Video on demand arrives in Seychelles as Cable and Wireless (Seychelles) launches Sinémax

Sinémax is a video on demand service being offered by local telecommunications company, Cable and Wireless (Seychelles)

(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles' residents now have another option when choosing to watch the latest movie or television programme: video on demand.

Telecommunication company Cable & Wireless (Seychelles) on Friday launched the first video on demand service in the 115-island archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.

Sinémax is available to Cable and Wireless customers subscribed to its internet protocol television, IPTV, allowing them to choose what to watch and when to do so in the comfort of their own homes. Sinémax will be available to customers subscribed to some of the IPTV packages, which can cost around $50 and $75 a month.

The company became the first to launch IPTV services in the island nation almost a year ago.

The chief executive of Cable and Wireless (Seychelles) Charles Hammond told SNA that the company “has established a partnership with six major studios in Hollywood to be able to supply content for Sinémax users.” Universal Studios, Walt Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros Studios, 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures are part of the programme.

Hammond said: "It's a defining moment. In terms of picture quality it doesn't get better, and in terms of choice, it's amazing."

Sinémax users can choose between two features. Sinémax Store is a service whereby latest blockbuster movies can be digitally rented for 48 hours. A catalogue of television series, movies, kids TV and the latest music videos are available for subscribers to watch when they want to on Sinémax Play.

Movies rented on Sinémax Store can cost up to $3.50 while content available on Sinémax Play would already be included in any of the two packages which gives customers access to the video on demand service.

Guests were given a taste of how Sinémax works at the launch on Friday. (Clive Camille, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

Explaining how all these features work to guests attending the new product launch, Dominic Coopoosamy, Cable and Wireless' products and services executive, describes Sinémax as the complete opposite of illegally downloading movies and TV series, adding that besides being legal, it also provides better video and sound quality.

Prisca Julienne was the first Seychellois to buy from the Sinémax store, choosing Star Wars Episode VII, The Force Awakens. That was the first Star Wars film in 10 years and it earned over $1.5 billion worldwide.

"Instead of going to the cinema to watch new releases, now I can stay at home and watch it with the whole family," she told SNA.

Seychelles, an archipelago of around 93,000 people, is home to one cinema on the main island Mahé, and another on the second-most populated island, Praslin. For series and other television programmes, people rely on the national television, cable or satellite TV or the downloading from the internet.

Another new user of Sinémax, Murline Lebon, told SNA that paying around $3.50 per movie is reasonable.

Given that she has kids at home who loves to watch movies, Lebon has welcomed the availability of security features when purchasing content.

"As a parent I really like the fact that there is the pin code system available with the service. This allows us to also monitor and control expenses at the end of the month," Lebon told SNA.

Currently, Cable and wireless TV has over 6,000 subscribers and the company is predicting the numbers will grow in the coming months with the launch of Sinémax.

Cable and wireless is an international telecommunications company that has been in operation for over 120 years in Seychelles. The company is part of Cable & Wireless Communication which was recently purchased by Liberty Global.