Kevin Nyango
Zimbabweans have been running short of an alternative when it comes to pay-TV industry. They always wished to be like Kenyans who have StarTimes as their alternative when things don’t go well with the other part of the industry. The customers are happier with the fact that many companies are making inroads to where they are not found. However, it’s a hard task for the pay-TV group since they have to work tirelessly as they try to improve their models to withstand the market competition. The fact that there is insufficient number of customers to convince makes it harder.
The recent reduction in subscription charges by the starTimes Kenya by 25% gives them an upper hand in the market. The company based their move on the fact that currently there are economic constraints in the continent. The moment people have less access to incomes with the fact that entertainment is just but a luxury, people tend to go for any form of entertainment so long as the prices favor them this gave StarTimes an option of reducing their cost of accessing their products.
Kwese is also taking the same direction. Kwese is offering new subscribers with a one-month free subscription in case they buy a set-top box and a dish set. The company noted that it’s not easy for a new subscriber to buy the set-top box and make a one-month subscription at the same time. They mainly give discounts to the first timers to make it cheaper for them.
DStv has a variety of set-top boxes with different prices depending on the feature available in it. The set boxes like HD channels and PVR features cater for both the high and low-income earners, therefore, embracing all of the DStv groups.
The subscription fee has been the major battle when it comes to pay-Tv industry. In the past, DStv has been reducing their subscription fees, and lately, they introduced DStv Lite in Zimbabwe. Initially, the Zimbabweans used to pay $11 for a one-month subscription, but they later changed to DStv Lite after it introduction which charges $7 for a subscription. This move has posed a challenge to its competitors in the country.
Kwese gives people a chance to pay less and be in a position to watch the same number of channels for few days. For three days they charge $5 making those who only watch during the weekends a good deal. But still, that is not good enough to kwese since people will prefer adding $2 to $5 and pay for DStv lite which serves them for the whole month.
What I’m going to get the subscription? That’s a common question from the customers. Therefore content matters a lot on the choice of preference. Unlike DStv Lite which will offer you shallow entertainment for the whole month, Kwese gives you better content for only three days. Sports fans are very vocal about the content part. Those who like football will always go for DStv while for those fans of American sports tend to go for Kwese brand.
