From my little interaction with people 30 years old and above, I choose to assume that this is an issue constantly on their minds. “Do I really need to pay for this DSTV?.” As it is your hard-earned money, I will not presume to make fiscal decisions on your behalf. Rather, I simply aim to keep you informed, as you continue to seek out the answer to life’s greatest mystery (maybe).
At the time of writing this, DSTV is Nigeria’s – and possibly Africa’s – foremost satellite television service. While not without its failings, it has done its best to provide a balance of local entertainment, as well as entertainment from overseas. Yet a common problem many complain of is: “There is nothing to watch!”, while another common complaint is: “two of my shows/movies are on at the same time”. While these are issues, they seem more like nitpicks to me.
The real issue for me however, is the absence of any real competition. I cannot speak for all of Africa, but as far as Nigeria goes, DSTV is so far ahead in front, that the word ‘competition’ is far too large a compliment for other satellite TV services. The only others I know are GoTV, Startimes and HiTv. Of all the houses I have been to in recent years, I am yet to see any family that actually makes use of any of these “alternatives”.
The reason this is an issue is because experience shows that the absence of real competition breeds complacency. One cannot allow oneself to become content with a single victory. DSTV’s dominance of their competition leaves them with a choice: either enjoy their success, making minimal strides, saving resources and remaining ahead of the pack, or to increase their input, widen the gap and look to match the quality of television networks abroad.
From a business standpoint, the former seems the more viable option. In a sense, they have already won. Majority of people own DSTV decoders, and because of the various options within DSTV, one can select an option that is easier on their finances. For instance, instead of purchasing ‘DSTV Premium’, the other choices with less channels are less expensive. Instead of buying the ‘Explora’, the original or even the HD decoder cost less. The people behind DSTV are comfortable. “Why spend more?” they might be asking themselves. Competition might arise, as it inevitably/eventually does, but for now, things are looking rosy.
So as consumers we have to hope that their passion and love for what they do is of more value to them, because it is to us. The single most impressive feature of DSTV (at least to me) is the variety. Different decoders, different channel selection options (Premium, compact, e.t.c). This allows us, as consumers, to make intelligent decisions depending on who we are. The people who don’t need as much TV can spend less and watch less, and vice versa.
