Countdown time for GTV
Q: How do you describe the GTV brand?
A: It is a populist brand – a lifestyle choice. Our brand is about choice and value.
Q: You describe GTV as a dynamic Pan-African pay TV service. What does this mean to viewers?
A: It means something for everyone. Our flagship channel G Prime has a wide selection of entertainment at any time of the day. The sports channel G sports has a football channel that will air the English Premier league and other sports like Rugby and Cricket.
We have three news stations – BBC, Sky News and Al Jazeera. We have a children entertainment station for children, Starplus for the Asian, Kiss and MTV Bass for music and the God channel – a religious channel. There is also G Africa, which has content made by Africans for Africans where we will be screening Nigerian movies.
Q: Being a Pan-African station, have you studied the different markets?
A: Yes. We are aware of the different tastes and cultures in Africa. The challenge is getting the content but we are finding ways of stimulating production of local content by commissioning local productions. For G Africa, we might split the content to target East Africa, Southern Africa and West Africa.
Q: What kind of viewer is GTV targeting?
A: We are targeting the AB and C1 market. We are targeting the aspiring and upwardly mobile people who want some good entertainment and have some little disposable income to spare. If you wanted pay TV and could not afford it before, now you can. We are targeting those people who would probably go to the cinema on weekends on rent DVDs to watch at home. Instead of going in to all the hassle they can get an affordable alternative at home.
Q: Talking of pricing, how competitive will GTV be?
A: GTV will be affordable. We are looking at half the price of what competition is charging
Q: Will your pricing compromise content and quality?
A: No. We are using satellite so we have the ability to reach everywhere. All one needs is a decoder that looks like a DVD player, a small dish (90cm). An installation will take just two hours. It is not only about price. Once people see GTV is worth it, they will come on board.
Q: Any plans to go to South Africa?
A: We don't intend to go there in the short term, it would be very expensive for us. Our holding company Gateway Communications is already present in South Africa providing telecommunication solutions. In fact, our premier league agreement excludes South Africa.
