At a function at the Tavern Restaurant in Maponya Mall, Soweto, on Thursday, 16 August, CEO of TopTV, Eddie Mbalo, made the announcement prior to a live demonstration of how the voucher system will operate.

“What we are launching this morning 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,” stated Mbalo.

“It is an instant payment option that will give customers immediate access to our world of unlimited entertainment. 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 very proud to be in a position to introduce this new payment concept for pay-TV to you this morning.

“TopTV Prepaid 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 world-class television channels and quality programmes that TopTV offers,” Mbalo explained.

Kgomotso Lekola, COO of TopTV, added: “Our service is also cognisant of the fact that a vast number of 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 R109for 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 TopTV has to pay the retailers to sell the vouchers on its behalf.

The TopTV Prepaid service enables a current or potential subscriber to activate a voucher for instant connectivity to the TopTV 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 to TopTV as the prepaid systems are almost completely automated,” said Lekola.

“And, a further advantage is that if the customer is a lapsed TopTV subscriber, there is no reconnection fee to activate the TopTV decoder. Once the Prepaid voucher has been activated, the subscriber can start enjoying the programming on offer once again.”

To activate the TopTV Prepaid voucher, the customer dials *120*TopTV(86788)#, follows the prompts to enter the TopTV Smartcard number and the Prepaid voucher number and the TopTV decoder will be activated. A subscriber may upgrade from the Variety to the Ultimate package at any time during a 30-day cycle, with immediate activation. The remaining credit days on the Variety voucher will be automatically reinstated at the end of the 30-day upgrade period. However, should a subscriber wish to downgrade the package, this can only take place at the end of the 30-day voucher period.

“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.