For many people across Africa, access to media remains a limited and under-resourced commodity. Due to insufficient financial resources, many African governments face significant challenges in ensuring broad public access to communication systems.
A key barrier is Africa’s low electricity penetration, which severely hampers the development and expansion of the communication sector. According to the World Bank (2021), 24 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have electricity access rates below 50%, with South Sudan at just 7.7%. Even mid-range countries like Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda report penetration rates between 43% and 49%.
In countries like South Africa and Kenya, which boast higher access rates around at least 75%, frequent power outages still disrupt service continuity. Large-scale communication infrastructure, such as transmitters and uplink stations, require stable and sufficient power supplies. Consequently, the need for supplementary power generation significantly inflates construction and operational costs.
In addition to infrastructural challenges, most African countries have yet to establish nationwide broadcasting networks or fully implement the Digital Television Transition initiated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). While digital signals offer superior clarity, reliability, and spectrum efficiency—key to advancing the digital economy—the transition requires substantial investment in both transmission infrastructure and long-term operational capacity. Although the ITU set a 2015 deadline for this conversion, many African countries are still lagging behind, as the costs of building and maintaining these networks remain prohibitively high.
Moreover, the limited capacity of national media content production exacerbates the issue. In many countries, without a comprehensive transmission network, television broadcasts often only reach urban centers, leaving rural populations disconnected from national media. Privatized media conglomerates, while more financially capable, are reluctant to fulfill the public service roles expected by governments, further complicating efforts to bridge the communication gap.
In 2008, Beijing-based private enterprise StarTimes expanded significantly into the African television market, targeting a region with low network access and a sparsely distributed population. Given the high costs and limited demand for cable TV, StarTimes focused on two technologies: Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite broadcasting. DTT, which relies on terrestrial transmitters, offers localized coverage at a lower investment and affordable pricing for users. DTH, with its broader coverage and higher transmission capacity, caters to the pan-African demand for wide-range broadcasting, albeit with higher user fees. Together, the combination of these technologies enables comprehensive coverage of radio and television signals across the continent.
Through years of investment in communication infrastructure, StarTimes has built a robust network in sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to the development of regional communications. The company has established satellite live transmission, program relay systems, and terrestrial digital TV facilities, with satellite platforms covering 45 countries and reaching 930 million people. Its terrestrial digital TV platform reaches approximately 300 million people in major African cities. StarTimes relies on 16 global Earth satellite uplink stations to transmit both Chinese and African local programming. Additionally, it has built over 300 ground transmission stations in Africa, with Kenya achieving 90% population coverage through 23 transmitters and Uganda reaching 60% with 10 transmitters.
The company has also tackled infrastructure challenges, such as unreliable power supplies, by equipping each transmitter with one or two generators. Machine rooms, prefabricated in China, are shipped in containers to the local sites for efficient setup.
In content provision, StarTimes has become a major player in Africa’s digital TV landscape, launching operations in 21 countries and building a diverse content delivery platform with nearly 700 channels across 11 languages. With 44 million digital TV subscribers and internet mobile users, as well as 15 million social media followers, StarTimes is the only African operator providing services across four platforms: program relay, terrestrial TV, live satellite, and internet video. The company uniquely supports digital TV services in English, French, and Portuguese.
StarTimes has also played a pivotal role in the digital transformation of African broadcasting, assisting governments in countries like Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. It has established digital transformation contracts or partnerships with 21 African nations, including Nigeria and Benin. Notably, StarTimes implemented the Ten Thousand Villages project, proposed at the 2015 FOCAC summit in Johannesburg, which aimed to provide satellite digital TV to 10,000 African villages. As of December 2022, the project had reached 9,512 villages across 21 countries, benefiting over 190,000 households and nearly 10 million people.
Before the entry of Chinese companies, East African consumers faced high barriers to accessing digital TV. The cost of a set-top box exceeded $200, with monthly subscription fees starting at $47—prohibitive in a region where household incomes can be as low as $366 per month. In contrast, StarTimes’ set-top box costs just $20, with monthly viewing fees as low as $3, making digital TV accessible to a broader population.
StarTimes’ entry into the African TV market disrupted the longstanding dominance of a few high-end operators like CANAL+, Multichoice, and Azam, whose DTH services primarily targeted affluent consumers. The company’s affordable pricing strategy and extensive infrastructure investments have democratized access to digital television in Africa, significantly expanding the market and contributing to the continent’s broader digital transformation.
In 2018, StarTimes secured 1.3 million subscribers in Uganda, capturing over 70% of the market share. According to Katherine Getao, Kenya’s Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Science, Technology, and Communications, Chinese media infrastructure has extended coverage to regions that national media struggles to reach and where Western countries have been reluctant to invest.
The presence of Chinese media companies has not only expanded access to television but also enriched the cultural lives of African populations. On one hand, the widespread availability of television has enhanced cultural literacy and improved societal access to information and education. On the other hand, it directly supports children’s education. Through the Ten Thousand Villages project, television broadcasting equipment has been deployed in public spaces such as village primary schools. A Kenyan family of textile vendors, previously limited to one national channel, gained access to 37 channels after installing StarTimes’ equipment, with neighborhood children gathering each evening to watch. In Uganda, farmers expressed interest in educational content like cartoons for their children and agricultural programs for themselves, even expressing a willingness to subscribe to paid services for additional programming.
Within the broader context of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and strengthened China-Africa cooperation, Chinese media enterprises have constructed a transnational and transcontinental digital TV network, establishing a pan-African communication infrastructure. This effort has garnered recognition from local officials, such as those in Kenya, who noted that while institutions like the World Bank often focus on material development, Chinese initiatives place greater emphasis on the spiritual needs of communities. One Kenyan official remarked that Chinese companies excel at conducting business without imposing political conditions and resolve challenges through communication and negotiation.
This approach highlights the importance of connectivity in China-Africa media partnerships. By aligning with Africa’s real needs and prioritizing the well-being of local populations, Chinese communication initiatives have gained genuine appreciation across the continent.
Source: StarTimes, spaceinafrica, projetafriquechine, chinaglobalsouth, thewirechina
