DStv unveils video-on-demand in Kenya
BUSINESS
By BiztechAfrica - Aug. 31, 2012, 9:53 a.m.
By Semaj Itosno, Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya’s TV viewers will now have freedom to watch what they want in a new offer by pay-television provider DStv.
The company is set to start selling specific programmes to its subscribers besides what is provided in their current packages.
Under the ‘video on demand’ model, viewers will use their remote controls view a list of pre-loaded programmes from which they can select the ones to buy and watch.
The Commission of Kenya recently licensed 168 pay-TV operators to provide programmes, primarily through this model.
Video on demand allows subscribers to buy specific programmes instead of packages that have made the pay-TV market expensive and forced consumers to buy content they have no interest in.
This model is common in advanced countries where consumers buy and view premium and content on television, download it into their computers or view it via the Internet.
DStv is currently piloting the model among Kenyan subscribers using high-definition decoders where they order for content for free.
MultiChoice Kenya,which owns the DStv brand, says that if the pilot proves successful, it would spread the service to other users who use standard decoders.
“Video on demand is very relevant in the pay television market and we will be introducing it to the Kenyan market at the opportune time,” said MultiChoice Kenya General Manager Danny Mucira.
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