Doing what they Doudou best

Above: Staff at StarTime's office monitor TV programs being broadcast in Dar es Salaam. Below: A customer consults a representative of StarTimes in the business hall. Zhao Yanrong / China Daily

Chinese pay TV operator leads way as African broadcasting goes digital

Whenever you hear the name Doudou in Tanzania, people talk about a Chinese girl. They could be referring to any Chinese girl or specifically the main character in the popular Chinese TV series A Beautiful Daughter-in-law Era.

The 36-episode family comedy, dubbed into Swahili, and often repeated, has turned its leading actress Hai Qing into a household name in Tanzania, and her role name Doudou has entered the national lexicon.

It may even spread across the continent, as the show's Chinese broadcaster StarTimes is providing new digital TV services in 13 countries in Africa.

Beautiful Daughter is its star performer and is leading the way to success in the African market as countries switch over from analog TV services to digital.

According to the Geneva 2006 Frequency Plan Agreement led by the International Telecommunication Union, June 2015 is the deadline for the changeover in Europe and Africa. East African countries are said to be well ahead of schedule. Tanzania will be totally digital by the end of this month. It has just switched off the analog signal in the Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions, with Mbeya region the last to change.

"In most people's minds, Africa is a less developed region, with poor technology," says Huo Yu, operation director of StarTimes in Tanzania. "In fact, because the region is behind the global development, many African countries are eager to adopt new technologies to improve local people's living standards as much as possible. This is also the opportunity we want to take in the market."

Established in 1988, StarTimes has been a key player in digital TV in China for years. With the support of the Chinese government, it entered the African market in 2007, and as well as in Tanzania, it now operates in Burundi, Guinea-Bissau, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Congo, Central African Republic and Senegal.

The company's operation in Tanzania is a joint venture with the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation to offer multiple digital services including TV sets and digital decoders.

By the end of last year, 400,000 families had subscribed to StarTimes in the country, but with the move to a national digital broadcasting system, the company expects to triple the number of users to 1.2 million by the end of this year.

"Africa has a lot of potential, and the popularity of the Chinese drama is just one case of many successful stories," Huo says. "To do what hasn't been done by others can be the best way for Chinese companies like us to develop the African market."

Adopting the local language is crucial for cultural integration in StarTimes' experience. According to Huo, most international programs are broadcast in English in Tanzania, while only about 20 percent of Tanzanian people understand the language. In rural areas, less than 5 percent of residents speak English.

"There is a big shortage of localized programs," he adds. "A program in Swahili can be 10 times more popular than an English program."

More than 50 channels are broadcast by StarTimes in Africa, seven of which it manages. Besides Chinese soap operas, the company also runs a channel dedicated to Chinese martial arts which is popular among African audiences.

"I am always asked by local people where they can learn Chinese, or they want to send their children to study in China, so I am not surprised by the popularity of our services," says Huo.

In the large StarTimes' business hall in Dar es Salaam, local people line to buy services. Donal Kavishe, 28, a builder, has just bought a digital TV set for his family after he saw one at a friend's home.

"Many of my friends are using their services," Kavishe says. "I think they have good services and a better signal compared with the digital set I used before, so I'm changing to StarTimes for a similar price."

When the company promotes a low-price package, or before a major sports event in Africa, there can be more than 2,000 customers a day filling up the business hall.

After several years of operating a digital TV system in China, StarTimes has many patented technologies in the business, which makes operating costs lower than for two other local operators that have only recently started digital services.

The company has developed a mobile payment system for Tanzanian users' convenience, and its call center in Dar es Salaam stays open to 11 pm, three hours longer than either of its competitors. StarTimes says it is now handling up to 4,000 calls a day.

With many more subscribers expected after the national changeover to digital is completed, the Chinese broadcaster is to expand the call center to a 24-hour service, employing about 200 operators. It will also increase its door-to-door service staff to 400.

"Our company's growth in Tanzania is not only the expansion of our business, but also means more working opportunities for local people," Huo says.

Human resources were better than expected before the company came to Africa. Many Tanzania students joined the Chinese team after studying in China, and many young workers in Tanzania are willing to undergo initial training.

"Africa has a huge market potential, which has been proved by our company's development," Huo says. "I believe more companies can achieve big things here, and that our operations can provide a good platform for the Chinese investment entering a bigger African market."

zhaoyanrong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 04/19/2013 page16)