Sorry this is lengthy but has better info than the blackmail and misinformation from the Citizen, NTV and KTN
C&P from
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Kenya: Why and How Kenya Switched From Analogue to Digital TV
27 December 2013 , By Dennis Mbuvi, Source: CIO
A few minutes after midnight, on Friday, December 27th, Radio Africa switched off analogue transmission of its Kiss Television Station, marking the end of an era for probably a majority of Kenya's television watchers. Kenya's first television transmission pre-dates the country's independence by about an year, having been made in a farm in Limuru by state owned Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (later to be renamed Voice of Kenya, and to be renamed yet again back to KBC) and covering a radius of 24 kilometres.
Starting the 27th of December, 2013, all television broadcasting in Kenya will be transmitted digitally, rather than analogue broadcasting.
Analogue broadcasting can be seen more like raw broadcasting. The problem with this became evident as the signal space (spectrum/frequency) allocated for television broadcasting began to fill up. As an example, Nairobi has space for 17 television stations on analogue broadcasting, all currently occupied.
A new TV station has to replace or buy an existing one.
Another solution here was to use cable broadcasting, but most parts of the world do not rely on cable fro dominant broadcasting.
For broadcasting over the air, a solution to the channel limitation was to broadcast television channels digitally. Digital television broadcasting carries more than one channel on the same frequency, compared to analogue broadcasting which would only carry a single channel. Digital television broadcasting takes the transmitted channel, modifies it electronically, before packing and broadcasting it.
As an example on the difference between the two, the Communications Commission of Kenya say its has licensed over 60 television stations for digital broadcasting, with over 20 currently broadcasting.
Before 1990, digital broadcasting was expensive and difficult to do to homes. In 1991, a group of broadcasters came together to work on a feasible way to digitally broadcast to the home. This led to the development of digital broadcasting technology and standards, currently in the process of being rolled out globally.
Satellite broadcasting has however for long been on digital broadcasting, with DStv broadcasting digitally since 1996, which explains why you have many TV stations on satellite. It also explains why you need a box to decode a DStv signal (you also need a decoding box due to the fact that it is scrambled (mixed up) to avoid non paying viewers from receiving the signal).
In 2006, a meeting of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) - a United Nations global telecommunications body - in Geneva and settled on 17th June, 2015 as the date when Africa, Europe, Middle East, and the Islamic Republic of Iran will have completed the move from analogue to digital broadcasting.
Television broadcasting of signals has no borders, and this has to be coordinated to ensure that there is no interference when some countries switchover to digital broadcasting. Such standardisation also ensures affordability of technology such as set top boxes and digital broadcasting equipment and sets.
Kenya's journey to digital TV broadcasting:
Kenya's long and painful journey to digital TV broadcasting began on 9th December, 2009 when President Mwai Kibaki launched Signet studios.
In contrast to analogue TV broadcasting where each television broadcasting station sets its own broadcasting equipment and broadcasts its own signal, digital television broadcasting in most countries in Africa, Europe and Middle East is licensed to 1 or 2 signal carriers.
This means that digital TV broadcasting separates the broadcasting of content from transmission of the signal. This helps in achieving efficient use of spectrum, which with increasing communication needs, has become more sought.
Among the benefits of digital TV broadcasting is that it releases extra spectrum, which in our region (Africa, Middle East and Europe) is being used for the rollout of 4G LTE. The band (around 800 Megahertz) around which this signal falls is good for reaching longer distances compared to 3G at 2100 Megahertz, which means fewer base stations. Additionally, in countries like Kenya, most of the other spectrum is already in use (with alternative 4G bands currently being used for military communication).
The launch of digital television broadcasting by then President Kibaki was welcomed by major private TV broadcasters in the country, with all declaring that they were ready to go digital.
A change of tone:
The tone from the private broadcasters was later to change when they realised that unlike in analogue broadcasting, there would only be a few licensed signal carriers for digital TV broadcasting.
The launch of StarTimes, a digital TV pay channel was attended by a cross section of Kenya TV industry moguls. Then, relations with the government were still on the better side. Local media firms had been promised a 3rd license for signal distribution after they had lost to Pan African Group, a Chinese consortium which I'll visit shortly.
The government itself did flip flop channels, switching from a promise to offer a 3rd license based on affirmative action (to be issued to a 'Kenyan' firm only), to promising to off load shares in the 1st signal distributor - government owned Signet.
StarTimes:
Over time, privately owned TV stations in Kenya became hostile to the whole digital TV broadcasting process, pulling their signal from both signal distributors and launching one court case after another in a bid of putting off the process as much as possible.
StarTimes became one of 2 digital pay TV content providers in Kenya. Continuing the discussion earlier on the difference between analogue TV broadcasting and digital TV broadcasting, a digital TV broadcast can carry much more than the signal, including a high definition (high quality) picture image and allowing for scrambling of content for the equivalent of a pay TV carrier such as DStv, hence StarTimes.
StarTimes carries its signal on Kenya's second licensed digital TV signal carrier, Pan African Networks Group.
Signet, the first licensee also has Kenya's second digital pay TV content carrier, GOtv.
The Chinese Connection:
While there has been no evidence to prove it, StarTimes has been linked to Pan African Network Group, despite the two denying to be related.
StarTimes has its roots in the StarTimes Group in China.
In Africa, the shift from analogue to digital broadcasting has seen StarTimes establish presence in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Nigeria and at least 9 other African countries, to bring its presence to a total of at least 14 countries.
StarTimes also bought South African satellite TV operator, TopTV, and is rumoured to be gearing for a continent wide expansion as a satellite operator to rival DStv (again, no confirmation on this). If true, in Kenya, this will see StarTimes and DStv battling it both on satellite and digital pay TV (GOtv is owned by DStv).
The elusive third license:
While the government had promised a 3rd license to a local firm, the Communications Commission of Kenya says that this is not possible due to lack of frequency. On the other hand, the government had also offered part of Signet to local firms, but this may be on hold as signet now rakes in cash from GOtv subscriptions and also from carrying pay TV signals.
Local media tantrums:
Royal Media (Citizen TV), Nation Media Group (NTV), and Standard Media Group (KTN) later became hostile to the whole digital migration process when as it became clear that they may miss on a signal distribution license.
This saw the media houses try to scuttle the digital migration process through a number of lawsuits. Additionally, the media houses failed to air publicity material from the Communications Commission of Kenya and StarTimes (despite these being paid for by respective owners) relating to digital migration, and gave little or no coverage to the whole process(including in their print publications).
The main issue of contention (the so called 'bone to pick') here has been the lose of control on signal broadcasting by the media houses. The switch from analogue to digital broadcasting brings in a high number('plethora') of new entrants to an industry that before had a high barrier to entry. All one needs now is revenue of KSh. 200,000 to KSh. 500,000 a month to own a TV station, far below the cost of a Toyota Probox, a vehicle common across Kenya that it may be Kenya's national motorcar.
The many new entrants put our traditional media houses at risk. With a choice of 30 to 60 TV stations, there are many new stations that advertisers - the chief source of revenue for 'free TV' - will have to spread their budget.
The incumbents - current media stations - will have to work really hard to keep their viewers and stature. This, is something you clearly would not want if you were in their position.
The lost issues - freedom, cost:
The incumbents, from their narrow sightedness and choosing to pick a fight on a ship that had already sailed, lost the bigger picture.
Issues that needed addressing include the fact that the 2 signal distributors are either a government entity, or owned by a foreign entity that can easily be controlled by government (The Chinese are notorious for their government friendliness). This means, if the government were unhappy with what is being aired, or what a certain station is airing, it may have control on whether the content will be received on your TV set, or not.
Think of this in times of elections, or times such as the post election-violence of 1998. The current government has already set the pace by signing into law a repressive media bill. Hopefully, the courts will be just in case of unjust government interventions on broadcasting.
Issue number two is that of affordability of set top boxes. Set top boxes are currently retailing at upwards of KSh. 3,000, in a country where the gross national income is at KSh. 6,145 , far below minimum income of KSh. 8,000. The price may go up in the short term due to demand arising from bungling of the awareness and transition period (by key media outlets), which may see pricing at KSh. 5,000 upwards.
Local media may have lobbied for government subsidies on set top boxes as was done in the United States of America, with the price of the boxes being offset by the income from auctioning of resulting spectrum, which is being targeted for 4G LTE use.
Thirdly, there is also the question of how StarTimes has managed to establish such a media presence across Africa in such a short time.
Sadly, all these issues were drowned in the quest of self preservation by local media.
What digital migration means to you, the viewer:
Digital TV broadcasting means that current TV viewers will either have to get a new TV set with digital TV integration or a set top box. The set top box decodes digitally transmitted TV signals for current TV sets and allows them to receive digital TV the same way they would hook up a video cassette player or DVD player.
Current digitally integrated TV sets are costly and out of the reach for many. While the quality of TV channels received goes up (depending on technology, there might be super clear high definition (HD) channels licensed in the future or currently, in addition to current standard definition(SD) which is also good), there are a few disadvantages to note.
Decoders in the market also offer the advantage of being able to record TV to USB, or play movies from USB, or also watch pay TV stations like GOtv or StarTimes without change of equipment ( this functionality depends on your decoder)
Disadvantage number 1 is the cost of the set top box. Number 2 is that you may need a new, better aerial. Digital TV, unlike analogue TV, is either there, or not - it doesn't gradually improve until you get a clear signal, you either get a clear signal, or none. This means that tuning your old aerial becomes harder.
Switching channels will also become slower for viewers, as it takes time for the signals to be decoded unlike raw analogue signals. Additionally, depending on the quality of your decoder, rain and other conditions (a motorcycle passing by)may affect your reception.
Lastly, not all areas will be covered. Analogue TV signals, even though they never reached all of Kenya's population, have far better reach than digital TV broadcasting signals, which beyond a certain distance from the receiver, are useless. This should not worry you unless you live in very remote areas (if you are among 80 percent of Kenya's population, you are safe). The remaining 20 percent may need satellite (another thing the media forgot in its squabbles).
The advantages however outnumber the disadvantages.