The following is a list of African countries
where local agents have been licensed to sell and install KweseTV decoders and branded
satellite dish. Over 100 dealers and vendors in each country have registered to
provide Kwese Digital Satellite TV installation services. To find a dealer in
your country, browse the store directory on the TV network site:
Decoders/ set top TV boxes now available in
the following countries: Kwese Countries as at 11 September 2017:
The following is a list of channels
available on Kwese TV. Keep in mind that new channels and programmes are
constantly being added, and therefore this is not intended to be an exhaustive
list.
Kwese
TV Channel List
Series
Braxton
Family Values – on Kwese Prime
Kwese
Stories
AMC -
Fear the Walking Dead
Passion
Zee
BollyNova
CBS
Reality
AMC
Series – African Movie Channel Series
Viceland
Movies
Zee
BollyMovies
Kwese
Movies 1
Kwese
Movies 2
Kwese
Movies 3
African
Movie Channel
Sport
NBA TV
Kwese
Sports 1
Kwese
Sports 2
ESports
TV
KFS –
Kwese Free Sports
ESPN
EFC
LFC TV
Spurs TV
– Free
Arsenal
TV – Free
City TV –
Free
Kids
Kwese
Kids
DreamWorks
Pop
Jim Jam
Kwese
Music
Revolt
Trace
Africa
Trace
Mziki
Trace
Gospel
News
& Business
TVC News
Africa
News
Al
Jazeera
Bloomberg
Television
BBC World
News
Sky News
Factual
and Lifestyle
DTX
Odisseia
Kwese
Know
Kwese Inc
Animal
Planet
Discovery
Science
IDX
Travel
Channel
Fine
Living Network
Fashion
One
Religious/Faith
Flow TV
ITV
Networks
DOVE TV
EWTN
TV
Programme Timetable / Guide
To find a list of programmes being aired on
a daily basis, check the television guide:
Kwese TV has been officially launched in
several African countries, and decoders are now available in countries where
the Digital Satellite TV network has been licensed to operate. These countries
include Ghana, Zambia, Rwanda, Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Swaziland and Uganda.
More countries will be added as time goes on.
When you want to install Kwese Satellite TV
in your home, you have two options to choose from. You can buy the Decoder (Set-Top
TV Box) only or you can buy both the Decoder and the Satellite Dish including
installation. It’s up to you to choose what you want.
If you have an existing dish that is
compatible with Kwese TV, then you can buy the decoder only. You can also buy a new compatible Kwese branded dish from a local agent or you can get a new dish from
another service provider as long as the dish is compatible. A 90cm dish should
be compatible with a Kwese decoder.
If you are not a fan of DIY services, the perfect solution for you is to get a Kwese Installer to do the dish installation for you.
The price of a Kwese TV decoder plus/or
dish is given in your local currency, but the average price in US Dollars is
roughly the same, although it might be slightly higher or lower depending on
the exchange rate.
The average price of a Kwese decoder is
USD$27.19
The average price of a Kwese decoder plus Satellite
dish (including installation) is USD$49.85
**Please note that these are average prices
obtained from countries where the products are officially available. As more
countries are added, the average price may change by a slight margin.
Otherwise the exact prices in local currency
are as follows:
Price of Kwese TV Decoders in Various
Countries - Hardware and Installation
Country
Decoder
Only
Decoder,
Dish & Installation
Botswana
318 BWP
510 BWP
Ethiopia
1765 ETB
2400 ETB
*Ghana
126 GHS
210 GHS
Kenya
3059 KES
4990 KES
Lesotho
307 LSL
540 LSL
Malawi
34,338 MWK
50,600 MWK
Namibia
809 NAD
1145 NAD
Nigeria
5740 NGN
10960 NGN
*Rwanda
21,150 RWF
40,000 RWF
Swaziland
404 SZL
660 SZL
Tanzania
58,405 TZS
98,500 TZS
Uganda
80,270 UGX
142,700 UGX
*Zambia
262 ZMW
490 ZMW
List of Countries where Kwese TV
decoders are now sold as at:
07
April 2017:
Ghana
Rwanda
Zambia
Ghana, Rwanda and Zambia were the first 3
countries to get selling rights and installation licenses for Kwese TV decoders.
24
June 2017:
Botswana
Kenya
Lesotho
Malawi
Nigeria
Uganda
27 June 2017:
Ethiopia
Namibia
Swaziland
Tanzania
Where To Find Satellite Dishes:
There are different kinds of 90cm dishes to
choose from the market:
It’s almost a year since this blog was updated,
but anyway for most people one year is a lot of time to expect changes and
fulfil their New Year resolutions. It’s not only individuals who have goals to
achieve, but corporations and businesses have goals too. Over the last 12
months, KweseTV has made great strides in its pursuit to become a Pay TV giant
to reckon with, and this is a good time to report the progress that Kwese has made.
If there is one company with well-known
goals, then Econet Global is one of them. Those who follow Silicon Valley news
know that innovative companies like Google, Facebook, Apple and Tesla Motors
have well known goals which do not need to be discussed here.
So for all those who are keenly following KweseTV, here is a list
of what has been achieved by the Digital Satellite TV Network over the past 12
months:
4
December 2015
Kwese TV Pre-launch Takes Place
The CEO of Econet Global announces the
pre-launch of Kwese TV via Facebook. Kwese is a new Pay-TV service that is
targeted towards viewers in Africa. Taking advantage of the company’s existing
assets and infrastructure which covers most parts of Africa, Econet hopes to
deliver exclusive digital satellite TV to African viewers at an affordable
cost.
XX XX
15
December 2015
Liquid Telecom to Build a Faster
Undersea Cable
Liquid Telecom, Econet’s subsidiary
announces plans to build an undersea fibre optic cable which will connect
Africa to Europe and the Middle East via the East African coast. It will be
faster than existing cables connecting the same regions because it makes use of
the latest technology.
20
March 2016
Kwese Sports Secures Free-to-Air Rights
for English Premier League
Econet Media is awarded an exclusive
free-to-air license to broadcast English Premier League games, including live
matches. The agreement includes Agent rights to issue sub-licenses to other
operators.
21
April 2016
Kwese Sports signs a partnership deal
with NBA
Econet Media signs a partnership deal with
NBA spanning many years. In this deal, Econet Media will be NBA’s official
partner in Africa, with rights to broadcast all NBA games in the continent via
KweseTV. This includes NBA TV, a 24/7 channel which will be available on the
satellite TV.
The company also secured rights to
broadcast WNBA, NBA’s women’s basketball league.
21
July 2016
KweseTV has already launched some sports
programmes such as NBA, English Premier League, COPA del Rey, WNBA, EFC and
Australian Cricket.
29
July 2016
Econet Media Acquires Exclusive
Streaming Rights for Live US National Basketball Game
Econet Media is given the exclusive rights
to stream the USA vs. Nigeria National Basketball game taking place on 2 August
in Houston, Texas. The company is licensed to stream the game in Africa and
will also have the rights to issue sub-licenses to various networks in Africa.
The live games will be broadcast on
KweseSports.com, a newly launched sports website.
15
August 2016
Liquid Telecom Buys Neotel for USD$450
Million
The Econet CEO announces the acquisition of
Neotel, a South African Telecoms network which was purchased for USD$450
million in June. This is not the first acquisition that Econet has made in its
history. The company has acquired businesses in several countries in a drive to
increase its footprint and network coverage. As an example, the acquisition of
Neotel will expand its fibre optic network in Africa by more than 50,000 km.
26
August 2016
Kwese Secures Formula 1 World
Championship Rights
Kwese Free Sports acquires rights to
broadcast the Formula 1 World Championship for 3.5 years in Africa sub-Sahara
region. South Africa is not on the list though.
20
November 2016
Kwese Free Sports gains the largest
viewership in Kenya. The sports channel website goes through many makeovers.
16
December 2016
Econet Media Makes Acquisitions and
Investments
The CEO of Econet Global announces
acquisitions and expansions that have taken place in 5 African countries during
the year. The investments have taken place in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda
and South Africa. The major one being the acquisition of Neotel, a South
African Telecom company.
Econet Media buys Ghana’s MTG assets,
including MAP (Modern Africa Productions) and VIASAT channel.
Kwese Free Sports in 19 Countries
The non-satellite TV channel Kwese Free
Sports can now be accessed in 19 countries. The 24 hour broadcast is currently
available in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda and Uganda.
22
December 2016
Kwese Quiz Contest Winners Announced
Two participants win an iPad in Kwese
Facebook weekly contest. A new quiz is published.
23
December 2016
The Kwese Free Sports channel is approved
in Nigeria and it goes live in the Nigerian cities of Abuja and Lagos. The
company is also given the green light to launch KweseTV.
26
December 2016
Kwese Quiz Contest Winners Announced
Three participants win an iPad in Kwese
Facebook weekly contest. A new quiz is published.
27
January 2017
Kwese’s Competitive Edge
Kwese explains how their service will be
different from other Digital Satellite networks:
People
will be able to watch their favourite programmes on alternative devices
other than TV i.e. on smartphones and tablets.
Kwese
will broadcast exclusive content that most networks don’t have.
People
will be able to watch premium sports content even if their paid
subscriptions expire. You can watch EPL and NBA games on KweseFreeSports
Viewers
will be able to watch a local TV station for free if their paid
subscription expires.
Kwese will
offer Set-Top TV Box viewers flexible payment options. Users can choose
between the 3 day, 7 day and 30 day subscription plans.
Kwese
gives viewers an opportunity to watch content via the mobile app, allowing
them to make a decision before buying a Set-Top TV Box.
The Pay TV service launches three websites
to serve its users:
Kwese.com
Kwesesports.com
KweseFied.com
Kwese Runs Quiz Contest.
A new Facebook quiz is published, this time
10 winners will be announced. The first 10 people to give the correct answer on
Facebook will win a Kwese Satellite Dish including free installation. Winners
in countries where Kwese Digital TV is not yet available will win an iPad.
30
January 2017
Kwese Free Sports available in 20
countries. This is a non-satellite TV channel which can be accessed on a TV
set.
2
February 2017
Kwese Adds Revolt TV
The owner of Revolt TV Sean Combs aka
P.Diddy announces the availability of his TV network on KweseTV.Revolt TV is a
premium content provider in entertainment, music and lifestyle. This network
has a viewership of more than 25 million Pay-TV subscribers in the USA. It is
available on cable, iptv and digital satellite. The Revolt TV channel will be
accessed on Kwese via TV, mobile app and streaming.
At this point, Kwese has launched 4 services:
Kwese TV
Kwesefied
Kwese
Mobile App
Kwese
Sports
5
February 2017
Kwese launches its Digital Satellite TV
network in Ghana, Zambia and Rwanda, the first three African countries to
access Kwese Television via a Set-Top TV Box decoder. The company has two options for customers – getting a decoder,
average price USD$27.19 or getting a decoder plus dish (including installation)
which is approximately USD$49.85
The company is in the process of training
installers in different countries, and more than 2500 have been trained so far.
9
February 2017
The official Facebook Page of Econet Global
CEO, Dr Strive Masiyiwa reaches a milestone of 2 million likes. The Mobile
Telecommunications tycoon has used the platform to reach out to the African
audience, especially entrepreneurs, the main theme being centred on the need
for innovation, creative ideas, benefits of internet, entrepreneurship and
business management. The valuable information discussed on the platform can be
compiled into a premium book, but the CEO is happy to dish out his knowledge
for free.
Internship Contest
KweseTV unveils an internship programme for
two students who will be selected via a competition to spend a year at Kwese
TV. The programme is currently under development.
13
February 2017
Liquid Telecom Acquires Neotel for R6.5
Billion Rands
Liquid Telecom, a division of Econet Global
acquires Neotel for R6.5 Billion Rands. Neotel is a South African
Telecommunications company previously owned by Tata Communications. It provides
broadband internet, mobile data, voice calls, sms and VPN cloud services.
Liquid Telecom which owns 70% of the shares bought the company in June 2016 and
conclusions took more than 7 months to complete. At the time of purchase,
Neotel had at least 1,000 employees whose jobs were maintained in the takeover.
16
February 2017
The CEO of Econet Global announces plans to
buy shares in the Snapchat IPO, a web-based video chat application worth USD$26
billion in value.
19
February 2017
The Satellite TV Network announces plans to
launch their Pay-TV service in Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Swaziland and Uganda
in the month of March, followed by Namibia in April and probably Nigeria in
June.
According to the company, there are
currently more than 60 channels which are added on a weekly basis.
25
February 2017
KweseFreeSport, a channel that can be
watched without a decoder launches in Gaborone, and it is expected to be
available in the whole of Botswana in the coming weeks.
22
February 2017
Kwese Launches in 5 More Countries
The Digital TV service announces plans to
expand their operations to 5 more African countries. Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho,
Swaziland and Uganda are the latest additions to benefit from KweseTV licensing
in their territories, and setup is expected in the following month of March.
Kwese branded Television Set-Top Box decoders will be available for purchasing
in these countries as well.
USD$100,000 Investment Prize for Internet-Based
African Businesses
The Econet Global CEO announces an
Entrepreneurship Competition to begin in June 2017, where the best
African-owned online business chosen by viewers on Kwese Inc channel will win a
prize worth USD$100,000 in investment.
9
March 2017
Newer Version of Kwese Mobile TV App
Released
KweseTV network releases a newer version of
their mobile TV app, which allows anybody around the world to download the app
on their Smartphone, tablet or other compatible device, and start watching
programmes. According to the company, this is an alternative way of accessing
Kwese TV channels for viewers who don’t have a decoder. This plan relies on
network data, and some suggestions to lower the cost include connecting your
device to a WIFI hotspot. Although Kwese decoders are officially and legally
available in three African countries, people in other countries have reported
being technically able to use them to access Kwese TV. In countries where the
network has secured a license to operate (Ghana, Rwanda and Zambia), Kwese has
literally exploded with hundreds of businesses registering to become Kwese
decoder vendors.
Kwese Launches USD$10,000 Cash Prize Competition
As part of their promotional strategy,
Kwese has been running regular competitions on the CEO’s Facebook Page, with
winners getting prizes, ranging from iPads to decoders and cash money. Winners
are announced on Facebook as well as on Kwese website. The biggest prize to be
won so far was a USD$10,000 cash prize to a contestant who posted the best
response to a question posed by the Administrator.
Kwese Adds Religious Channels
Currently, there are 7 categories of
channels that you can find on Kwese TV – (Series, Movies, Sport, Kids, Music,
News and Lifestyle). Kwese is in the processing of another category based on
Faith & Religion. The satellite TV network will add 10 channels to this
category by 31 April.
15
March 2017
Kwese Sports Partners with ESPN
Kwese Digital TV network announces a
partnership with ESPN, the biggest sports network in the world.ESPN has over 94
million pay TV subscribers, and the sports channel is available in at least 200
countries worldwide.
ESPN
on Kwese is a dedicated ESPN Sports channel on
Kwese TV.ESPN is also assisting in the development of the Kwese Sports website.
25
March 2017
The CEO of Econet Global (a company which
owns Kwese Digital Satellite TV) is featured on the Fortune Magazine list of The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders.
30
March 2017
KweseTV Secures Rights to Air FIFA 2018
World Cup Matches
Another big milestone for KweseTV as Kwese Sports acquires free-to-air exclusive rights to broadcast
FIFA World Cup 2018 Finals in more than 40 countries in Africa Sub-Sahara
region. Kwese will air the World Cup Finals simultaneously in all countries but
South Africa is not on the list of featured countries.
There will be no charges to watch the
Finals on the KweseTV sports platform, which will be broadcast in three
languages English, French and Portuguese. An estimated 250 million viewers are
expected to watch the Finals in Africa.
The rights to broadcast FREE World Cup
Finals also comes with an agreement to air all FIFA matches on Kwese Pay TV
channels, and viewers can access these matches via the Kwese TV set-top
box and mobile app. The roll-out of
Kwese decoders has already begun and so far, these TV decoders are officially
available in three African countries.
Kwese Sports is not the only broadcasting
company that has been selected to broadcast FIFA matches which will start with
the Confederations Cup in June 2017, but the Pay-TV rights are being shared
with another broadcaster.
KweseTV Secures Rights to Broadcast NBA
Game in South Africa
Kwese grabs the opportunity to become the
exclusive broadcaster of the 2017 NBA match in Africa. Africa has been a host
to NBA games in the past, and this time, a match comprising two NBA teams will
be hosted in South Africa on 5 August 2017. Kwese Sports will be broadcasting
this game worldwide, and viewers in Africa can expect to watch this game for
free via the Kwese TV decoder and mobile app.
KweseTV is a Pay TV service, a subscription based model that
was launched by Econet Global in the beginning of 2016 and targeted towards
viewers in Africa. Pay TV is almost exclusively dominated by one player in the
African market and this is none other than DSTV,
a provider of popular satellite TV entertainment such as MultiChoice, SuperSport, MNET and GoTV. Before we get into details of KweseTV, let us familiarize ourselves with terms used in this
industry, particularly the types of TV transmissions available to viewers:
What is IPTV?
IPTV is different
from Cable TV and Terrestrial Satellite TV (Digital Satellite TV).IPTV stands
for (Internet Protocol Television).
IPTV is transmitted via the internet through streaming. A
familiar online service which makes use of streaming is Netflix. Streaming is a faster method of playing online movies and
videos when compared to downloading.
There are 3 types of IPTV services: Live television, Replay
TV and Video on Demand. Unlike internet television which can be accessed online
via a browser app or desktop app, IPTV is accessed through a set-top box which
makes use of a high-speed channel provided by a telecommunication network.
What is Digital Satellite TV?
These are TV signals transmitted directly from earth’s artificial
satellites like Galaxy 14 and Intelsat 20. Well known Digital
Satellite TV providers include DirectTV
(bought by AT&T), Dish Network, BSkyB and DSTV a South African service offering entertainment to the African market.
A decoder or set-top box is required to convert and decrypt the signals.
What is Cable TV?
Cable TV is
delivered through light waves over optic fibre cables or radio waves over coaxial
cables (copper core covered by layers of dielectric insulator, metallic shield
and outer plastic sheath)
Cable TV channels can be combined with or provided on
satellite TV channels. Examples are CNN,
HBO, Eurosport and MTV.
Possibilities for
KweseTV
Econet Global is a telecommunications company that owns
mobile networks across the world .It is also involved in fiber optic
installations and digital satellite business through its Liquid Telecom division. Based on Econet’s existing infrastructure
on the ground, the following are the possible types of TV services that the
company can launch:
KweseTV can use its
satellite platform Liquid Sat to
deliver Digital Satellite TV.
KweseTV can use its fiber
optic networks platform Liquid Fibre
to deliver Cable TV.
KweseTV can use its mobile
network operations Econet Global
to deliver IPTV, which will be streamed on multiple devices such as
smartphones, tablets, computers and television.
Competition from
DSTV
It is safe to say that MultiChoiceDSTV already provides all of the 3
types of TV services outlined above. The most familiar service is DSTV, a subscriber digital satellite TV
with over 18 channels. DSTV receives
signals via satellite dishes. There is also a non-satellite digital TV for
budget customers, GoTV which uses an
antenna to receive signals.
MultiChoice also
runs IPTV-based services such as DSTV-on-Demand
and DSTV Mobile, which provides
streaming on mobile devices, computers, handheld and portable TVs.
Advantages of
KweseTV
According to their press release, the CEO of Econet GlobalDr Strive Masiyiwa says KweseTV aims to have a competitive edge
over DSTV by providing lower priced
better quality programs. Across Africa, DSTV
has enjoyed a monopoly for many years, which could be their Achilles heels. Due
to lack of competition, the company has received a lot of negative complaints
from frustrated customers. It has been accused of providing overly priced services,
repetitive shows and content which is not worth paying for.
If KweseTV is to
beat DSTV, it must penetrate the
market already dominated by MultiChoice.It must also deploy technologies
already used by DSTV (or better) to
reach different platforms and audiences. A lot of marketing effort will be
needed to present KweseTV as a better
alternative to DSTV. Getting Agent
licenses from high quality content providers is also key to the success of KweseTV.The company has already secured
distribution rights for Live English Premier League matches, which are popular
in Africa and Asia.
