africa2_africa 30/10/2013 09:34 Page 6
with more to come. ASTRA 2G, SES’s
more content, so they have more to offer
Middle East on a free-to-air basis, but not
upcoming satellite launching in 2014, will
viewers.” He suggested that the growth of
with pay bouquets that we’re familiar with.”
extend broadcasters’ reach further across
pay-TV offers “a fantastic opportunity” to
REGULATION. According to Bell, the regWest Africa. SES has not stopped there in
grow local content and on the back of that,
ulatory framework in Africa also presents
helping broadcasters face economic and
expand the entire creative arts and sports
challenges for pay-TV. “Every one of the 53
technical challenges, “Connecting more
entertainment industries on the continent.
countries in Africa has a different broadthan one billion people in Africa requires
The Wananchi Group is the second
casting regulator and different policies. The
more than providing downlinks and
largest pay-TV operator in Africa after
advent of pay-TV has coincided with a drive
uplinks” says
towards the digital
Ibrahima Guimbaswitchover in
Sub-Saharan Africa profiles
Saidou, SES SVP for
Africa. This has
TV households
Digital TV
Pay TV
Pay TV
Africa. “Africa may
caused a lot of con(000)
households (000) households (000) revenues $m
still be poor, but
fusion with regula2012
2018
2012
2018
2012
2018
2012
2018
people demand solutors and the marAngola
1070
1455
179
1455
130
584
41
123
tions for their needs
ket,” he observed.
Cote d'Ivoire 1566
2041
271
2041
219
786
73
147
and they need it at
He suggested
Ghana
1284
1633
343
1633
166
549
38
102
the best possible
that in general,
Kenya
2433
3568
832
3568
377
1431
82
248
price.”
pay-TV was not
Nigeria
8765
11335
2842
11335 1351
4364
388
742
GROWTH.
regulated too heavS Africa
7970
9013
4646
9013
4264
5813
1765
2157
According to
ily, which could be
Tanzania
1536
1972
516
1972
258
871
62
164
Richard Bell, CEO of
a double-edged
Uganda
1331
1814
538
1814
317
853
70
157
the Wananchi
sword. “On the one
Zambia
950
1201
369
1201
147
477
46
117
Group, Africa will
hand, getting
Source: Digital TV Research
soon become the
licences is fairly
world’s fastest growstraight forward.
ing pay-TV market, suggesting that this is
South African giant MultiChoice. Wananchi
However, issues such as equitable access to
because penetration is currently so low and
is the owner of the direct-to-home (DTH)
premium sports content (such as the
over the medium term is likely to reach
satellite pay-TV offering, Zuku TV, and
English Premier League), as well as local
global penetration levels.
currently broadcasts in five countries to
content provisions, and the FTA ‘must carry
He told Screen Africa in September 2013
over 200,000 households. Bell noted that
must offer’ are all being dealt with by
that despite the steady improvement of
there are a few home grown pay-TV operaregulators in a very haphazard fashion. The
free-to-air (FTA) offerings in Africa, FTA ad
tors in West Africa, as well as a few small
result is significant barriers for pay-TV
revenues are limited. “Therefore, the ability
ones across the continent. “But there’s
operators in growing their businesses.”
of FTA broadcasters to generate content is
nothing that we know of currently with
“Wananchi also believes that IP-sbased
constrained. Pay-TV operators have more
much scale. In addition there are some
streaming will grow dramatically,” he conrevenue streams and can therefore invest in
DTH companies broadcasting from the
cluded.
COMPANY PROFILE
MultiChoice
Naspers is a leading multinational media group, incorporated in 1915 as a public
limited liability company and
listed on the Johannesburg
Stock Exchange (JSE) in
September 1994. The
company also has an ADR
listing on the London Stock
Exchange (LSE).
Its leading pay-TV opera-
8 AFRICA Briefing
tion is MultiChoice. The
making information and
scribers to enjoy the latest
MultiChoice African business
entertainment more accessitelevision innovations while
provides multi-channel pay
ble, and as an African
keeping in touch with uptelevision and subscriber
business, investments have
to-the-minute news, informanagement services in 48
brought both social and
mation and entertainment.
countries in Sub-Sahara
economic benefits to the
The following table sets
Africa and the adjacent
communities in which they
out the subscriber numbers
Indian Ocean
operate through access to
for sub-Sahara Africa's payislands. The group
information, job opportunitelevision services as at the
has ownership
ties, partnerships and
end of March 2012 and
interests through
training.
March 2013.
MultiChoice Africa
MultiChoice Africa’s digiThe net subscriber base
in joint ventures
tal DStv service features over
grew by 40% since March
operating in Kenya,
70 video channels (including
2013 to over 2.2m homes.
Ghana, Uganda,
numerous customised M-Net
Lower-priced bouquets
Nigeria, Tanzania,
and SuperSport channels and
addressing a broader market
Zambia, Namibia
many major international
segment grew strongly to
and Botswana. In other Subnetwork channels), and up to
approximately 660,000 net
Saharan African countries,
65 audio channels. A
subscribers.
MultiChoice Africa operates
dynamic technology infraMultiChoice Africa’s digithrough agents or franstructure is constantly
tal service is transmitted
chisees.
upgraded to enable subdirect-to-home, on the
MultiChoice Africa
Eutelsat 36B KUMarch 2012
March 2013
believes it has played
band and IS7
Subscribers
1,630,447
2,287 650
an important role in
KU-band