last month the three parties began to battle it out in court.

In its submission to the court, Otherchoice stated: "Ultimately it is the case of Otherchoice that satellite broadcasting from a foreign country is not prohibited by the IBA [Independent Broadcasting Authority] Act or the Broadcasting Act and that the selling or possession of Don't Panic smartcards to provide access to such a service is not an offence."

Both Icasa and MultiChoice oppose this view.

George Horn, director of Otherchoice, believes that if the court finds that the company is not contravening any laws, it will be able to resume its business. He added that the next obstacle would be to challenge MultiChoice at the Competitions Commission for the use of the DStv decoder with a different smartcard.

This issue of interchanging smartcards with the DStv decoder could prove to be the biggest stumbling block for any new satellite subscription companies. MultiChoice currently has monopoly on satellite decoders and transmissions on the continent, and this has been the case for more than a decade.

Last month Icasa called for applications for new satellite and cable television broadcasters. They indicated that at least seven companies had expressed interest. Not only will these potential services provide competition for MultiChoice, but by the July 31 deadline these potential broadcasters would need to secure a way for their customers to receive their service.

But the reality of this situation is either to come to an agreement about sharing access to the existing MultiChoice decoder, manufacturing other decoders locally, or importing decoders. Icasa has made it clear that the use of decoders should be determined by the Competitions Commission.

Pfanani Lishivha, acting senior manager of broadcasting policy for Icasa, said: "Icasa will not regulate the conditional access, although we do encourage the inter-operability of decoders. Any operator from outside of South Africa would still have to satisfy us that they have the necessary infrastructure." The issue of locking decoders by a single broadcaster was a matter for the Competition Commission to decide.

Horn, however, has stated it would be possible, but not practical or necessarily financially viable, to have a single decoder for every broadcasting service.

This sentiment has been echoed by another potential satellite broadcaster, Black Earth Communications, which has applied for a satellite licence in Botswana.

Andrew Jones, of Black Earth Communications, said that if the licence was granted, the intention would be to broadcast into South Africa. The service would initially broadcast between five and seven channels, including music, sport and entertainment, at a cost of around R100 a month.

This, however, would be dependent on how the signal was received, given that Black Earth Communications' situation is identical to that of Don't Panic Television. Both Horn and Jones believe there should not be any restrictions on the use of MultiChoice's DStv decoder by other operators, because the decoder is owned by the end user.

Icasa will announce the names of the successful applicants by April next year, the same month in which M-Net will lose its Open Time widow and about R50-million a year in advertising revenue.

Clearly there is as much incentive for competition as there is for MultiChoice to hold on to its monopoly.

But without clarity on how ordinary South Africans will be able to receive any new satellite services, the agony of choice will indeed become a reality for consumers.

Judgment in the case is expected on Friday.

This article was originally published on page 7 of The Star on March 11, 2006

After doing a bit of searching on the web to find out about "Don't Panic TV":

"Don't Panic TV transmits hardcore encrypted films 24 hours a day, it features famous distributors like Pinko Enterprises and Trading, offers a different daily theme and features live interviews with the porno film stars. Don't Panic TV also offers multi-lingual soundtracks and electronic programme guide information through the handset of your set top box."

Sounds good!

Also, check out this:

"The most fun one is Don't Panic TV - a porn channel, which sometimes forgets to turn its encryption on."

http://rory.sharp.fm/rites/archive/000064.html

Try it out, maybe we can get a free preview. :-)