Tag Archives: TSTV

Pay platform TSTV resumes service

Indigenous pay TV platform Telcom Satellite Television (TSTV) has resumed operations, after apparently winning what the company’s CEO described as “war” with “our enemies”.

Bright Echefu

Bright Echefu, CEO of the company, recently announced that the pay TV network is now active and ready to begin broadcasting operations. This announcement comes almost a year after its launch in November 2017.

According to Echefu, the company’s hiatus was necessary due to events that occurred after its launch, causing a host of issues to be dealt with. He stated that since TSTV announced its launch in 2017, the company has faced much opposition from what Echefu called “our enemies”.

“From the date we announced TSTV, it has been fight all the way. I doubt if a week passed without us quenching one fire or the other. We didn’t anticipate that there would be war. We were also not trained to fight in the arena we were pushed into,” said Echefu.

In order to get back on track, TSTV has partnered with Nigeria Communication Satellite (NigComSat) to offer its subscribers premium content via 45 HD channels, which will be available free for a month.

“With our successful acquisition of five units of 35.5MHz transponders last two weeks on NigComSat – through our collaboration with Intertel, Federal Ministry of Communications and NigComSat – TSTV can now offer Nigerians the true meaning of video entertainment.

“Our TSTV has successfully migrated to Nigeria Communication Satellite. All channels in full HD. No one does that. More channels are being added daily,” Echefu added.

The channels presently available for free can be accessed on any satellite dish, according to the company.

“TSTV management, in appreciation to everyone, has decided that 45 TSTV premium HD channels will be available for free for another one month as we don’t intend to encrypt the channels now. You can use any dish at all, including the ones you are using for other operators, to track NigComSat today and let’s enjoy premium entertainment together.

TSTV also aims to launch the pay-as-you-use initiative but not much has been disclosed concerning that.

Asides from its partnership with NigComSat, TSTV also has a multi-transponder agreement with Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS), which will deliver a direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast service into Nigeria on satellite ABS-3A.

Speaking about this, Echefu stated: “We are excited to partner with ABS in delivering an array of high-quality programming. Our vision is to provide premium video experience to Nigerians at affordable prices.

“Our services will enable the viewers to experience HD and SD video and internet surfing at the same time. We are the first indigenous local operator in the region to launch such a premium platform with a variety of services to Nigerians, who have been so far paying exorbitant prices to foreign operators,” he concluded.

Also commenting on the partnership, Tom Choi, founder of ABS, said: “The addition of the Nigeria DTH platform from TSTV has undoubtedly strengthened ABS’s presence in Africa.”

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TSTV hands out free decoders

Recently launched Nigerian pay TV platform Telecom Satellite Television (TSTV) has started giving out free decoders to build subscriptions, reports Gabriella Opara.

Ugo Magu

Running on the 4.5G network, the TSTV Africa decoder has 50Gb hard disk to record TV programmes, a pause/play function and 100 channels of local, regional and international programmes. The channels will air in Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Ghanaian, Sierra Leonean and Liberian languages, among others.

The direct-to-home pay TV platform offers a blend of local and international channels for entertainment, including news, sports, kids, health and more.

TSTV’s CEO Bright Echefu had promised the Nigerian public that full commercial sales and operations will start this month.

Echefu, represented by head of corporate communications Ugo Magu, announced at the company’s head office in Abuja that 5,000 decoders would be distributed for free in selected states and the nation’s capital. The regular price of the decoders is N5,000.

According to Echefu, the promotional exercise is to ensure proper monitoring and evaluation of the signal strength and quality of TSTV channels and programmes across the country.

The pay TV platform aims to ensure there is uniformity in the sales of its decoders, which is why the accreditation of dealers is still continuing. Out of the 2,000 people who have applied for dealership, only 750 have been certified so far.

Magu revealed that the commercial sale and installation of the decoders will not begin until the process of dealer accreditation is complete.

Magu said: “We wish to reassure Nigerians that we remain committed to our promise to offer premium quality and affordable DTH services across the country seamlessly. We seek your further understanding and support in this value-driven course.”

He explained that the delay in the commercial distribution of decoders was to prevent sabotage by rivals. “We have not commenced commercial sales of our decoders because we are aware we are running a business easily frustrated by competition,” he said.

Magu added that TSTV has the right content and premium product to satisfy the growing demand of Nigerians.

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