Internet connectivity slowing down pay TV growth in Africa
The internet has really changed how people do business around the world. Its efficiency and convenience are beneficial to almost every industry. The pay TV sector being one of them. Gone are the days when homeowners and businesses relied on TV aerials for transmission of signals in order to watch favourite television shows, movies, and sports.
The internet has redefined television viewing across the globe. Unfortunately, here in Africa, it would be a while before everybody gets to enjoy benefits of pay TV. That is because for one to be connected to the service they need internet connectivity, which isn’t available in many areas around the continent.
According to statistics, only 35% of Africa’s population had access to the internet by the end of 2017. The percentage is distributed unevenly between the countries, with the more developed states like South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal having more than half of their population connected to the internet.
The connectivity is mainly focused around urban areas where wired infrastructures are already in place, hence making the set-up process easy and cost-effective. Mr. Clinton Francis, the owner of Supersat DStv Installation Cape Town, noted that there is a growing demand for diversification of content which is made possible by the availability of pay tv. “MultiChoice is doing a very good job with its pay tv service called Showmax. They provide clients with many hours of both local and international content which they can view comfortably from their televisions, personal computers, smartphone, or tablet – provided they are logged in and there is internet access.”
As more pay TV solutions are gearing to take over the market, and local content producers like “Nollywood” in Nigeria working tirelessly to produce quality movies and series, the entire industry will grow faster once internet connectivity reaches more areas in a couple of years.
“After working in the industry for a while, and helping hundreds of our esteemed clients with their on-demand pay TV subscriptions, we can’t wait to get everybody on board,” added Mr. Clinton.
