The Nation Newspaper

Tag: StarTimes

  • Why we launched pay per day – StarTimes Boss

    Why we launched pay per day – StarTimes Boss

    On Wednesday, November 1, StarTimes officially commenced its much anticipated daily subscription plan tagged pay per day. In a brief chat with the media, the Chief Executive of the company, Mr Justin Zhang gave more insight into the birth of daily and weekly subscription in Nigeria.

    Q: When was the decision to launch the pay per day taken?

    Answer: We reached a decision to introduce pay per day in Nigeria late 2016. Although at that time, we were still testing the service in other African countries where we operate and in the South-West region in Nigeria.

    Q: Some people believe the pay per day service was introduced as a result of competition in the industry:

    Answer: That is not the case. Nigeria is our biggest market and so it would not be a wise business decision to launch a product or service without proper testing.

    The launch of our pay per day service had to be properly done so as not to cause any technical disruption, hence the need to test for months and make corrections where needed before rolling out a hitch-free service. Also, as a highly innovative company, we continually seek new ways to improve our customer experience and satisfaction and pay per day is one of such.

    Q: How was the service received by subscribers?

    Answer: Positively, as expected. Many of our subscribers have already started embracing the service. We get calls daily from customers seeking to get more information about pay per day so that they too can subscribe. I would say that this service has been much anticipated by Nigerians so we feel very happy to have pioneered the introduction of daily payments from as low as N60 in the pay-TV industry. Our aim is to ensure that we deliver digital entertainment to every Nigerian home at very affordable rates and we will ensure that this is done in the coming years.

    Related: TSTV vs DSTV: StarTimes pay per day, coincidence or strategy?

    Q: Is pay per view to be expected soon?

    Answer: I think many people misconstrue the pay-TV industry for the telecoms industry. Technologically speaking, for the pay tv industry, it is almost impossible to select individual channels based on customer preference and charge for each. While we are not ruling it out completely because things may change in the future, I know this may not be happening anytime soon given the technology on the ground.

    Q: What has StarTimes done recently to improve content?

    Answer: A lot. For example, we have upgraded our movie channels list and now have more safe channels for the kids to also enjoy. We also broadcast fairly recent new movies very new series from Hollywood. For our Nollywood fans, there are many channels dedicated to Nollywood movies and series now on StarTimes.

    Very worthy of note is that we will be broadcasting the Russia 2018 world cup live on StarTimes and this is in fulfilment of our promise to ensure than Digital entertainment is delivered to every home. All our subscribers will be enjoying live matches of the world cup from the comfort of their homes without putting a hole in their pockets come 2018.

  • StarTimes begins daily subscription

    StarTimes begins daily subscription

    StarTimes has announced its new daily subscription payment tagged pay-per-day. This, the company said is in line with the desire to give every Nigerian the opportunity of unbeatable digital television experience.

    The new subscription plan scheduled to take effect from November 1, 2017 will cut across all its bouquets nationwide.

    According to the company, “Subscribers can now watch as much as 30 channels with N60 per day and over 40 TV channels with just N300 a week on Nova bouquet. Basic bouquet subscribers will also enjoy subscription rate as low as N90 per day and N450 per week while classic bouquet subscribers will pay N180 per day, N900 per week and Unique bouquet N240 per day and N1800 per week on DTT Platform.

    On the other hand, subscribers on the DTH Nova bouquet is N60 per day, N300 per week and 900 per month; N120, N600 and N1, 900 for the subscribers on Smart bouquet.  However, the Super Bouquet subscribers will enjoy low rate of N240, N1, 200 and N3, 800 respectively.

    Announcing the launch of the pay-per-day subscription package, Chief Executive Officer, StarTimes Nigeria, Justin Zhang said this option will boost viewing pleasure and offer credible, quality and enriching entertainment experience at a very low price.”

    “As the fastest-growing digital TV operator in Africa and due to necessities of strategic development as well as meeting demands of African markets, StarTimes is focusing on its new pay-per-day subscription package to give subscribers affordable  and convenient digital Television experience” he added.

    Also speaking on the plan, Brands and Marketing Director, StarTimes, Qasim Elegbede said Nigerians can now enjoy unlimited access to quality entertainment on StarTimes with pay-per-day.

    He noted that the company’s focus is to provide services that will reach subscribers at an affordable cost. StarTimes aggregates various exciting and top-notch channels on its platform to offer millions of digital TV subscribers a rich blend of entertainment – be it movies, sports, news, drama, series and music.

    “Our desire is to ensure that every Nigerian family can afford access and enjoy digital television with over 100 owned and authorized channels creatively selected to appeal to every member of the family,” he said.

  • TSTV vs DSTV: StarTimes pay per day, coincidence or strategy?

    TSTV vs DSTV: StarTimes pay per day, coincidence or strategy?

    When StarTimes took to its official Twitter handle @Startimes_Ng  to announce that it was commencing Pay Per Day service in a series of tweets, most DigitalTV subscribers knew they haven’t seen the end of the announcement just yet.

    No surprises as the news was well received by many Nigerians online and social media, with many celebrating what they felt was a move forced by the fiasco of TSTV. For so many Nigerians, they have waited for a day when the Globacom of the Pay TV sub-sector of the broadcast industry will make an entry.

    But many questions remained unanswered. Questions like why now? Why StarTimes? Why November 1st? Why N60 daily? All of these have been asked on social media with very little answers available as the company is yet to issue an official statement with details of the plan.

    Why now?

    Some people have argued that StarTimes has been in operations for over 7 years and is no longer a newcomer to the industry. So why is the pay per day announcement coming now?

    Why not a year or 2 earlier, especially since the company claims to have been offering this service in other African countries. Why was the implementation in Nigeria delayed?

    Why StarTimes

    Truthfully, if any cable TV operator was expected to introduce the par per day following the pledges and promises of TSTV, it would have been DSTV or Go-TV, since the agitation of most Nigerians was heard towards them due to perceived high pricing and alleged monopoly in the industry.

    For most stakeholders, subscribers, critics and the ordinary Nigerian, StarTimes was not the problem for them, in fact, nobody joined issues with StarTimes when it came to providing affordable entertainment for Nigerians, partly because their pricing was fair enough.

    So, when the announcement was made that fateful morning, it came as a good shock on the morning of October 19 when the announcement came from StarTimes, an announcement that set social media agog, one made on the same day Kwese TV, a new kid on the block was having their official launch press conference. Was this deliberate, to reduce the media share of voice Kwese receives on the day they launch or just another coincidence?

    Why November 1st?

    Really, why November 1st? Isn’t this the same day the other operator promised to launch? Something is fishy here. Or is this just another coincidence?

    StarTimes Demand Soars!

    Since the announcement was made on October 19th, the demand for StarTimes and general interest in the company has risen dramatically. Some social media users went as far as taking pictures of themselves purchasing the decoders at subsidised rates and with a promise to enjoy 1-month free view.

    An inquiry from 2 dealer partners in Lagos mainland indicated a 9% hike in product demand. Can one attribute this to the new pay per view package or just the ripple effect of the publicity the company has enjoyed in past week?

    Why 60 Naira Daily?

    While we celebrate, let’s ask ourselves questions before we accept a greek gift. Why so cheap? N60 is a very affordable rate by any standard. These days, N60 cannot even buy you a bottle of drink in traffic or any store. Why would StarTimes offer their daily subscription at such a cheap rate? is there more to it than meets the eye? A quick check on the company website reveals little information about the new package. Why so much secrecy?

    In the meantime, all we can do is wait and see what details are made available on November 1st. It is my hope that this is not just another appetiser or publicity stunt, something similar to what we experienced in September when TSTV came with bags of undelivered promises.

  • StarTimes & the battle for supremacy in Nigeria’s Pay Tv industry

    StarTimes & the battle for supremacy in Nigeria’s Pay Tv industry

    Until recently, the pay tv industry in Nigeria, Africa’s most populated country and arguably the largest economy has been dominated by two major players, South Africa’s MultiChoice and China’s StarTimes.

    Until about 8 years ago, Nigeria had only MultiChoice as the major pay tv service provider, but that changed quickly when StarTimes launched in 2010, targeting the mass market with a strategy that seemed to have propelled it to hold the largest subscriber base in Nigeria, thereby forcing MultiChoice to revisit its offerings, billing and overall strategy.

    The battle to reign supreme in Nigeria had always been between these 2 players until mid September, when a new kid on the block, Telcomsat Limited, owners of TSTV made a surprise entry into the market, promising free wifi with decoders, broadcast of EPL games and lots more, with a promise to launch on October 1st to coincide with Nigeria’s independence, in a campaign that was described as giving independence to Pay TV subscribers.

    This was overwhelmingly received by Nigerians, with many expressing their displeasure at MultiChoice, understandably because of the monopoly they enjoy on EPL and pricing which Nigerians describe as unfriendly. Unfortunately, the hype turned out to be a flash in the pan, as the anticipated launch on October 1 never saw the light of day, leaving the hopes of many Nigerians dashed.

    Justin Zhang. StarTimes CEO
    Justin Zhang. StarTimes CEO

    But in a dramatic twist, StarTimes Nigeria quickly announced on Thursday, October 19 via its official Twitter handle @startimes_ng that it was commencing Pay Per Day service.

    The company twitted thus:

    NIGERIA: What if we told you that you can now pay per day, per week & per month? #StarTimesPaybyday

    Nigeria: It gets better. You can now watch as much as 30 Channels with N60 ONLY.

    Nigeria: Entertainment just got subsidized. Enjoy over 40 TV channels with just N300 a week!

    Nigeria: Now you can pay only for the day bae is visiting. Enjoy all StarTimes channels for only N60 per day #StarTimesPaybyday

    Nigeria: Entertainment just got subsidized with #StarTimesPaybyday

    Nigeria: Enjoy unlimited access to quality entertainment on StarTimes. Now you can #Payper-day #payperview #payasyouwatch

    As expected, Nigerians on social media quickly jumped on this announcement, with the tweets gathering over 100 retweets within minutes.

    It was almost as if the much-anticipated messiah has come. There were many positive reactions and questions were raised, a lot of people wanted to know when the service would commence, how much the rates were, how long it would last for and more. Although details of the package are still sketchy as no official statement has been issued to the media on this. The company only said Nigerians could pay as low as N60 daily to enjoy the service or N300 a week come November 1.

    No doubt, TSTV may have triggered the discussion around Per Per Day in Nigeria, but it is important to note that StarTimes had been offering this service fully in 2 other African countries like Uganda and Zambia, with a test run in Nigeria for over 8 months southwest before the actual announcement was made.

    Analysts believe that the industry is towing the line of the Telecoms Industry, likening StarTimes announcement of pay per day to the strategic role Globacom played with the introduction of per second billing which was said to have been impossible to implement by other telecom operators in Nigeria.

    It will be interesting to see how the Pay TV subsector of the broadcast industry pans out, knowing that this move by StarTimes will trigger reactions from competing service providers, all to the benefit of Nigerians.

  • StarTimes launches pay per day option

    StarTimes launches pay per day option

    StarTimes Nigeria on Thursday announced the Pay Per Day options for subscribers across Nigeria.

    The Chinese multinational media company with strong presence in Africa also announced other options which include the pay per week and per month.

    StarTimes offers digital terrestrial television and satellite television services to consumers.

    Details of the new announcement are yet to be released, but the media company on its Twitter handle, @StarTimes_Ng said:

    NIGERIA: What if we told you that you can now pay per day, per week & per month? #StarTimesPaybyday

    Nigeria: It gets better. You can now watch as much as 30 Channels with N60 ONLY.

    Nigeria: Entertainment just got subsidized. Enjoy over 40 TV channels with just N300 a week!

    Nigeria: Now you can pay only for the day bae is visiting. Enjoy all StarTimes channels for only N60 per day #StarTimesPaybyday

    Nigeria: Entertainment just got subsidized with #StarTimesPaybyday

    Nigeria: Enjoy unlimited access to quality entertainment on StarTimes. Now you can #Payperday #payperview #payasyouwatch

  • StarTimes to boost family viewership

    StarTimes, one of Nigeria’s thriving Pay TV service provider, has pledged to boost family viewership base by adding new series to its recently launched StarPlus channel.

    According to its management, the StarPlus channel is part of 21st Century Fox’s Star India network, a hindi language general entertainment television based in India.

    The channel highlights a mix of family dramas, comedies, youth-oriented reality shows, crime shows and telefilm.

    Brands and Marketing Director, StarTimes, Qasim Elegbede stated that StarTimes aggregates various exciting and top-notch channels such as StarPlus on its platform to offer millions of digital TV subscribers a rich blend of entertainment -be it movies, sports, news, drama, series, and music.

    “Our desire is to ensure that every Nigerian family can afford access and enjoy digital television with entertaining channels creatively selected to appeal to every member of the family. With these highlighted series, StarTimes will go some notch higher and glue viewers to their seats for pleasurable hours and that is our goal,” he stressed.

    StarPlus channel 506 or 560 on StarTimes feature entertaining series such as Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, which tells the story of Naitik and Akshara who went in search of Naira, who left home a few years ago. They find her in Dehradun and convince her to return home.

    Another exciting story Tu Sooraj Mein Saanjh, is about a lady name Kanak who stayed with her grandmother, Bhabho, after her parents’ death. Although Bhabho hates her, Kanak secretly wishes to win her love one day.

    Others are Ishqbaaaz andAarambh, a weekend Package, featuring Devasena and daughter of Chamundi.

  • ‘StarTimes will be at the vanguard of HIV prevention’

    At the Inaugural Meeting of Global HIV Prevention Coalition held in Geneva (Switzerland) on October 10th-11th, StarTimes vice-president Guo Ziqi sent a strong message towards reaching the prevention targets of the 2016 Political Declaration on Ending AIDS.

    With this declaration, United Nations Member States have committed to reducing new adult HIV infections to fewer than 500,000 annually by 2020 and ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

    The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have since been working on generating support for a global HIV prevention coalition with the aim of strengthening and sustaining political commitment for primary prevention.

    Co-convened by UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem, the Inaugural Meeting of Global HIV Prevention Coalition gathered United Nations Member States, civil society, philanthropists, academics and international organizations to launch the Prevention 2020 Road Map for achieving the global commitments on HIV prevention.

    As the representative of the only private sector media organization present at the meeting, Ms. Guo committed “to make full use of our resources and play to our strength to implement the road map to ensure the message reaching the largest number of people at the shortest time possible to make the most impact. StarTimes will be at the vanguard of HIV prevention.”

    Established in 35 countries, StarTimes is a leading digital TV operator across Sub-Saharan Africa providing, with a signal covering the whole continent, affordable digital television to over 10 million subscribers.

    “For StarTimes, these are not just 10 million subscribers, they are 10 million families (including the key population) who can be reached with the urgent message and the hope of ‘Ending AIDS as a public Health Threat by 2030’ with the joint effort of UNAIDS,” said Guo Ziqi.

    On May 12th, StarTimes and UNAIDS formally established partnership with signing a memorandum of understanding in Beijing focusing on HIV prevention through StarTimes broadcasting network.

    According to Ms. Guo, “though Internet is developing rapidly, TV remains the primary channel for information for the overwhelming majority of African families. As a Digital TV operator, StarTimes has a lot to offer for HIV prevention.”

    Furthermore, StarTimes has been tasked to implement the “Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages” under the guide of Chinese and African governments. Ms. Guo said that this project will allow HIV prevention to reach through digital TV the people who are the least well-informed, the most marginalized and left-behind of the continent.

  • StarTimes showcases new series

    StarTimes showcases new series

    Pay TV service provider, StarTimes has added a new channel, StarPlus to its rich list of programmes. This, according to its management, is its own way of boosting family viewership base and giving more choices to subscribers

    StarPlus channel, a part of 21st Century Fox’s Star India network, is a hindi language general entertainment television based in India.

    The channel highlights a mix of family dramas, comedies, youth-oriented reality shows, crime shows and telefilm.

    The channel features programmes such as Kya Qusoor Hai Amala Ka, which tells the story of Amala, a rape victim who faces numerous problems in the society. Kya Qusoor Hai Amala Ka shows every Monday to Friday.

    Also on the offering is Ishqbaaaz, a story of three brothers; Rudra, Shivaay and Omkar, who destroy the forlorn myth that the younger generations do not maintain strong family ties. They prove to be an exception showing every Monday to Friday from 9pm.

    Others are Aarambh, and Naamkarann, both family programmes that focuse on love, betrayal and loyalty.

    According to Brand and Marketing Director, StarTimes, Qasim Elegbede, StarPlus is a niche channel that draws from the rich Hindi culture to entertain, target the youth and the older generation and in fact, the entire family primarily with the aim of teaching how to overcome adversities and other negative circumstances of life.

    Elegbede remarked further that StarTimes aggregates various exciting and top-notch channels on its platform to offer millions of digital TV subscribers a rich blend of entertainment.

    “Our desire is to ensure that every Nigerian family can afford access and enjoy digital television with over 100 owned and authorized channels creatively selected to appeal to every member of the family. With the addition of StarPlus, StarTimes desires to glue viewers to their seats for pleasurable hours. That is our goal”, Elegbede stated.

  • Startimes to begin broadcast in Maiduguri

    Cable TV provider Startimes would soon begin broadcast in Maiduguri, Borno State.

    This was made known when a team from Startimes led by its new CEO Justin Zhang, visited The Nation office in Lagos on Thursday to solicit for partnership with the newspaper.

    “We’ve already started the process,” said Zhang.

    “The equipment, the engineers are on ground. I’m sure, before the end of this year, we would cover Maiduguri.”

    Zhang was in the company of Startimes’ acting Brand and marketing Director, Qasim Elegbede and Public Relations Manager, Kunmi Balogun. And they were received by Daily Editor, Gbenga Omotoso, the Sports Editor, Ade Ojeikere and the Editor, Online and Special Projects, Lekan Otufodunrin.

    Omotoso praised Startimes’s move to expand its operations to Maiduguri as well as for seeking to collaborate with The Nation, Nigeria’s highest circulating newspaper.

    “We started printing in three places before other newspapers came to join us,” said Omotoso.

  • Startimes to begin broadcast in Maiduguri

    Startimes to begin broadcast in Maiduguri

    Cable TV provider Startimes would soon begin broadcast in Maiduguri, Borno State.

    This was disclosed when a team from Startimes led by its new CEO Justin Zhang, visited The Nation office in Lagos on Thursday to solicit for partnership with the newspaper.

    “We’ve already started the process,” said Zhang.

    “The equipment, the engineers are on ground. I’m sure, before the end of this year, we would cover Maiduguri.”

    Zhang was in the company of Startimes‘ acting Brand and marketing Director, Qasim Elegbede and Public Relations Manager, Kunmi Balogun. And they were received by Daily Editor, Gbenga Omotoso, the Sports Editor, Ade Ojeikere and the Editor, Online and Special Projects, Lekan Otufodunrin.

    Omotoso praised Startimes’s move to expand its operations to Maiduguri as well as for seeking to collaborate with The Nation, Nigeria’s highest circulating newspaper.

    “We started printing in three places before other newspapers came to join us,” said Omotoso.

    “(In) Maiduguri and such places, when people felt it was tough to have the day’s newspaper in those areas, we started going there, printing simultaneously in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja. So, if anybody who is into mass circulation of products or services, wants a partner, they can find the best in The Nation.”

    Startimes, a joint venture between Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) and Star Communications in China, was founded in Nigeria seven years ago. And presently the Cable TV provider covers 60 cities in Nigeria except Yobe and Adamawa States, with more than 80 stations.

    In a related effort, StarTimes Nigeria has introduced a policy to encourage workers seek professional development locally or internationally, in a bid to foster professionalism and position its people to better compete with their counterparts globally.

    The company will cover 75 per cent of the cost of training.

    “We live in a fast-paced world and to ensure that our people are up-to-date with international developments and practice, constant training and re-training is necessary. This policy will ensure that any staff, who wishes to study for personal or professional development, gets to do so without hindrance by the expenses.

    “StarTimes will bear 75 per cent of the cost of training, leaving 25 per cent to be covered by the staff. This policy is open to staff, irrespective of grade, level or contract type and was the first introduced when the new CEO, Justin Zhang, a visionary leader, who believes in people, took office this year,” the company had said through its Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Tunde Aina in August.