STAR DTV, a Chinese digital pay television company, has opened operations in Uganda.
“We are here to digitalise Uganda. Our cheaper rates de-mystify the belief that pay television is only for the rich,” Kevin Chen, the chief marketing officer, said in an interview.
“We are optimistic that the beginning of our operations is an important step towards shifting Uganda from the ageing analogue to the digital era of television systems.”
Chen added that the driving force for the company in capturing markets the world over has been their provision of cheaper yet quality services.
The pay television has a package of 30 channels for sh15,000 per month and 40 channels at sh25,000 per month. This is on top of an initial access fee of sh120,000.
The marketing chief promised the charges would be revised downwards as the company deepens into the market.
“According to our market survey, our subscriber’s base in Kampala and nearby towns will exceed 300,000 households per year,” he said.
With its headquarters on Lumumba Avenue the firm has outlets on Kampala road near Aristoc Book Store, in Ntinda, Kira town and Nateete.
By the end of this year, ten outlets would be established across the country, he said.
Currently, Star channels cover Kampala, Wakiso, Entebbe, Jinja and Masaka.
“The whole nation will be covered by 2012, with a total investment expected to reach $40m,” Chen added. Star DTV is operating in Rwanda and has begun work in Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi.
With over 20 years’ expereince, the Star Group of companies has more than seven million digital subscribers back in China.
Star DTV joins several pay televisions in the country, of which Digital Satellite Television (Dstv) and Pearl Digital Tv are part. Local TV stations like Bukedde, NTV, NBS and WBS can be accessed through Star DTV.
