The death of analog TV signals forced Kenyans to upgrade their TV consumption patterns to align to the latest trends across the globe that offer the service on a digital platform. The benefits of the digital system have allowed access to a sea of TV stations that were previously limited to groups that had known the benefits of digital TV prior to digital migration. With the forced upgrade, the market has since been saturated with tens of digital TV service providers, but only a couple are popular in the country (owing to superior products and reliability).
StartTimes Media is a household name in the Pay TV market, and as of today, its subscribers will be able to pay for services on flexible terms rather than extended commitments of at least 30 days. This means the users of the said service will be able to purchase subscriptions on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
Daily, weekly and monthly bouquet charges will be as follows (respectively):
Nyota – KES 22; 86; and 200
Basic – KES 50; 200; and 599
Classic – KES 83; 333; and 999
Unique – KES 125; 500; and 1400
Weekly fees for Nova, Smart and Super bouquets will be KES 150, 300 and 500 respectively. Monthly charges for the same plans will remain unchanged at KES 449, 899 and 1499 respectively.
“In rolling out the flexible subscription payment system, we are providing our subscribers with the choice of daily, weekly or monthly payment options enabling them to plan accordingly based on the resources at their disposal while ensuring they do not miss their favourite programs on StarTimes,” noted StarTimes Director of Marketing and PR Mr. Japhet Akhulia.
StarTimes Mobile App
The TV service provider used the opportunity to announce some major changes to its existing smartphone application. Available for both Android and iOS users, the app has been serving users with a couple of live TV channels and electronic program guide.
Now, app subscribers will be able to get access to the same content they have on their conventional TV plans (what is broadcasted on TV). At the moment, access to over 60 channels is also free.
Another change is that streaming quality will be markedly better on phones than it is on TV as users have a choice to pick SD/HD resolution or crank it up all the way UHD. The latter will be interesting to see once we play with the service.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the app is access to on-demand services. This means that if you follow two or more soap operas in multiple TV stations, you can catch up on them later on.
“At StarTimes, we want to progressively grow avenues where users can access our content anywhere at any time. The introduction of the StarTimes APP is therefore strategic in that we will be in a position to reach Kenyans at their convenience ensuring they do not miss their favourite content when away from the screen,” added Mr. Akhulia.
