Mobile devices by StarTimes

The president of the Guinean National Communications Council, Martine Conde, had a busy but fruitful trip to China in June this year. She attended the Fourth African Digital TV Development Seminar where delegates and officials discussed how best to further expand the coverage of digital TV and build a friendly industrial environment for digitalization. She also took the opportunity to lobby for investments to develop Guinea's digital projects. To her satisfaction, the Export-Import Bank ofChinaexpressed willingness to cooperate in the area.

"The digitalization will reduce the cost of producing films and TV programs and vitalize our film industry, further creating jobs and recovering our economy," she said at the seminar held inTianjinon June 19.

Conde attended the seminar along with representatives from 24 African countries, including leaders of radio and television regulatory authorities and national TV stations. The seminar was hosted by StarTimes, a Beijing-based provider of digital TV solutions, who is also an active participant in developing African digitalization of radio and television. Founded in 1988, the company set its eyes on Africa in 2002 and has become the most influential digital TV operator on the continent. As its business grows, StarTimes has embarked on introducing Chinese dramas and films to Africa through its well-established platform. 

Affordable option

When talking about the company's business in Africa, Guo Ziqi, Vice President of StarTimes, compared the project to an expressway. "StarTimes is responsible not only for its construction, but also for what kind of vehicles run on it as well as what kind of cargo is being loaded," said Guo, adding the company provides a package solution of digital TV from financing, planning, establishing and operating digital networks to providing TV programs.   

"We are devoted to making affordable and clear digital TV accessible to every ordinary African household," said Pang Xinxing, President of StarTimes. With such a vision, the company worked with African countries by setting up joint ventures to build digital TV networks across the continent.

Nigeria, as one of the partners, provides facilities for mutual benefits. "StarTimes is using our facilities, our knowledge and brings their own financial strengths and technical expertise. So we can work together to accomplish the initiative of digitalization," Sola Omole, Director General of Nigerian Television Authority, toldChinAfrica.

So far, StarTimes has registered branches in 23 African countries, with over 4 million subscribers and its network covering 80 percent of the African population. "We combine satellite communication technology with terrestrial wireless digital TV technology. This allows us to construct a digital pay TV operation platform with a wide coverage, enabling locals to watch colorful programs at $3-5 per month without installing satellite dishes," said Pang.

StarTimes digital operation benefits locals far beyond as it improves broadcasting infrastructure. "Local commercial TV stations could use our broadcasting platform and focus on content development, thus reducing its operation cost while enlarging the audience coverage," Pang added. 

Popular Chinese dramas

As a fan of Chinese action movies, Omole believes TV programs and movies help people get to know each other, especially those who are geographically remote. "Nigerians like drama and action movies. We like those from China that talk about the day-to-day life experiences of Chinese families because it is an issue of knowing Chinese culture and identifying between people of China and people of Nigeria," he said.

Chinese action movies and dramas experienced the same welcome inMadagascar. "We have Chinese soap operas likeBeijing Love Story,The Savage DuckandA Beautiful Daughter-in-law Erashown in our country," Mahaforona Cyrille Reboza, Minister of Communication and Information of Madagascar, toldChinAfrica, calling for more similar TV programs to be dubbed and introduced to his country.

The mentioned Chinese dramas are shown through the digital broadcasting platform constructed by StarTimes. So far, it has 320 channels in Africa, through which TV programs, including those from China Central Television and Phoenix Satellite TV, are shown to African audiences. Besides the purchased channels from third parties, StarTimes has 20 self-owned and operated ones, including thekungfuchanneland sports channel. And in August this year, Hausa channel and Swahili channel will be added to the StarTimes-run channel list.

To satisfy the African audience's increasing demands for Chinese TV programs, StarTimes established a translation and dubbing department in 2011. Furthermore, in October 2013, its first English dubbed action TV seriesThe Legend of Condor Heroeswas launched on the kungfuchannel. The department had dubbed 40 TV series by 2013.

The company has invested $80 million for the establishment of its 20,000-square-meter African headquarters scheduled to be in use at the end of 2015. Located inNairobi,Kenya, the headquarters will also be the company's base for TV program translation and dubbing. "An industrial chain of planning, translating, dubbing, broadcasting and copyrights trading will be established as the base is put into use," said Pang. "This will improve the quality and scale of our dubbed works as well as reduce the cost of dubbing, so that more Chinese TV programs are available to African households," he added. 

Equal partnerships

In Omole's eyes, the reasons why Chinese enterprises succeed is because they provide services deficient in African countries and they conduct cooperation as equal partners. "StarTimes indeed is very helpful as it has brought not only financial strength, but also technical expertise in the process of digitalization," said Omole.

He believed the cooperation between StarTimes andNigeriacan be an example to spread across the continent as the cooperation tapped local potentials. "We recommend the cooperation through joint venture to other African countries. The cooperation is positioned on both sides as equal partners, who observe respective duties and responsibilities according to the guidelines in our agreement," said Omole.

Such a win-win cooperation fortified StarTimes' presence in the African market. Localization makes its operation more sustainable, while using local employment as the first step to localization.

"StarTimes' operation generates employment in a variety of ways, like shops selling set-top boxes. The set-top boxes manufacturing plants will also create enormous opportunities in terms of jobs forNigeria," said Omole.

Currently, about 70 percent of StarTimes' employees are locals, working in positions including marketing, technician and customer services. "Some of them are also promoted to managers. For example, a vice general manager of our branch inKenyain charge of program content is recruited locally," said Pang.