StarTimes: We’ve done a lot for Africa’s digital switch

Dar es Salaam. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) set 2015 to be the deadline for migration from analogue to digital broadcasting.

StarTimes believes it has done a lot in helping African countries to meet their digitisation goals.

“For StarTimes, 2015 was a year of delivering on our mission of providing every African with affordable digital TV,” the company said in a statement yesterday.

The Chinese firm is undoubtedly the leading digital-TV operator in Africa, covering 80 per cent of the continent’s population with a massive distribution network of 200 brand halls, 3,000 convenience stores and 5,000 distributors.

It currently has licences and registered companies in 30 African nations, 16 of which use StarTimes’ broadcasting networks. They include Tanzania, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, South Africa and Uganda.

Tanzania’s digital migration journey started in 2006 when broadcasting laws were amended to accommodate digital broadcasting. The process then started the switch from analogue to Digital Terrestrial Television. StarMedia Tanzania Limited was formed in May 2009 between StarTimes and the Tanzania public service broadcaster to roll out the digital migration. So far, nearly one million set top boxes have been sold to Tanzanians.

East Africa’s second largest economy was also the first in the region to successfully migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting.

Similarly, the company also played a pivotal role in digitisation of Zambia, Uganda and DRC among others.

This was why StarTimes chairman Pang Xinxing visited these countries during his trip to African last year.

The company also hosted the 5th African Digital TV Development Seminar in Tianjin, China, in June last year where over 119 delegates, including those from 29 African countries attended.

Mr Pang said at the event that StarTimes Group would help Africa build an entirely new TV industry in the digitalisation of programme sources, controlling and broadcasting systems, transmission network and user terminals.

“Considering the robust technological strength and rich experience, the StarTimes Group is confident that cooperation can promote the prosperity of the African TV industry and further economic development,” he said. On June 9, Mr Pang and Mr Jörg Daubitzer, managing director of DFL Sports Enterprises, signed a contract for the exclusive broadcasting rights of Bundesliga for the next successive five years-from 2015 to 2020. Looking forward, the company says it will always strive to meet its vision of enabling every African family to afford and enjoy digital TV.

“StarTimes achieves this by combining satellite and terrestrial DTV systems to provide an open and secure digital wireless platform.”