At the beginning of June, Multichoice terminated four eMedia channels from the DStv platform. However, the Competition Appeal Court has ruled that MultiChoice must bring back the four channels, after cutting them on 30 May. There’s a victory delivered to eMedia Holdings, after a fight with the MultiChoice Group over the termination of four of e.tv channels on the DStv platform.
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Initially, this ruling comes after the Competition Tribunal ruled in favour of MultiChoice in the case. However, eMedia took the case to the Competition Appeal Court after MultiChoice dropped the collection of e.tv-packaged channels, including eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra and eToonz, from DStv.
eMedia argued that it would lose as much as 19% of its advertising revenue should the channels be suspended, as per MyBroadband.
Reportedly, MultiChoice disputed this argument by saying that e.tv can broadcast the channels online, or on South Africa’s digital terrestrial television platform and its own satellite platform Openview. Hence, the pay-TV broadcaster said it cut eMedia’s channels to make space for new ones.
According to eMedia Holdings legal counsel, Tembeka Ngcukaitobi argued that MultiChoice’s decision amounted to a dominant player refusing to supply a scarce service, and is in contravention of the Competition Act Section 8.
MultiChoice concluded by saying: “We are aware of the decision made by the Competition Appeal Court in favour of eMedia. We are considering the court’s decision to grant the order requiring us to carry the four eMedia channels for a limited period of six months, while the Competition Commission conducts its investigation.”
Finally, after the two companies battled back and forth before the Competition Tribunal, South Africans can expect the four channels, including eMovies, eMovies Extra, eExtra, and eToonz channels back on the DStv platform to enjoy their favourite programmes.
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