Kwesé TV abandons satellite pay TV to focus on streaming

African pay TV provider Kwesé TV is to abandon satellite-delivered pay TV and concentrate on its streaming activities.

Kwesé said that it had seen a “noticeable shift” in consumer viewing habits driven by mobile video consumption and that it would focus on premium streaming offerings Kwesé Iflix and Kwesé Play and a stripped down free-to-view satellite offering based on its Kwesé Free Sports service.

The pay TV outfit, which operates in a number of countries outside South Africa, where it is headquartered but does not operate, said that the new satellite bouquet would carry selected sports and general entertainment programming for a minimum fee.

The operator said it would reduce the number of third-party channels on the service, and remove its branded sports services excluding Kwesé Free Sports. The service will include free-to-air, religious and news channels.

Customers that have paid their subscriptions for November will receive a refund, it said.

The move to abandon satellite pay TV comes after a period in which Kwesé’s owned by Zimbabwe’s Econet Wireless, launched pay TV services in 11 countries, with a free-to-air offering in a number of other territories. The pay TV unit acquired rights to a number of premium sports offerings including the World Cup and the forthcoming Euro 2020 competition.