INDUSTRY FOCUS: ENTERTAINMENT
history where we desperately wanted digital terrestrial television to succeed but that came undone unfortunately because of a number of factors including opposition from incumbents, our public broadcaster constantly changing its view, and policy uncertainty thanks to the frequent change in Communication Minister,” explains the MD. “We always go back to square one and we feel there is a lack of understanding within government about broadcasting and the future of multichannel entertainment. With all of the challenges that South Africa has, DTT has not been at the top of the agenda. From our point of view, we’re thinking that the DTT ship has sailed and it’s looking increasingly like the SA market will be a DTH market, for which we are well-positioned.”
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LEADING FROM THE TOP Conroy has been with Platco since March 2016 but has been involved with the wider eMedia Group for more than 17 years. He is a journalist by trade and as such has developed a deep understanding of what is required in the media business. One of his biggest achievements is taking part in a South African-led ascent of Mount Everest in 1996, the memories of which have helped him to write a new book. “I never intended to write a book – I was a victim of technology,” he recalls. “I realised one evening that it was 20 years to the day since I arrived in Kathmandu to cover the Everest expedition as a journalist, and I was foolish enough to take out my diary and put the first entry onto Facebook. Immediately people