Telkom is exiting the streaming media business. The telecommunications operator has agreed to “hand over” its TelkomOne platform to the SABC, which will rename it SABC+.

The TelkomOne website has been taken down and replaced with this message: “Your TelkomOne entertainment service will be temporarily unavailable until Thursday, 17 November 2022… Watch this space for a new and exciting announcement.” Meanwhile, the website www.sabcplus.com has gone live.

“Telkom and the SABC have had a successful partnership since the launch of TelkomOne in late 2020. The platform has now matured and ready to scale under the management of the SABC’s broadcasting expertise,” Telkom said in a statement.

“Their expertise in sourcing and curating relevant content will enrich the current content library for existing and new customers,” said Telkom chief marketing officer Gugu Mthembu in the statement.

The entire customer base will be shifted over the SABC.

“We will continue to evolve to our digital lifestyle provider ambition through our investments in areas such as content, fintech, gaming and IoT by partnering with strategic partners to deliver products and services that create a better life for our customers,” Mthembu said.

Telkom said existing TelkomOne Amp customers with active subscriptions will automatically have access to SABC+ at no additional cost. “They can also look forward to enhanced content offerings which they can subscribe to directly through SABC+.”

Background

Telkom and SABC launched TelkomOne is November 2020 to house the public broadcaster’s free-to-air radio and television channels on a streaming platform.

The deal, which had a five-year term, would “showcase South Africa’s most-watched TV programmes and most listened-to radio platforms, on one online platform”, the companies said at the time.

The SABC agreed to provide its content to Telkom on a non-exclusive basis. In exchange, the SABC would receive a carriage licence fee as well as a share in the advertising revenue generated on the TelkomOne platform.

Read: SABC, Telkom partner on Internet streaming

The SABC earlier this year issued a request for proposals for a platform on which it could launch its own streaming service. It’s not immediately clear if that will still go ahead following the deal to take over TelkomOne. – © 2022 NewsCentral Media