Zim upstart draws line in pay-TV sand
Kwesé TV take on dominant MultiChoice
A David and Goliath contest looms for control of Africa's growing pay-TV industry - tipped to be worth $6-billion by 2021 - which for a long time has been dominated by the Naspers-owned MultiChoice. The new kid on the block challenging MultiChoice's dominance is Kwesé TV, owned by Zimbabwean telecoms magnate Strive Masiyiwa, which has aggressively rolled out its service to 25 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. Some of the countries in which Kwesé TV has operations include South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana and Zambia as the new pay-TV operator spreads its reach far and wide across the continent, entering markets where MultiChoice has a presence. Upsetting status quo Through the acquisition of rights to broadcast niche sports channels such as NBAtv - through which the exploits of global basketball icons such as Lebron James are beamed across living rooms in sub-Saharan Africa - Kwesé TV has set its sights on upsetting the status quo in the pay-TV industry across the contin...
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