Julius Barigaba
2 August 2008
Nairobi — Balancing Act, a London based consultancy and research firm, has named Gateway Television (GTV) the favourite satellite pay-TV channel in Africa.
The London firm specialises in profiling ICT-based businesses, ranging from research on telecommunication firms, Internet access and usage and the audi-visual media segment for Africa, which includes regular assessment of pay-TV performance in selected markets on the continent.
According to a recent report, GTV is said to enjoy popularity as high as 71 per cent, having taken "five out of every seven new subscribers" that chose satellite TV in Africa over the past nine months alone.
In Uganda, the company got most of its subscribers by riding on its profile of sports programming, which features the popular English and local football leagues.
GTV country manager Daniel Kagwe told The EastAfrican last week that for a company that was breaking into an already existing niche market, the channel's secret was in getting the right combination between pricing and product content. This is a tricky proposition, given that Uganda is among markets where pay-TV subscribers still account for less than one per cent of the entire television viewing population.
"In this business, it's all about getting the product combination correct. You must get the product content and price right," said Mr Kagwe.
The pan African TV company launched in many countries just last year, with an investment of $250 million, according to GTV founder Julian McIntyre.
It has since slashed its connection and package pricing, with its highest package now going for a monthly rate of Ush70,000 ($40), and the lowest offer going for Ush21,000 ($12).
The programmes range from European football channels to, news broadcast programmes, African movies and children's programmes.
GTV has also introduced innovations such as allowing its subscribers to access their packages using scratch cards.
To make its entry into Africa felt, the company secured rights for the popular Barclays English Premier League.
It acquired exclusive rights to air the matches live across sub Saharan Africa for 80 per cent of the games, and a select mix from the German, Italian and South American football leagues.
Apart from the foreign leagues, GTV launched onto the Ugandan market with a vigour that has changed the perception of many about Uganda's football, which looks more organised than before.
The company took over sponsorship of the limping league, forced the clubs to redesign their kit, and to come up with club logos.
It then offered a Ush26 million ($14,857) prize for the league winner under a sponsorship package worth $5.8 million spread over five years.
Current local league champions, Kampala City Council Football Club, became the first club to claim GTV's prize money.
GTV is even getting teams to play at night.
The company pulled off the first floodlit football carnival in the local league in almost two decades since the early 1990s.
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