[kictanet] Catch Up Games: The battle for control of Kenyan Digita airspace

Mwendwa Kivuva Kivuva at transworldafrica.com
Wed Jan 21 11:03:31 EAT 2015


Thanks Wangari,

My comments inline.

On 21 January 2015 at 09:55, WANGARI KABIRU <wangarikabiru at yahoo.co.uk>
wrote:

> Happy Ladies Day!
>
> The main description of the actions by the players is - Laggards, which is
> very sad since it would have been expected that the big players would have
> been the industry trend setter on this global move. I take that their
> technocrats should understand it much better than the rest of us and even
> have been part of the global drivers leave alone even locally in Kenya.
> They seem to be playing catch-up when the industry has already moved on.
>
> I would expect them to act more as awareness,enlightening us the public on
> this migration and possibly how best it should be carried out. In the
> meantime their Boardrooms should have been busy with their specific
> stations game plan or a joint industry one.
>
> Sadly it seems this is another case of the dominant player now playing
> catch up and using reputation tactics to try and stall a development that
> is already on course.
>
> Aside from that, in making business sense I would expect that there is
> earning sharing formulaes between the TV stations and the "decorder owners"
> which may range from; air my TV Station content for free and reach as many
> people as possible then advertisers will pay as I have dominant reach or as
> a TV Station and content owner, then pay me so as to air my content through
> your decorder.
> So where is such business formulae not working thus resulting in the need
> to air the Adverts on breach of rights et al?
>

I tend to disagree. Aerial providers don't need to pay any license or get
into any agreement to beam free content. I as a consumer should be able to
buy a Free-To-Air digital setbox on my way from Dubai and fix it in my TV
and I'm ready to go. If I am an investor, I should be able to buy 1000
pieces of the boxes from China and retail them in the local market with no
worries whatsoever. I only need to get type approval form CA.


> Moreover, to view all the TV Stations and even more there are other routes
> without the need for the said decorders - via the internet (even
> newspapers!). Which means that the more the internet reach grows, the more
> creative the Boardrooms require to be as this shakes up the traditional
> model of their business.
>

Great point on Internet TV, but it may take a while before this becomes a
reality in Kenya. And freeing up of the airwaves may speed this because we
are waiting to see what innovations will com through TV whitespaces.


>
> In the meantime, I and many more continue to enjoy the TV stations that do
> not require use of decorders, as we await for the supplier who will give
> them for free (why invest in a gadget) thus they may reach out to
> advertisers and blow their trumpet on their mass reach!
>

Your days are numbered :). The 4 stations will close analog TV very soon.


>
> I believe this is an opportunity for exciting times for their Boardroom
> teams, consumers are good at uptake - only if they can get into "new
> business model mode" and faster faster.
>

I would wish my Top-Box to be internet enabled. Zuku anyone?



______________________
Mwendwa Kivuva, Nairobi, Kenya

"There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, till all men walk on
higher ground in that lifetime." - Maxwell Anderson
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