DIGITAL TV MIGRATION
MPs to consider probe into deal by MultiChoice
The pay-TV giant is battling claims it bought influence over government policy on encryption
Parliament would consider an inquiry into damaging allegations about MultiChoice’s conduct, chairman of the portfolio committee on communications Humphrey Maxegwana said. The pay-TV giant is battling claims that it bought influence over government policy on encryption for its digital migration project by paying the SABC for a 24-hour news channel and access to archives. The public broadcaster could also not encrypt its channels when the country switched to digital TV. "We can’t just leave the issues in the public domain. It needs to be discussed and a decision needs to be taken," Maxegwana told Business Day on Monday. His comments followed calls from commentators such as Corruption Watch and the South African Communist Party (SACP) last week for an inquiry. MultiChoice was also accused of paying former Gupta-owned TV station ANN7 to host its news channel in exchange for influence in the government. Last week, the DA released minutes of a high-level 2013 meeting at the SABC in which ...
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