Africa’s leading pay TV service provider MultiChoice has announced it will discontinue its mobile TV services come September 1st going forward. The company says the move was informed by the fact that the mobile TV service technology has been surpassed by technology, citing the growing penetration of internet access and its subsequent increasing affordability for most consumers.
The Kenya-wing of the company, MultiChoice Kenya sent out a notice to its customers letting them know that DStv and GOtv mobile TV will be shut down come Sept. 1st. The mobile TV service has been available in Kenya since 2011. A development that came after MultiChoice rolled out the service in its other Southern African market in 2007.
The mobile TV service – DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld – was designed for the middle class subscribers who wanted to catch their favorite shows all-day everyday even when they are on the go. Now that the service is being shut down, subscribers wishing to access the video content entertainment will have to switch over to the DStv Now app, which is a streaming app that enable them watch the content on their mobile device.
“Our Mobile TV service was first launched in 2007. At the time, we were the first to pioneer technology to broadcast to mobile phones. However, as technology has evolved, and with the introduction of broadband, the streaming of audiovisual content to multiple devices leg smartphones, tablets, laptops, has become more attractive,” reads in part a statement by MultiChoice in a press statement.
“DVB-H-based mobile TV broadcasting, along with the range of devices used to access this technology, have reached their end of life. The DStv Mobile and GOtv Mobile TV Service will therefore end on Saturday, September 1.”
Consumers’ eyeballs are increasingly being captured by internet-based video streaming services. A development that is being bolstered by the fact internet penetration is increasing around the world, while the price of connection is dropping. Hence the successful video streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu; just to mention a few.
