IT IS now in the hands of the ordinary person on the street to help decide whether TV viewers should have access to a 24-hour pornography channel in SA.

New player in the pay-TV market TopTV announced last week that it had made an application to the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) for permission to launch three adult- content channels.

Icasa has received a number of written submissions on the matter after a call was made in the Government Gazette.

Icasa spokesman Paseka Maleka said depending on the nature of the submissions, it may hold public hearings before it decides whether to give TopTV the go-ahead.

The latest bid to get porn on to South African television screens comes just months after leading pay-TV broadcaster MultiChoice decided to can its foray into adult TV after widespread objections from the public.

Even e.tv's soft-porn offering, that started in 2002, drew extensive criticism from religious groups.

Asked whether MultiChoice would now reconsider its decision, a company spokesman said on Friday the broadcaster had nothing to say on the matter.

Mr Maleka said the public hearing would most likely be held next month , but could not say when the process would be finalised.

TopTV last week announced its intention to launch porn channels, while distancing itself from a company called African Satellite Installations, which had indicated that French porn channel PSatTV would soon be available in SA via the TopTV satellite.

PSatTV, which is not connected to TopTV, is offering TopTV subscribers a 24-hour porn channel for R99 a month by piggy-backing off TopTV's satellite signal. A separate decoder is required.

TopTV's holding company, On-Digital Media , said the porn channels would be separate from its bouquets and would carry a strictly enforced adult restriction. They would only be accessible as a secure, encrypted and separate subscription package on the pay-TV platform.

Potential subscribers would need to provide proof that they were over the age of 18, and viewing of the channels would require a unique, four-digit PIN code.

TopTV's latest plan is a departure from its assurance during its launch in SA last year when it said it would not consider a porn channel.

"Recent research has shown that there is a definite market for adult content and channels among South African television viewers," it said last week.

"We have established that there is a niche market for such a service and are ensuring that we offer it to potential subscribers in a responsible and secure environment."

But TopTV spokeswoman Melinda Connor said the company was treading with care . "This is a very sensitive matter and needs to be handled very sensitively. In a newsletter to all subscribers we have indicated our plans.

"If they choose not to subscribe, they will not see anything related to the channels. We have even created a separate website for porn channels."

She said content for all three channels would be provided by Playboy TV, with one being a soft porn channel and the other two having more raunchy content. It would cost R199 a month.

TopTV, which was launched last year, has bouquets starting at R99, but has faced stiff competition from MultiChoice, which has cornered many aspects of the market, especially sport, new movies, and hit TV shows.

While porn on TV remains a contentious issue, adult material produced in SA is widely available on cellphones, the internet, DVDs and in magazines.

neethlingt@bdfm.co.za