Contrary to speculations coupled with high hopes with which TStv jumped into the Nigerian Pay TV market on October 1, indications have emerged showing that Kwese TV, a new television operator in Nigeria, offering ‘pay as you watch’ subscription, is seamlessly grabbing the market like wild fire.
Public opinion conducted by Business Hilights Intelligence Unit showed that whereas the hype with which TStv was launched has dropped due to the sudden postponement of its rollout till next month without clear explanation, Kwese TV marketing team is combing every nook and cranny of highly populated angles of Nigerian cities to build subscriber base.
Investigations also showed that TStv seems to be having rights issues with some international signal distributors either before or after jumping into the launch where the Minister of Information announced three years tax moratorium for the firm.
However, Kwese TV seems more revolutionary in initiative as the firm’s long term target is to increase television viewers in Africa, which is currently put at 30 per cent.
President and Group Chief Executive Officer, Econet Media, Joseph Hundah, who disclosed this at the launch of the platform in Lagos, said Nigeria remains a strategic market for the platform.
According to him, KweseTV, which has already started operations, would offer customers ‘Pay-as-you-watch’ subscription packages for premium programming.
Details of the package coming with the new Pay TV sensation enables consumers to purchase three and seven-day subscriptions at N990 and N1, 850, as well as a 30-day subscription option for N6, 275.
Hundah averred that “PayTv in Africa versus the rest of the world, is still very low, going by the number of household TV owners, which is still around 30 per cent penetration, which is much lower compared to the rest of the world. The target of Kwese TV is to among others increase TV ownership in Nigeria and other part of Africa”.
Kwese TV belongs to the Econet Group, founded by Strive Masiyiwa.
A report by Frost & Sullivan, Nigeria is Africa’s second most developed PayTv market, which has “Pay-Tv, Video-on-Demand and Internet Protocol television (IPTV) Growth Opportunities in Africa.”
The report revealed that the PayTv, video-on-demand (VOD) and IPTV services market is growing rapidly as significant Internet penetration and smartphone adoption in Africa alter the manner in which consumers view content.
In the submission of the company’s General Manager, Mrs. Elizabeth Amkpa, “At Kwese, we have strong general entertainment and sports programming line-up, which we believe would be well received by viewers of all ages”.
She noted that the platform has already created jobs directly and indirectly, with 600 offices and 1000 dealers across the country, explaining that the full Kwese TV bouquet offers over 65 channels of pure entertainment with well-known international and homegrown channels.
Continuing, Amkpa added that “With Kwesé, content is not only accessible through our multi-platform service, but also through a revolutionary payment model. Kwesé is at the forefront of innovation through pioneering ground-breaking payment options that offer flexibility and convenience in the industry”.
Currently, leading Pay Tv platforms include DTtv and GOtv operated by MultiChoice Nigeria with it parent in South Africa.
The company also seems to have started introducing juicy promotions so as to retain its numerous subscribers especially in the GOtv segment.
Investigations show that GOtv recently added four new channels to boost subscriber experiences and further dominate the market.
