What? Their site is not very content rich.

Exactly - I want to know how this competes with DSTV?

If their website is anything to go by, I'm not too excited. How can a company launch themselves without a website - or with one that has NO information on it? Shoddy.

News and documentaries? Plenty of that on DSTV thanks..

Definitely sounds like a great idea, with a lot of potential. But very little is given about it and the website itself isn't the best either. To be honest I am really not sure how viable this is, going on what I see from the website.

Definitely interesting to see some competition out there though.

Great Media chief technical director Malcolm Ramsay told Bizcommunity.com: “We don't have to know you because you won't pay us every month and we won't switch you off.

This comment is amazing, not great marketing, along with the pathetic website and total lack of info ie Location, Programme details, etc , I would not rush out and give these guys my R1440.
Who do we contact when it goes all wrong, NOT FREE2VIEW, cos they dont want to know us
I SMELL A RAT... BE CAREFUL

This must be the non-marketing event of the decade. Website contains zip, nobody at Space TV knows anything about it. I also smell a rat, big time. If it is for real it's very scary as obviously no-one knows anything at all about marketing. Thinking of giving MSNBC a call to tell them about the shoddy represenation. I think you should investigate this, Bizcom!

if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is, i wonder where the author of this got his info from????

As a so called "Free To Air" provider - they will require a licence to broadcast in SA (the same as eTV). As far as I am aware, they do not have a licence.
As for MSNBC - not great compared to CNBC.

From the look of their website they appear as good at advance business planning and organisation as Eskom. They haven't even gone to the trouble of listing just some of their programmes on ther website!

This seems to be just another big prank as these people do no even have a license to broadcast in South Africa. I hope that people will not go and pay the R1700 for the equipment only to find that there is nou channels on it!!

Why dont the people get up of thier backsides and go see if there is a carrier on satellite at 7 deg east W3A. I had a look and it does exist MSNBC and a few other french channels.

In my posession is the complete radio Regulations and it can be uploaded to your site for all to read and nowhere does it mention that you are nor allowed a open satellite reciever or to recieve signals from outer space.It appears that certain Government officials have a finger in the ICASA PIE and the PAY Service Providers ie DSTV.

Free to view is a hobby to recieve any amount of satellites on the "C" and KU Band with an open reciever. You need a satellite finder meter and a open reciever with the appropriate LNB`s and you can tune into any satellite.The only requisite is that you have a standard tv licence isseud by the SABC.Use your search engine to find Satellite dish and acc. suppliers in JHB.
Great Hobby and it is legal.To blazes with pay tv
Pottie

According to the free2view web site they will start broadcasting on 15thMarch at Noon (that is by their count down timer). One can only wait and see what happens. I for one wish them the best of luck as Multichoice have had their own way far toooooo long and needs competition. If Multichoice can sell their service and broadcast into Africa, then why can't anyone wherever in the world beam into us for free. But allas free2view promised us programmes a long time ago using the Hellas Sat bird and nothing came of it. The Eutelsat that they are using does have a number of channels receivable in Cape Town appart from MSNBC, there are 2 Senegalese, 1 Muslim, 1 French, 2 Mauritian, 2 Madagascan, 1 Gabon & 1 Porn Channel (encrypted but subscriptions available).

You must understand that maybe these people (Great Media) do not have a lot of money, to come up with a spectacular web site. So far MSNBC has been broadcasting and those of us who trust easily are enjoying the free television. Anyways if Free2view stops broadcasting, it will not be a total loss. There are still a few Non-Free2view channel broadcasting using this satellite. This will encourage most people to brush up on their french. MBC has some Bollywood Movies with English Subtitles, there are even some familar shows with french dialogue. CSI comes to mind

As far as the content available on Free2View is concerned, I can not comment. Hopefully one day they will deliver the 30 odd channels they've promised. If not, there are a number of other satellites with good content available.

If FTV doesn't make it, hopefully some people will have at the least discovered that there are alternatives to Multichoice.

I haven't really seen any decent movie channels on the Ku band (most easily accessible by the smaller dishes) but the news and documentary channels are way up there. These are easily accessible by anyone.