Kenya’s three leading media houses are set to stir the digital migration front, after placing orders to import digital TV set-top boxes that will retail at around Ksh2,000.
Nation Media Group (NMG), Standard Group (SG) and Royal Media Services (RMS) have placed orders for the gadgets expected to ruffle the digital migration market.
The move comes barely a week after the Supreme Court gave the media firms a breather by suspending the migration to digital broadcasting. An editorial written by Business Today (http://www.businesstoday.co.ke/news/opinion-and-analysis/1420538790/editorial-digital-broadcast-migration-unstoppable) predicted the media houses were buying time to hoodwink the government into giving them a strong say in the digital broadcasting distribution. This prophecy is getting fulfilled.
150,000 devices are expected to hit the Kenyan market in the next three weeks and consumers who purchase them will enjoy free-to-air content, as they won’t be expected to make monthly subscriptions.
NMG board chairman Wilfred Kiboro was quoted on Monday saying: “The set-top boxes will be sold at one-off price between Ksh2,000 and Ksh2,500.”
The three media houses have formed a consortium under Africa Digital Network (AND) to spearhead the process.
