South Africa’s first 24 hour online TV channel has launched – AlternaTV.
The channel will provide shows covering gadgets and gaming, motoring, fashion and style, music, movies and DVDs, dating and Internet trends.
It will also host local and international music videos.
While some may argue that it is a bit early to introduce a 24/7 online content channel in South Africa, Nico Nel, creative director and creator of AlternaTV says “you either set the trend or you follow it”.
Further, according to Nel, Internet TV is only really new in South Africa, as the US and UK have already comfortably adopted the technology.
The channel claims that it will give greater control to users than traditional TV channels, and will act as an aggregator for users to get the best out of the web.
“Because the internet is such a vast portal of information, people don’t necessarily know where to start looking,” Nel said.
Times LIVE editor Reuben Goldberg asked how the site would overcome three hurdles, the cost of producing data, the cost of consuming it, and making sure that it is of decent quality.
Nel said that he predicts the cost of data will go down in South Africa, and that technology will improve, "At this stage it is more affordable to install an ADSL line at home than it does to pay for a DSTV subscription."
He further mentioned that the channel will focus mainly on the youth market, as this is the market that is most likely to have the technology to use their product.
When it comes to quality, Nel said that the aggregator will sift through the rubbish content online, and that the channel will develop its own great content.
Goldberg asked how they managed to get the site up and running so quickly, considering they only started working on it in March.
"Its what is so amazing about the Internet, it doesn't take so much to get it up and running... because it is online there is more you can get away with than on traditional TV channels," Nel said.
AlternaTV will be aiming at about 20 000 users in the next three months.
You can also check out their website here.
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