Kwese to reduce number of channels, broadcast mainly free-to-air

Pay television service provider, Kwese TV, has concluded plans to reduce the number of channels on its platform in Nigeria.

The decision was internally communicated to the staff of the company in different markets by its CEO, Joseph Hundah, via the organizational platform, Kwese Livewire.

The channel reduction, according to Hundah, implies the streamlining of Kwese’s direct-to-home satellite television service.

“This means we will reduce our third-party channels as well as remove our own Kwese-branded sports and GE (General Entertainment) channels except KFS (Kwese Free Sports).

Our bouquet will consist mainly of FTA (Free-to-Air), religious and free news channels. We will offer this service, alongside our other products to anyone who owns a Kwese STB (Set Top Box),” said Hundah.

He explained that the company reached the decision after a review of its business model.

Hundah stated that Kwese was launched at a time when the global pay television industry was in transition, with business models evolving from traditional content rights linked to linear broadcast channels and premium content rights moving to digital media platforms.

The outcome of the company’s business strategy review, he said, is that the company’s focus will be on three core services:  Kwese Free Sports, Kwese Iflix, a video-on-demand service, and Kwese Play, a streaming service offering over 200 sports, entertainment, kids and news channels.

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The increased focus of the three services, he added, will compel the company to streamline is direct-to-home satellite service.

“These changes are in keeping with our commitment to providing affordable premium content, maintaining an innovative approach to content delivery and being attuned to audience viewing habits.

“As a consequence of the revised business model, we are in the process of reviewing our operational structures across our markets, which may result in changes across various business units,” said Hundah

It, however, remains unclear if subscribers to Kwese’s direct-to-home service will continue to pay the same rates or benefit from reductions on account of the reduced number of channels.