Launched three years ago in Kenya and now with operations in Tanzania and Uganda, Zuku TV has promised to give its audience something new that is exclusively East African.
The satellite TV has partnered with Tanzania’s Steps Entertainment to produce programmes including movies, a travel show, cooking series and two music shows in Swahili language.
Mwananchi Group CEO Richard Bell told HumanIPO in a statement the local brand would make absolute sense to the East African audience since the company would invest in originating fresh, relevant and highly entertaining programmes exclusively for the region.
Zuku TV, East Africa’s first home entertainment brand offering pay TV services, now has countrywide operations in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania with an estimated 400,000 subscribers.
“We project that by the end of 2012 we will have doubled our subscriber base as we plan to continuously enrich our product offering through accessible, affordable and relevant content” Bell said.
Bell added that Zuku TV believes there is a rapidly growing market segment looking to be part of a digital multi-channel television world, for the range and choice it offers to the whole family.
“Our offering has been structured to meet that need, and we see a truly exciting opportunity in this. As an East African company, we are committed to maintaining a close focus on this market. We are also highly delighted to be a part of its growth,” he concluded.
Bell further stated he was extremely delighted with the uptake of Zuku TV thus far. He added that the satellite TV has been well received within the region attributing the trend to fresh, innovative and affordable entertainment.
The TV service providers plans to penetrate 11 countries across Africa including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti, Malawi and Somalia. Pay TV penetration in the countries targeted is at present less than 1 percent.
Zuku TV presently offers a range of entertainment channels ranging from news, movies, sports, music and documentary. These include several third party channels such as MTV Base, BBc, MGM Movies, E amd Setanta Sports.
It also offers its own produced channels including Zuku Africa that airs African content, and Zuku Life, that airs documentaries. Others include Zuku Sports and African themed movies.
Wananchi Group Holdings, which owns the TV brand, has in the last three years invested an estimated Ksh14 billion towards promoting the TV brand, among other company ventures.
