THE digital era has seen a tremendous transformation in business and social spheres sparking a gruelling race for not only supremacy in product offerings, but also survival. The information and broadcasting sectors have not been spared either. A boom in social media and a proliferation of free-to-air devices have spawned piracy and virtually crippled bona fide service providers such as newspaper publishers and TV. In a wide-ranging interview, our chief sub-editor Zivisai Chagaka (ZC) engaged with MultiChoice Zimbabwe general manager Siyabulela Jemsana who opened up about the operations of his company in the country and its strategies for the Zimbabwean market. Jemsana is a seasoned sales and trade marketing strategist with over 10 years’ experience. He joined the MultiChoice Group in 2022 and rose through the ranks to the position of general manager here in Zimbabwe. MultiChoice is a pan-African entertainment conglomerate headquartered in South Africa that operates the popular DStv platform, including GOtv, Showmax, M-Net, SuperSport, Irdeto and KingMakers. It reaches 23,5 million households —more than 100 million people — in 50 markets across sub-Saharan Africa. Below are excerpts of the interview:
ZC: You are coming from South Africa to lead the Zimbabwe office. Please tell us about your brief.
SJ: The Zimbabwean market has huge potential for growth of the business. Zimbabwe is poised to be the next big boom in terms of entertainment. My role is to coordinate access to this entertainment space for the enjoyment of our consumers. I am bringing in the regional exposure in consolidating and unleashing the vast latent potential in the Zimbabwean market.
My plan for the next two to five years is double the size of our current business. In our first year working together as a team, we grew the business by 32%.
ZC: What is your projection for this year?
SJ: By the end of this year we would like to grow it by a further 20%. This plan outlines how we foresee a positive outlook for the Zimbabwean market.
ZC: What was your first impression?
SJ: I was impressed and I immediately felt at home. I saw great potential in every city I visited in my first 90 days. As Africa continues to change rapidly, the entertainment industry is even more relevant in the Zimbabwean context.
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We strive to continuously create value for our customers, our employees and society. We will build a successful business for the future.
I saw potential to create employment opportunities and long-lasting business relationships.
ZC: How many subscribers are on your Zimbabwean book?
SJ: MultiChoice Zimbabwe’s subscriber base has grown gradually over the past few years. We are very optimistic that our business will still record growth based on the positive outlook of the country’s economy, and the initiatives we are going to introduce in the next 12 months.
ZC: MultiChoice says DStv has lost nearly one million subscribers. What is your view?
SJ: As MultiChoice, we listen to our customers to understand their changing lives, the pressures they face and what matters most to them. We are committed to using these insights to put customers at the heart of all the decisions that each of us makes every day. We are reshaping our business to improve our customers’ experience, whenever and wherever they engage with us.
ZC: You are coming in at a difficult time in Zimbabwe. What is your plan?
SJ: We have Showmax for premium subscribers at no cost, which is a streaming service we are driving to keep our clientele due to diversity of content. For other package subscribers, they can add Showmax to their bill at a discount and enjoy limitless streaming.
ZC: Many DStv subscribers have migrated to free-to-air decoders
SJ: We have experienced subscriber growth across all packages. We also have streaming platforms and we have seen considerable growth with customers registering to view on the platform. We are also experiencing good growth on Showmax. Two key focus areas identified by MultiChoice Zimbabwe to drive this growth are local content and expanding our presence into (parts of the country. MultiChoice Zimbabwe is prioritising telling Zimbabwean stories which resonate with the local people.
It is commissioning popular content models from other southern African countries and localising them with Zimbabwean actors telling Zimbabwean stories. The first shows will premiere this year. Currently, our foothold is in the major cities and towns across the country. But our strategy is to penetrate every part of the country.
ZC: What percentage of your business is generated from Zimbabwe?
SJ: MultiChoice Zimbabwe looks at the company holistically and as a listed company all information pertaining to the business is available on our website and accessible to the public. MultiChoice is a company born and bred in Africa and rooted in the countries where our customers live. We are managed and run by local people and strive to provide all our employees with new opportunities.
We are proud of the contribution we make to our communities, and our business has grown hand-in-hand with local economies by forging long-term partnerships with governments, national broadcasters and entrepreneurs.
As the continent’s leading funder of sport and local production, we have built skills and capacity to become the backbone of content that matters to our customers. For Skynet (Pvt) Limited, trading as MultiChoice Zimbabwe, business is generated largely by Zimbabweans.
We employ 157 people at MultiChoice Zimbabwe and support 176 accredited installers and 66 accredited agents with a total of 90 outlets combined nationwide. These are the men and women who are passionate about bringing world-class viewing to the homes of all Zimbabweans.
ZC: It shows you have become an important part of the Zimbabwean economy.
SJ: The company’s strength is drawn from the local partnerships that DStv enjoys with local channels. Through strategic partnerships with these channels, DStv Zimbabwe continues to purposefully tell Zimbabwean stories through the Zimbabwean lens.
We have a rich cultural heritage in this country, and within these partnerships, a shared desire to promote it.
Our relationship with our partners has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on local television entertainment, with DStv focusing on reshaping the local TV sector through its influence and support.
We have managed to build lasting relationships through our partnerships. The DStv platform is home to four local channels.
These are ZBC-TV, 3Ktv, ZTN Prime and NRTV and which offer Zimbabwean viewers access to the best local productions.
These channels introduced an exciting era in Zimbabwe’s television space, further extending the reach of local content via the DStv platform.
ZC: Tell us about the talent factory
SJ: Investments have been made through the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) social development initiative. This programme has managed to upskill local filmmakers in all areas of TV and film production. The MultiChoice Talent Factory has a dedicated academy in Lusaka, which has produced graduates doing well in the creativity space, namely Nobert Mapfoche, Rutendo Mahofa, Yvonne Feresu and Chimwemwe Chipidza.
ZC: What is the impact of piracy on MultiChoice’s subscriber base?
SJ: Piracy has a detrimental effect on any industry and will lead to the long-term erosion of the industry.
This includes the effect on artists and filmmakers’ rights and their payments.
Millions of jobs in the creative industries throughout the world are at risk due to the illicit sharing and copying of content, including TV series and movies, from torrent sites.
The amount of income lost exceeds the GDP of the whole geographical regions.
In addition, to having an adverse effect on the film and television industries, piracy also affects software, music, literature and other creative sectors. This prevents Zimbabwean artists from telling their tales and depresses the national economy.
Piracy undermines the creative suppliers of content and casts shadows over the reputation of any business associated with it.
ZC: How much is MultiChoice losing to piracy?
SJ: The global cost of content piracy is at US$71 billion each year.
This amount grows each year as content pirates get more sophisticated in their illegal copying and sharing efforts, and consumers continue to turn to pirated content for their entertainment fix.
Piracy also has a detrimental effect on the economy, since generally those involved in piracy do not pay for the goods or services they utilise and hardly, if ever, pay taxes and/or employ staff.
The money they make through theft, since that is what piracy ultimately is, goes only to their pockets and not the rightful owners of the rights or materials.
ZC: What measures are you taking to address these challenges?
SJ: To raise awareness of, and curb, this scourge, MultiChoice has partnered with the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) to educate Zimbabweans on piracy and intellectual property rights. Countrywide awareness programmes are planned to be conducted by the NACZ in partnership with MultiChoice.
ZC: You have, of late, upgraded content for lower bouquets, please explain.
SJ: MultiChoice Zimbabwe is continuously improving on its package offering to ensure our customers continue to receive the best channels and content on offer.
DStv package offers an unparalleled family entertainment package, vibrant music programming and several audio channels.
One of our ambitions is to improve customer service and part of this is to increase the value of the packages.
