MultiChoice cancels contract with ANN7
A unit of African media and e-commerce giant Naspers said yesterday it will not renew its contract with a news channel previously owned by the Gupta family. A TimesLIVE report notes that MultiChoice, the biggest pay-TV provider in Africa, said an investigation found the company had not done proper due diligence on ANN7 but there was no corruption in its contract.
The investigation followed media reports questioning payments made by MultiChoice to ANN7. The investigation was supported by Webber Wentzel and an independent audit firm, who reviewed the contract with ANN7, analysed e-mails and interviewed staff members, notes a Moneyweb report.
MultiChoice will not make its investigative report public as it’s ‘commercially sensitive'. The report points out MultiChoice and its parent company Naspers have faced criticism amid allegations that both companies entered into commercial agreements with ANN7 and the SABC to influence government’s digital migration policy. Allegations of bribery and corruption surfaced, suggesting that MultiChoice and ANN7 attempted to influence and change government policy on the encryption of digital terrestrial signals and set-top boxes.
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