New subscriber service readytv hopes to cement its place in the market by offering “bite-size chunks” of cable television to over 500,000 households.

The company, which launched its service last Wednesday, is also promising more competitive rates than cable providers Digicel and FLOW by allowing customers the option of one day, seven days or 30 days prepaid packages starting at $100.“Our packages are built unlike traditional cable, so we don’t have a basic package. We have several blocks of different channels, for instance, an

HBO movie pack which is seven channels in its own block. And so you could buy

HBO movie channel by itself and not subscribe to anything else for the month,” Co-Chief Executive Officer Chris Dehring told the

Jamaica Observer.“What we have done is to break down cable television into more bite-size chunks so that a much larger population can participate,” he continued, noting that the company has its eyes on 500,000 households currently without cable service with plans to expand that target market.According to readytv, its prepaid starter pack includes a standard indoor antenna, digital box, adapter, remote control, HDMI cable, joiner and RCA cable. Customers also have the option to use their own outdoor antenna which could improve the quality of the product, depending on the distance from ready tv’s broadcast towers, the line of sight, terrain, and other environmental factors.The service is currently available in Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine and parts of Clarendon, St Ann and St Mary at a one-time installation cost of $4,500. Hopes are that the signal from the readytv tower in Coopers Hill, St Andrew, will spread the wireless service as far as Mandeville.readytv’s prepaid television service uses prepaid scratch cards or e-vouchers known as ReadyCredit. The scratch cards, which can be purchased from vendors across the island, are available in the $100, $200 and $500 denominations.E-vouchers may be purchased for any value from authorised agents wherever GO (T-Epin logo) terminals are available.“Bear in mind that if you are buying the $100 credit, you have to pay GCT on it to the vendor. The money will go over to your account. You then use that credit to buy channel packages and, just like a phone credit, any used balance will roll over,” Dehring said.readytv’s focus is subscription-based digital broadcast television and is the first of its kind in Jamaica. The company’s licence allows it to use both wired and wireless technology to deliver multiple television and radio channels to its customers without the monthly contractual obligation to a cable provider.Customers have the option to buy the units and self-install.Dehring said the company is now finalising documents to make the channels per package available to customers.