MultiChoice Group has announced plans to pilot a special viewing package that enables customers to subscribe for short periods.
This means, their subscribers will be able to pay for a week to access content on both DStv and GOtv platforms under the initiative called micro-subscriptions.
The digital television service provider said the initiative is designed to give both DStv and GOtv customers flexibility and affordability in accessing content.
“It is a short-term subscription and it has been piloted in Uganda already,” reads a statement from MultiChoice.
MultiChoice Group chief technology and information officer Sabelo Mwali said the technology has been rolled out and the micro-subscriptions product is being embraced by many customers in Africa.
He said: “Nowhere are cost-of-living concerns more important than in Africa. In a developed market, a subscriber might stay on the same postpaid subscription product for decades. But in the African environment, a customer’s financial position can change drastically.”
He said the short subscription has been introduced to support customers who cannot pay on monthly basis.
“As fellow Africans, we understand the value of technological innovation, and we are mindful of the needs of our people. In Africa, innovation is not just nice to have, but it is a survival mechanism,” Mwali said.
In a separte interview, MultiChoice Holdings southern region corporate affairs manager Selina Nyirenda said they will take the phased approach where the initiative will undergo a benefit review before rolling out.
Already local subscribers are excited with the development as they hope the incoming new invention will help them.
She said: “We take a phased approach in how we roll out our products and services. By doing that we are able to address challenges as we rump up usage.”
One of the DStv subscribers Matthews Singini said: “This is a massive idea. With the rising cost of living, we need this kind of innovation. This thinking in Japanese we would have said its ‘kaizen’ meaning it is progressive development.”
Another subscriber, Yohane Richard Zibophe, said this is a good development although it has come late when others are already doing it.
“This is good but they should go further from micro subscription and introduce pay per view,” he said.
