Kenya making same mistakes as Tanzania, study finds

Kenya is repeating the same mistakes Tanzania made in the switchover from analogue to digital television, a global research firm has said.

The result could be the loss of the ability to watch TV in thousands of homes and huge drops in broadcasters’ advertising revenue.

Ovum Research said regulators in many sub-Saharan countries are being “reckless” about the change because they are hungry for revenues.

In a report released this week, their researchers found that numerous sub-Saharan TV markets are considering switching off analogue television signal before audiences have transitioned to digital. They warn this is “counter-productive”.

Nigeria and South Africa, they say, will not achieve the International Telecommunication Union-mandated 2015 deadline to switch off analogue terrestrial TV signals. This is due to a lack of awareness amongst the public, inadequate government funding for the deployment of digital TV infrastructure and insufficient supplies of set top boxes.

Despite this, there is a mind-set, prevalent among many governments and regulators in the region, that the deadline must be met at all costs.

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Mr Adam Thomas, Ovum’s lead analyst for Global TV Markets, said: “In Tanzania, the switchover was pushed through recklessly, with damaging results. Thousands of homes lost their ability to watch TV and advertising revenue suffered as a result. But this mentality to rush the process persists, not least in Kenya which seems intent on repeating the same mistakes.”

Ovum Research also found eagerness among regulators to raise revenue from the sale of the spectrum that will become available following analogue switch-off. This spectrum, which will likely be snapped up by mobile operators, is another factor behind the rushed switchover.

Ovum’s Ismail Patel, who tracks media and entertainment across the Asian, Middle Eastern, and African regions, said: “Regulators could harm the TV business if they act with undue haste to get their hands on potentially lucrative spectrum. African governments and regulators need to accept that the 2015 deadline will be missed and shift their focus to getting the process completed as efficiently as possible. Forcing through analogue switch-off is ultimately counter-productive.”