Cell C is shutting down its Black streaming service.<\/p>\n
In an SMS sent to Black users, the company stated that the service will close on 31 December 2019.<\/p>\n
This follows a \u201creview of our product portfolio\u201d, said Cell C. It also provided users with a voucher code which gives them 3 months of Showmax for free.<\/p>\n
One Black user stated that the move was \u201cdisappointing if you are on a Media Play contract\u201d and now no longer receive the streaming subscription and streaming data.<\/p>\n
The future of entertainment<\/strong><\/p>\n Cell C launched Black in November 2017 and punted it as the future of entertainment.<\/p>\n \u201cNo longer will you have to wait 9 months before you can watch the newest movies in South Africa,\u201d said former Cell C CEO Jose Dos Santos at the launch.<\/p>\n Black offered video streaming, music, concert tickets, and sports betting at launch.<\/p>\n Cell C also launched a media box as part of the play, called the blackBOX.<\/p>\n The device let users access Black streaming services on their TV, including the live streaming of channels. Users could access Black via Android and iOS apps, as well.<\/p>\n Closing down<\/strong><\/p>\n In recent months, however, the future of Black has looked uncertain.<\/p>\n MyBroadband learned in July 2019 that Cell C had stopped its investment in the Black platform, which included freezing the development of its web and mobile apps.<\/p>\n In September, Cell C suspended the linear channels on Black, and entered negotiations with content providers.<\/p>\n Later that month, Cell C CEO Douglas Craigie Stevenson said Cell C\u2019s investment in Black was not a good move.<\/p>\n \u201cBlack was not the right play for Cell C,\u201d said Craigie Stevenson.<\/p>\n \u201cWe did not have the resources to compete in that environment.\u201d<\/p>\n Cell C\u2019s decision<\/strong><\/p>\n Cell C said that following a review of the company\u2019s product portfolio and decision to redirect expenditure to revenue-generating initiatives, it made the decision to decommission Black.<\/p>\n \u201cContent remains part of Cell C\u2019s broader strategy, however, we have had to carefully look at how we approach this to ensure we provide a sustainable service that customers want while at the same time offer a service that makes commercial sense to the business,\u201d said Cell C.<\/p>\n Cell C will not be accepting any new registrations on Black, and will be refunding customers for outright movie purchases.<\/p>\n Existing customers will be able to use the service until 31 December 2019.<\/p>\n \u201cCell C is in the process of notifying existing customers on Black of its decision to end this service.\u201d<\/p>\n Source: MyBroadband<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
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