TopTV
Encyclopedia
TopTV is a South African satellite TV service that began broadcasting on 1 May 2010. TopTV is owned by On Digital Media, who were granted a pay-TV license by ICASA in September 2007. On Digital Media is 20% owned by TV satellite operator, SES Astra
. TopTV's service is aimed at the LSM 6-9 demographic, targeting middle class viewers.
4A
craft at the 5°E
orbital position, and three of the six 36 MHz transponders in the 'FSS Africa' beam providing coverage of the whole sub-Saharan Africa region. TopTV services are receivable throughout South Africa on dishes of 60 cm diameter. Transmissions are in the DVB-S2
MPEG-4
digital TV format with reception using a simple set-top box
available from local retailers, with a PVR
receiver slated for later in 2011. Playout and related broadcasting services will be provided by SES Astra affiliate, ASTRA Platform Services
.
TopTV utilises a similar set-top box as DSTV. The decoders went on sale on Saturday 1 May at various retailers. The launch cost of the package was R499. This cost included the decoder, the satellite dish, as well as installation.
There are seven package options.
TopTV currently is not offering premium sports, as most major sporting rights currently belong to DStv.
SES Astra
Astra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
. TopTV's service is aimed at the LSM 6-9 demographic, targeting middle class viewers.
Broadcast and Reception
TopTV services are broadcast via satellite, using the AstraSES Astra
Astra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
4A
Astra 4A
Astra 4A is one of the Astracommunications satellite owned and operated by SES at the Astra 5°E orbital slot providing digital television and radio broadcasts, data, and interactive services to Nordic countries, eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa in the 11.70 GHz-12.75 GHz range of the...
craft at the 5°E
Astra 5°E
Astra 5°E is the name for the communications satellites co-located at the 5° east position in the Clarke Belt which are owned and operated by SES Astra, a subsidiary of SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg...
orbital position, and three of the six 36 MHz transponders in the 'FSS Africa' beam providing coverage of the whole sub-Saharan Africa region. TopTV services are receivable throughout South Africa on dishes of 60 cm diameter. Transmissions are in the DVB-S2
DVB-S2
Digital Video Broadcasting - Satellite - Second Generation is a digital television broadcast standard that has been designed as a successor for the popular DVB-S system. It was developed in 2003 by the , an international industry consortium, and ratified by ETSI in March 2005...
MPEG-4
MPEG-4
MPEG-4 is a method of defining compression of audio and visual digital data. It was introduced in late 1998 and designated a standard for a group of audio and video coding formats and related technology agreed upon by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group under the formal standard ISO/IEC...
digital TV format with reception using a simple set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
available from local retailers, with a PVR
Digital video recorder
A digital video recorder , sometimes referred to by the merchandising term personal video recorder , is a consumer electronics device or application software that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card or other local or networked mass storage device...
receiver slated for later in 2011. Playout and related broadcasting services will be provided by SES Astra affiliate, ASTRA Platform Services
ASTRA Platform Services
ASTRA Platform Services GmbH is a sister company of SES Astra, both are subsidiaries of SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg. From its headquarters in Unterföhring near Munich, Germany, APS operates a broadcasting centre, providing a wide range of services, including content management, playout,...
.
TopTV utilises a similar set-top box as DSTV. The decoders went on sale on Saturday 1 May at various retailers. The launch cost of the package was R499. This cost included the decoder, the satellite dish, as well as installation.
Packages
Packages include a 20-channel bouquet for R99 per month. The channels include TopOne, Top Gospel, MSNBC, Fox News and amongst others. This basic package includes 24 channels. The most expensive package is the Premium Package which includes all TopTV channels at only R269 per month. This cost is similar to DStv Compact which offers only 35 channels at R219 per month.There are seven package options.
| TopTV Package Options | ||||||
| Package | Variety | Kids & Music | Entertainment & Knowledge | Ultimate Movies | Top Star | Cost per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Optional | R99 | ||||
| 2 | Optional | R169 | ||||
| 3 | Optional | R169 | ||||
| 4 | Optional | R199 | ||||
| 5 | Optional | R239 | ||||
| 6 | Optional | R239 | ||||
| 7 | Optional | R269 | ||||
Variety
- Top Gospel - Multi-denominational Christian lifestyle channel with talk shows, music videos and movies
- Top Learn - Aimed at South Africa's primary and high school learners, with programming by Mindset Learn, a non-profit health and educational organisation.
- Top One - General entertainment channel with drama series, children’s shows, movies, lifestyle shows and classic South African TV shows (launched 24 May 2010)
- Al-Jazeera - A 24-hour international news channel
- ASTVASTVASTV is an Afrikaans South African television channel, which is privately owned. The station is based at Rustenburg in South Africa and was launched on the TopTV satellite service in October 2010, to serve as a local and community Afrikaans TV channel with Christian values.-Programs:Some of the...
- ASTV brings the best of Afrikaans programming to an audience on TopTV passionate about all things Afrikaans. And uniquelyon TopTV, ASTV will also feature uplifting programmes from Kruiskyk, the Afrikaans gospel channel on a daily basis. - BBC WorldBBC WorldBBC World News is the BBC's international news and current affairs television channel. It has the largest audience of any BBC channel in the world...
- International news and information channel with news, sport, weather, business reports, current affairs and documentary programmes - Christian Channel
- Current TVCurrent TVCurrent TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
- Covers everything going on in the world that you won't hear about from the mainstream news - e.tvE.tve.tv is the fifth terrestrial television channel in South Africa, following three channels operated by the state-owned South African Broadcasting Corporation and the privately owned subscription-funded M-Net, operated by Multichoice...
- South African free-to-air television channel - Eurosport NewsEurosport NewsEurosport News is a fourth channel of the European sports network Eurosport .-About Eurosport News:...
- European and international sports news continually updated every 30 minutes - Fashion TVFashion TVFashion TV is an international fashion and lifestyle broadcasting television channel. It was founded in France in 1997 by its Polish-born president Michel Adam Lisowski, Fashion TV is the only 24/7 international TV network exclusively dedicated to fashion, beauty, glamour and style and has become...
- Fashion, beauty, glamour and style - Fine Living Network - Lifestyle channel with cooking, design, home décor and travel shows
- Fox News
- France 24France 24France 24 is an international news and current affairs television channel. The service is aimed at the overseas market, similar to BBC World News, DW-TV, NHK World and RT, and broadcast through satellite and cable operators throughout the world. During 2010 the channel started broadcasting through...
- An international news channel that covers global currant events from a French perspective - GOD TVGOD TVGOD TV is an international Christian television broadcaster that transmits the GOD Channel from Jerusalem.The network’s Free-to-air signal is carried via multiple satellites 24-hours-a-day providing programming at no charge to viewers. This ranges from Bible teaching to motivational seminars,...
- A global media ministry with youth programming, Bible teaching and live events - Hi Nolly - Movies produced by the Nollywood film industry
- Inspiration - International Christian network with programming from the USA and Europe
- MGM - Movies from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film library
- MSNBCMSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
- Global news and information channel - Music Choice - A music provider with 25 audio stations
- MUTV - Manchester United tv ( all pl games ,fa cup , uefa , much ,much more)
- RTPi - Portuguese language channel providing family entertainment and news programmes
- SABC 1SABC 1South African Broadcasting Corporation public service television channel that carries programming in English and Nguni languages.It was created in 1996, after the SABC restructured its television channels...
- Channel with the widest audience in South Africa that includes local and international programming in English and Nguni languages - SABC 2SABC 2SABC 2 is a South African television channel owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation . SABC 2 broadcasts programming in English, Afrikaans, Venda, and Tsonga.It was created in 1996, after the SABC restructured its television channels...
- Provides programmes that reflect the diverse nature of South African families - SABC 3SABC 3SABC3 is a commercial South African Broadcasting Corporation television channel that carries programming in English and, as of April 2009, Afrikaans....
- South African adult contemporary channel - Setanta SportsSetanta SportsSetanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...
- Sports channel showing selected league, club and international football matches, rugby union and league games, international boxing, martial arts, sports news & a range of sports magazine shows - Zee CinemaZee CinemaZee Cinema is a Hindi satellite movie channel in India based in Mumbai. The channel is owned by the popular Zee Entertainment Enterprises which is a part of Essel Group, and broadcasts in many countries around the world. The channel was formerly a part of STAR TV channel umbrella.Zee Cinema was the...
- Hindi movie channel showing movies produced by the BollywoodBollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film industry
Kids and Music
- Top Junior
- Afro Music
- Baby TV - Channel for infants and toddlers with short programmes that introduce the world through songs, music, colours, animals and stories
- C Music TVC Music TVC Music TV is an international music television channel dedicated to classical, soundtrack and chillout music videos.- History :C Music Entertainment Ltd was founded in 2007 and the channel's distribution is handled by Paris based Agents Thema. The C in C Music TV stands for the genres of the...
- Classical, crossover and cinematic music video - ClassicaClassica (TV channel)Classica is an Italian premium television channel devoted to classical music, opera, ballet and jazz. It broadcasts concerts, documentaries and interviews for 20 hours a day on SKY Italia....
- Italian television channel devoted to classical music, opera, ballet and jazz - FUEL TVFuel TVFuel TV is a U.S. cable and satellite specialty channel that launched on July 1, 2003. It focuses on the cultures of such extreme sports as skateboarding, snowboarding, wakeboarding, motocross, surfing, BMX and FMX. It is a unit of Fox Cable Networks and is currently available to 26-million...
- Extreme sports channel that covers the lifestyle and culture of skateboarding, snowboarding, kitesurfing, BMX, motocross, base jumping and others - Jim Jam
- Kerrang! TVKerrang! TVKerrang! TV is a digital television station owned by Box Television, which is loosely connected to the magazine, Kerrang!. As of 2005, all of its programme content is music videos, the majority of which is open scheduled, for text requests from their playlist....
- KidsCoKidsCoKidsCo is an international children's entertainment brand founded by Canadian broadcaster Corus Entertainment's Nelvana Enterprises, American-based producer DIC Entertainment, and European broadcaster Sparrowhawk Media Group in April 2007. By the end of 2007, Sparrowhawk was purchased by media...
- Kiss
- Magic
- NigezieNigezieNigezie is a fully integrated music/entertainment channel that celebrates, promotes and showcases the diverse talent and skills of the average Nigerian in the diaspora....
- Nigerian music and entertainment channel - Q TV - Music channel that showcases popular Indie music videos and enables viewers to interact with the programming via Internet and cell phones
- Smash Hits
Entertainment and Knowledge
- Top Crime
- Top Explore
- Top History - Documentary channel with a strong focus on South African and African history
- BETBetBet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
- Black Entertainment Television offers urban-orientated movies, series and reality shows as well as mainstream rap and R&B music videos - Discovery ScienceDiscovery ScienceDiscovery science is a scientific methodology which emphasizes analysis of large volumes of experimental data with the goal of finding new patterns or correlations, leading to hypothesis formation and other scientific methodologies.Discovery-based methodologies are often viewed in contrast to...
- Documentary channel covering science and technology - Discovery Travel and Living (TLCTLC (TV channel)TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
from September 1st) - Fox Entertainment - General entertainment channel, including comedy, drama, sci-fi, action, animation and reality shows
- Fox RetroFox RetroFox Retro is an Italian television channel owned by Fox International Channels Italy. It feature older American television series from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. It is available with a Sky Italia subscription...
- Popular shows of the 70's, 80's and 90's - Investigation Discovery - Shows about criminal investigations and crime-related documentaries
- Natura - Documentary channel focusing on natural history
- Star!Star! ScandinaviaStar! Scandinavia is a television channel in northern Europe that is devoted to entertainment and celebrity news and programming. The channel is managed by Scandinavian television broadcaster NonStop Television, part of Turner Broadcasting System, TBS, Inc., which merged with Time Warner in 1996,...
- Entertainment news channel covering celebrity news, gossip, fashion and Tinsel Town
Ultimate Movies
- Top Movies - Premium movie channel
- Top Movies 2 - Broadcasts Top Movies time shifted by 2 hours
- Top Movies 24 - Broadcasts Top Movies time shifted by 24 hours
- Top Sport - To be launched at a later date
- SilverSilver (TV channel)Silver is a movie television channel broadcasting to the Nordic countries broadcasting quality movies, "World cinema" and independent films. The channel is managed by Scandinavian television broadcaster NonStop Television, part of Turner Broadcasting System, TBS, Inc., which merged with Time Warner...
- Independent movie from around the world - Showtime - Movie channel
- Fox FX - Action comedy series
Top Star
- Channel VChannel VChannel [V] is the brand name for multiple international music television networks owned by STAR TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation.-Channel [V] International:...
- Youth channel with music videos, music concerts and reality-based talent shows - Star Gold - Bollywood movie channel
- Star Plus - Hindi general entertainment channel
- Star Vijay - Tamil general entertainment channel
Channel Rights
TopTV has signed exclusive rights with production companies including Fox, Disney and Discovery.TopTV currently is not offering premium sports, as most major sporting rights currently belong to DStv.
See also
- Astra 4AAstra 4AAstra 4A is one of the Astracommunications satellite owned and operated by SES at the Astra 5°E orbital slot providing digital television and radio broadcasts, data, and interactive services to Nordic countries, eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa in the 11.70 GHz-12.75 GHz range of the...
broadcasting satellite - Astra 5°EAstra 5°EAstra 5°E is the name for the communications satellites co-located at the 5° east position in the Clarke Belt which are owned and operated by SES Astra, a subsidiary of SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg...
orbital position - SES AstraSES AstraAstra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
satellite owner - ASTRA Platform ServicesASTRA Platform ServicesASTRA Platform Services GmbH is a sister company of SES Astra, both are subsidiaries of SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg. From its headquarters in Unterföhring near Munich, Germany, APS operates a broadcasting centre, providing a wide range of services, including content management, playout,...