A scene from one of the dancehall video on demand. - Contributed

Who says dancehall is dead?

That idea of watching some raw, uncut video of dancehall sessions never gets old. From the time when dancehall sessions provided the bulk of what one could see on emerging local cable television back in the 1990s until now, two decades later, people always seem to want to see themselves and their friends flossing in the dancehall.

It is this desire that video on demand is hoping to fill. The brainchild of businessman Michael Thompson, video on demand airs on channel 1000 on the Flow cable network and exclusively shows dancehall sessions held all over the world. "We have videos from Japan, England, Miami, New York and across the Caribbean, countries like Antigua and Trinidad," said Thompson.

He believes that the obsession with videos of dancehall sessions is a cultural thing. "People look for the latest fashions, dance moves and to see their friends who live abroad and who they may not have seen in a long time," he said. "Plus it's raunchy and exciting and depicts the true nature of the dancehall."

According to Thompson the video-on-demand concept allows subscribers access to dozens of video for 48 hours each time after a $250 subscription fee is paid. During that period, subscribers can watch, rewind, pause or fast forward at their discretion. "It allows them to watch what they want, when they want," he said.

availability

Video on demand has been available since July 1, and interest has been growing steadily. Thompson says subscribers are demanding even more. They want even more hard-core content, more stage shows because people want to see our local entertainers onstage overseas. Already Thompson has been getting content from Jimmy Jam videos in Miami and Lightning Video from New York. 2-Grand and Gary Bashment are among his other providers. However, he is working now to gain access to videos of some of the earlier editions of Sting, an event that is high in demand.

Meantime, new videos are being added each week to the video on demand's rapidly growing catalogue.