Sabido Ltd, the sole shareholder of e.tv, has applied for a satellite television subscription broadcasting licence, e.tv said on Friday.

The company intends to serve to middle-income South Africans who are "presently under-served" by subscription television.

"It will do so by providing a predominantly locally-compiled programming service, which includes movie, news and sports channels," said Rhona Pool, head of publicity for e.tv.

E.tv began operating in 1999 and became profitable in 2004 and now boasts 22 percent of the audience share — making it the second largest television channel in the country.

"In applying for a commercial satellite subscription broadcasting licence, e.sat intends to leverage the experience gained by Sabido and e.tv in launching and operating a successful South African commercial television business," said e.tv's chief executive, Marcel Golding.

Sabido's majority shareholder is Hosken Consolidated Investments, a trade-union controlled black empowerment company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

Sapa

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