MultiChoice signals growth in Zim

The biggest and fastest growing markets for pan African multi-channel digital satellite television (DStv) operator are namely, South Africa, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Botswana and Namibia.
DStv, MultiChoice’s flagship product, provides various bouquets offering home television viewing for subscribers.
The MultiChoice Africa boss, Collins Khumalo, said the country had seen “good growth” over the past year, and would want it to grow even more despite the challenges currently besetting the country.
Khumalo said the dollarisation of the economy introduced some element of stability in the market and stamped the hyperinflationary environment.
Khumalo is on record saying that despite the tough operating environment following the global financial crisis, the growth in subscriber numbers across the continent is “pleasing” attributing this to “rich and diverse range of world-class channels, as well as to the variety of affordable DStv bouquet options”.
He was speaking to The Financial Gazette on the sidelines of the recently held CNN-MultiChoice African Journalist Awards, held in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, last month.
A number of journalists from across Africa were awarded for excellence in their work.
South African Sam Rogers, a reporter with e.tv, scooped the overall African Journalist of the Year award at an awards gala for her report on the plight of albinos in Tanzania entitled “Curse of the nobody people”.
Asked to comment on allegations of “bias” in favour of Nigeria at the expense of other countries or regions, Khumalo said for his continental group, it’s not an issue of sidelining other countries, but it’s a question of looking at the size of the market.
He said Nigeria has a population of over 150 million and besides, the country has a vibrant movie industry, hence, it was possible to launch the African Magic channel. The content to support the channel is there, he said, adding that “we try to spread ourselves as much as possible”.
He said much of the development in SADC comes from South Africa and said that there is a new channel, Mzansi, being worked on and this would go a long way in catering for content from the region with a strong entertainment focus.
The channel is expected to hit the screens on July 12. The channel will be available to subscribers on DStv Select, Compact and Premium.
The channel will also introduce to television the uniquely South African low-budget film genre nicknamed “bubblegum cinema”.
MultiChoice recently rolled out Video on Demand (VoD) facility, which allows subscribers with personal video recorders (PVR decoder) to catch up on their favourite TV series or sports highlights at a time that is convenient to them.
VoD provides access to 20 hours of the most popular TV series and sports magazines shows for up to seven days after broadcast on one of the DStv channels. This service was previously available only on SD PVR decoder and is now also available on high definition (HD) PVR decoders.
MultiChoice has also just launched a HD PVR 2P decoder that is also capable of delivering high definition programmes in time for the FIFA World Cup. You can store 150 hours of Standard Definition programming or 50 hours of High Definition programming on the decoder.
The decoder can also be used with a normal standard definition television set, enabling subscriber to enjoy PVR functionalities. These include watching one channel, while recording another channel at the same time; as well as pausing, rewinding live programs and fast forwarding live recorded programmes.
Subscribers with HD televisions and with premium subscriptions will be able to watch most of their favourite sports, movies and documentaries in high definition. SuperSport will broadcast FIFA World Cup matches on four dedicated soccer channels; two of these will be in high definition.
This decoder can also be linked to any of our latest decoders to provide a multi-viewing environment.
MultiChoice started as the subscriber management arm of M-Net, the analogue pay-TV channel. Today it is the leading home TV provider across Africa. Its dynamic technology platform and varied bouquet of channels, built on a foundation of compelling premium entertainment, has seen MultiChoice grow its business across the whole continent.
Meanwhile, MultiChoice has broken through the one million subscriber mark out of its operations in 48 Sub-Saharan countries.
“This is a significant milestone and we are well on track to achieve further growth with the introduction of new satellite technology early next year,” said the newly appointed MultiChoice Africa president adding that this growth reflects the resilience of pay TV in tough economic conditions.
In Zimbabwe, MultiChoice started as an independently owned business in the late 1980s. It became a franchise in 1995 and now has offices in the major cities of the country.
M-Net and SuperSport are part of the MultiChoice Africa stable, which delivers premium channels and content to a growing number of subscribers. Oracle, DStv Mobile, MWEB, DStv Online, CommerceZone, SmartVillage and NMSCom also form part of the group.
MultiChoice Africa is owned by the Naspers Group.