Everyone wished TStv well when it unveiled in Nigeria; we continue to wish it well. Nonetheless, I called that a Goliath challenge because it was going against a colossal empire on MultiChoice, parent of DStv and GOtv. Press releases do not win competitions: products and services do. Simply, TStv has gone through a wilderness as MultiChoice has out-competed it badly. But the company is coming back, offering even free HD channels, as it works to fight the battle in the pay TV sector: this confession is unmistakable (read below).
Speaking on the challenges the company has faced in the past, Echefu narrated that from the date it announced the launch of TSTV, it has been fighting all the way. “I doubt if a week passed without us quenching one fire or the other. We didn’t anticipate that there would be war. We were also not trained to fight in the arena, we were pushed into. The kinds of weapons our enemies would later contend us with, showed they had stocked their armory waiting for a time like now. We may not have their kind of money, neither their kinds of weapons, ”connections” and networks, but one thing I sure know we had more than them was a determined spirit and a steadfast God. A God who doesn’t fail.
“It has not been easy one bit. Our struggles drained us financially and pitched us against all good meaning Nigerians, subscribers and dealers that believed in us. We were wrestled even down to our satellite providers but our God is ever faithful.”
While TStv is battling the markets, DStv is fighting in the court with the consumer protection agency. I hope everything will work out well for the consumers as the tendency to over-regulate will hurt innovation. The world has since become winner-takes-all: one Google, one Facebook, one Twitter, etc.
I expect MultiChoice to continue to innovate, making it even harder for competitors. And if you want to severely regulate it, you will just stunt the experiences of customers in many ways. As it pivots to the web to compete against YouTube and Netflix, even iROKOtv should be concerned.
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MultiChoice has unveiled DStv Now, an internet based service with live sports, live TV, shows and movies on Catch Up. It is now available via three new lean-back apps. These apps make it possible to turn any TV in the house into an easy-to-use DStv hub without the need for a decoder.
The new apps are available for Samsung smart TVs (selected models from 2015 onwards), Apple TV (fourth generation & newer) and media players running Android TV (Google certified devices only) Apps are also expected to be added shortly for additional brands of smart TVs.
Government should not stop it. Sure, MultiChoice must be fair on its pricing, but we cannot take away the reality that this company can lose 10% of its best customers to Netflix in coming years if it does not innovate. Most times, you need money to make better products. Even Netflix has been increasing price to acquire or produce contents.
Yet, the launch of DStv Now is demonstrating that DStv believes the future may not be TV alone. So, if TStv focuses on just winning on TV, it may thrive therein and still lose as the contest might have moved to the web or at least hybridized.
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