At a function at the Tavern Restaurant in Maponya Mall, Soweto, last week, CEO of TopTV, Eddie Mbalo, made the announcement prior to a live demonstration of how the voucher system operates.
"What we are launching is a first for the pay TV industry in South Africa. In fact, we believe this payment system is currently in use in only a few pay TV markets across the globe," he stated.
"A dedicated project team has been hard at work for the past six months to implement and perfect this idea and the operating systems involved, and I am proud to introduce this new payment concept.
"The system is an easy, accessible and affordable subscription payment option that we believe will have a significant and positive impact on our subscriber growth, and thus on our business overall.
"The South African consumer is already 'prepaid-savvy' and we believe this innovative payment method will encourage subscribers to connect, or reconnect, because of its simplicity that provides instant admission to the 62 television channels the station offers."
Kgomotso Lekola, COO of TopTV, added, "Our service is also cognisant of the fact that many South Africans, about 40% of adults, are unbanked. If we are to build solutions that are sensitive to the realities of South Africa, then an innovation such as this is non-negotiable."
Initially, the TopTV Prepaid voucher will be available from major retail outlets countrywide, with two price and channel package options: the Variety package at R109 for a 30-day period from activation, and the Ultimate package for R279 for 30 days of top-class entertainment. A R10 administration and distribution fee is included in these two pricing options because the station has to pay the retailers to sell the vouchers on its behalf.
The prepaid service enables a current or potential subscriber to activate a voucher for instant connectivity to the platform of channels. "This service will also free up our call centre and customers will no longer need to use their airtime to make that call to get connected, as the prepaid systems are almost completely automated," said Lekola.
"A further advantage is that if the customer is a lapsed subscriber, there is no reconnection fee to activate the decoder. Once the prepaid voucher has been activated, the subscriber can start enjoying the programming on offer once again."
"We are in a very exciting phase of our business and, being in a position to launch an innovative payment offering as a first in the local market, is but one more step in the right direction for us," concluded Mbalo.
