[kictanet] 3 Media houses protest Majanja's Digital Migration Ruling

[Bitange Ndemo]

Hussein,
In less than 10 years, there will be no Signet or Pang.  Already much of
the digital content from the two is carried over fibre (NOFBI).  There is
no business case for a separate infrastructure when we have multiple
infrastructure around MNOs.  We shall not need set top boxes beyond next
year.  Much of the content will be on mobile and internet.  All you need
is your lap top and projector for most of the content.

We should not invest in where there is no business case.  The
opportunities lie in content development, distribution, and aggregation.  
Self provisioning license (what media wants) is usually given to large
content aggregators (in South Africa they gave to DSTV because it can
sustain a business case).  If for some reason CCK issues a license to non
content aggregators, you will end up in a fix with new broadcasters
failing to enter the market.  The resource (spectrum) in a case where
there is no aggregation will not be optimally used.  In the worst case
scenario, the payback period for the new investment may be infinity. The
policy however is to encourage infrastructure sharing especially in this
era of rapid technological changes.

Remember we moved from DVBT to DVBT2 with a year even before people
realized that we are moving to digital.  The digital reality has not sunk
in yet.  As we move, the broadcast standards are changing and soon media
houses have to move their cameras from Standard Definition SD to High
Definition HD to Blu - Ray Disc.  They can choose not to move but most of
the content already is in HD.

If I were a broadcaster, I would rather invest in content that the viewers
will want in the next few years.  It is like trying to invest in a record
player when everybody who matters has a CD player.

Let us try see a head and identify opportunities that can take us far.


Ndemo.



> ICT Researcher
>
> We don't leave in a utopian world..He who pays the piper calls the tune.
>
> At the risk of belaboring the point it is a competitive issue that has to
> be addressed. In fact we are already seeing trends of content providers
> and infrastructure owners morphing into one:-
>
> 1. Google is busy laying fibre/buying fibre across the world
> 2. Facebook is doing the same
> 3. Zuku is a triple play player - owning the infrastructure and at the
> same time involved heavily in content creation and distribution
> 4. Safaricom is moving the same way.
> 5. Infact all