Zuku has reviewed the subscription rates for its DTH TV services. The provider has upped the rates by an average of 25% over the previous rates. Zuku has also added a new subscription package called  “Zuku Poa” which is now available for Kes 799 per month from June 1^st 2013.

The new subscription rates are as below

Below are the details of the new package Zuku Poa bouquet. The package is targeted at Movie and Sports lovers and possibly single people (as there are no kids channels included).

Below is the full analysis.

Below is the letter from the Managing Director to Zuku subscribers.

MultiChoice Kenya has today launched the GOtv services in Eldoret covering most parts of the Uasin Gishu County. Eldoret joins Kisumu, Mombasa and Nairobi in the digital terrestrial TV availability.

Reports reaching us from Mombasa indicate that the Education PS has banned the LIVE BROADCAST of the Butere Girls play, Shackles of Doom. The play which is currently being staged in Mombasa shows the kind of society we live in where now every government appointment and nomination is dominated by one ethnic group.

This is a problem which few want to address. Nobody wants to talk about tribalism openly because the National Cohesion and Integration Commission believe that anyone who point out such in the society should be charged with hate speech.

Here is the video of part of the play.

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DStv is doubling its rewards for the loyal subscribers during the Easter weekend. Instead of the Ksh 600,000 reward, this Easter weekend, one lucky subscriber will walk away with Ksh 1.2 million.

In the last 5 weeks which the promotion has been running, DSTV has paid out around Ksh3 million to lucky loyal subscribers. Each subscriber took away Ksh 600,000.

The promotion is to run for 10 weeks where subscribers will also get a 10% discount on their subscription if they pay before the deadline.

DSTV subscribers can also win a full year’s subscription to their current bouquet, just by watching their favourite shows.  Tune in and when you see a blue DStv Rewards Box pop up on screen, make sure you SMS/TEXT the competition hotline (details onscreen and at www.dstv.com) with your name.

African entertainment app MTN Afrinolly announced the release of its Blackberry 10 App for Blackberry Z10 and Q10 last Thursday at the Blackberry 10 official lunch in Lagos, Nigeria a few weeks after just announcing the Afrinolly app for iOS. With over 2 Million Downloads across its various existing versions namely Android, Blackberry, Nokia Symbian, Nokia S40 Series, Java and Amazon Kindle, Afrinolly is the most downloaded African entertainment app built in Africa.

Winner of the Google Android Developers Challenge 2011 in the entertainment category Afrinolly allows you to watch trailers of movies produced in the African movie markets, most especially Nigeria’s Nollywood. You also get to watch African music videos, African comedy online, Bollywood trailers and full length Nollywood movies on your Smartphone.

Taking advantage of the new Blackberry Menu the user interface of the Blackberry 10 version is rich and different because the Blackberry 10 OS screen resolution allows for the apps new home screen where most viewed Trailers, Celebrity and Music Videos are celebrated plus News headlines.

The app is Compatible for both Blackberry Z10 and Blackberry Q10. Afrinolly have seen a progressive growth rate in terms of downloads across Africa and we are excited that this Blackberry 10 version would allow more Africans with taste for the super smartphones to enjoy the app.

Download Afrinolly for BlackBerry 10 at http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/25001876/

Regional pay TV provider Zuku is expected to announce a further investment of $4.6 million in its satellite TV services. Zuku will be unveiling the details of the investment at an event next week.

According to the initial information provided, Zuku will be migrating from the NSS 12 satellite to the high capacity and more advanced SES 5. This will enable the provider to add more than 17 channels on its bouquets.

Among the new channels lined-up for inclusion include Zuku Movies Max HD, Zuku Sports HD, One Music, VH1, CCTV9, CCTV4, CCTV News, DW (Deutsche Welle) News, Swahili Movies, Setanta Action, UTV, Shorts Movies and Zee Khana Kazana.

It is not clear if Zuku will have to raise its subscription fees upwards with the new channels.

IEBC chairman has gone on record admitting that their systems were compromised. IEBC chairman in an address to the public at around 6pm admitted that there was a code in the system which was multiplying rejected votes by 8. That revelation is kind of implicating and confirming the allegations that the IEBC system was hacked.

How did the rogue line of code which was multiplying results by 8, entered? Who was responsible?

You cannot have a code which is not doing the right thing in a system which was supposedly tested by the commission. It means that someone installed an illegal code in the system which was doing the wrong things.

The admission by the IEBC chair is one which should call for the suspension of the whole exercise. When IEBC discovered the anomaly in the system, what did they do? Did they inform the political parties through their agents? Who conducted the audit? How regular does IEBC conduct the audit of its electronic systems? What about other results, were they affected? Who made the audit?

After IEBC changed to the current system, how are they adding up the figures they receive from the physical forms? Are the figures being added manually, using a computer or through a special spreadsheet program on the computer? If its is through a spreadsheet or form from a database, who audited the systems?

The shouting and questions from the presidential agents during the last press conference is telling. There seems to be a disconnect from the Presidential Returning Officer, Isaack Hassan, with the presidential agents.

The lackluster manner in which IEBC chair is addressing the issues raised is not helping the country. The chairman is making admissions which should trigger anybody who care about this country to ask more questions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow0IA98ldXc

But Susan does not convince even the more affluent Nairobians that she is one of them. She comes out as overbearing, condescending  arrogant, ignorant and cheap all wrapped in one. She calls George cheap, pathetic among other negative adjectives.

Kenyans on Twitter (#KOT) have been on her case all day. You can check the conversations through the #tujuane or just Tujuane search. Some of the MEMES used to send her the messages of protests are below. Laugh your ass off.

Jimmy Kimmel is an American TV host. He did a show where he had Kenyans in Kenya read tweets from American celebrities. Kenyans, especially those on Twitter, were so angered with Jimmy for claiming that Kenyans do not have access to the internet.

So some Kenyans in the USA flew to Las Vegas and had Americans read tweets from Kenyan celebrities. Watch below;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vBzqwT_xBk

Funny. Isn’t it? Leave your comments below.

On Twitter, the Hashtag is #Debate254. Ignore the others.

The case of Royal Media Services (RMS) vs Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) is not as complicated as we would want it to look. The recent shutdown of more than 6-booster transmitters in in Nakuru, Narok, Mukuyuni (Makueni) and Mabrui (Malindi) was not a purely regulatory matter as Ndemo would love us to believe.

This is how it started. In 2005, President Kibaki was informed by the intelligence that the Banana (YES) side was going to loose to the Orange (NO) side in the referendum. The ground was tilted in favour of Raila, Kalonzo, Ruto and other opponents of the new constitution. So something needed to be done to greatly turn the tide against Raila and his side.

Kibaki then called a meeting at state house attended by Bitange Ndemo (PS Information), Charles Njoroge (CCK), Mutahi Kagwe (the Minister of Information), John Michuki (Internal Security Minister), Francis Kimemia (internal security), S.K. Macharia (Royal Media Chairman), Michael Gichangi (Intelligence boss) and Francis Muthaura (Civil Service boss) among others. Out of those present, PS Bitange Ndemo has remained the only person outside Mt Kenya Mafia who is very loyal and close to State House (one of the few who know about illegal transfer of Grand Regency to Kibaki’s family).

The meeting reached a decision to award Royal Media Services extra frequencies to cover almost anywhere in country. Royal Media now cover more areas than any broadcaster has ever covered. Basically the group has a foot-print which covers almost every corner of the country. The extra frequencies were allocated at the orders of State House. It was not something to be debated. So after the overnight allocation of frequencies irregularly to RMS and being the astute businessman he is, S.K regularised the acquisitions after few days. He formalised the acquisitions with CCK and made sure that almost all the allocated frequencies were not “illegal”. Only few boosters (transmitters supporting other transmitters) were on frequencies which were not regularised.

Later, S.K. grabbed some frequencies through his connections at State House. This made RMS now control a market of more than 51%. Some of the newly grabbed frequencies with direct assistance of CCK, Ministry of Information and Statehouse were not regularised or CCK advised that they be left in a pending state.

Apart from pushing for the allocation of extra frequencies and allowing Royal Media to grab some, state house also pushed for the allocation of adverts from state corporation to RMS. This ensured that the new broadcaster was well funded.

RMS then embarked on a process of almost exclusively poaching staff from Standard Group which was considered to support the Orange team so much. The media house poached tens of staff members in a go that KTN was almost crippled. Later when they saw that KTN was still on its feet, Michuki personally ordered a raid to finish the broadcaster claiming that they were about to publish something regarding the first family. This was just an excuse.

So that is how RMS expanded so fast and became the dominant media house in the country.

Problem is that S.K. Macharia saw his empire as so big that no one could match it. When he appeared on Forbes list of the African Millionaires to Watch in 2013, the whole Media Group celebrated like it was an endorsement from some god.

S.K. toyed with the idea of joining politics but he thought that he might not win much support from opposing tribes considering that Kenyan politics is so tribalised. So he decided to enter in to politics softly using a backdoor.

He decided to support Raila Odinga for president. He declared at a rally in Nyeri that he will use all his resources to support CORD. The Star newspaper wrote, “I will use my media outlets to back Raila – SK Macharia” That headline woke opponents of Raila in Jubilee, Amani and Eagle coalition. The only close competitor to CORD is Jubilee with Uhuru Kenyatta being one of the few leaders from Mount Kenya who is very very close to state house.

So a meeting was called at state house. Present were Francis Kimemia, Uhuru Kenyatta, PS Bitange Ndemo,  CCK Chairman (Ben Gituku), Michael Gichangi and Nick Wanjohi. President Kibaki is also said to have been in the meeting which resolved to contain RMS after the Nyeri declaration.

A plan to fix RMS was mooted and it was to be multi-pronged. Uhuru was to be enabled through state coffers and allocation of advertising spend in enabling Mediamax to poach personnel from Royal Media services. PS Kimemia also ordered that Ndemo should ensure that all frequencies held by RMS “illegally” be immediately taken away from them. Government allocation in adverts and promotions or public information campaigns were ordered scaled down.

So the actualization of the plan started last week and it is going to be hastened. Mediamax has in just the past few days poached more than 32 key staff from Royal media including those in technical and operations department. Mediamax is offering some of the new catches as much as 300% raise in salaries. This is not realistic considering that the group which owns  The People, Meru FM, Milele FM and K24 TV control just 2.2% of the Kenyan media market. The investment might take as long as 3 years to be gained back.

3 days later, CCK has moved in and switched off Royal Media transmitters in areas where CORD is just trying to gain meaningful support. From Monday, RMS will see termination of advertising contracts while the push to close more ethnic stations will be hastened by PS Ndemo.

These actions will be pushed until after the elections. Though RMS might win the legal war through courts, State House functionaries will not honour most of the court decisions as Kibaki has done before without blinking an eye.

Speaking to two former bosses of CCK, they said that they believe that the timing is very wrong even if the intention was to be good.

In fact one said, “timing is everything. If I were still the CCK boss, I would not have done this now. Even for the current CCK boss, he looks like a cheap puppet of politicians by pulling such a move. This is wrong.”

CCK has now shut down six Royal Media Services broadcast transmitters in Nakuru, Narok, Mukuyuni (Makueni) and Mabrui (Malindi) which were being operated without a licence and using unauthorized or ‘grabbed’ frequencies.

According to CCK, “the six are part of 17 transmitters put up illegally by Royal Media Services in the recent past without a licence from CCK, and therefore in contravention of the law.”

Some of the transmitters are located in non-designated broadcasting sites thus causing interferences to other critical services including aviation.  A further 22 FM and 2 TV unauthorized frequencies that Royal Media Services acquired in the same manner between 2008 and 2012 are pending adjudication in the courts.

Section 35 of the Kenya Information and Communications Act, 1998, outlaws the setting up and operation of communications apparatus without authorization from CCK.

CCK is the only state organ charged with the responsibility of managing Kenya’s frequency spectrum.  All spectrum users are required to operate under a licence issued by CCK.

CCK boss, Mr Francis Wangusi said the grab up of frequencies had no place in Kenya, in view of the existing institutional framework in place for managing frequencies.

In a statement, Mr Wangusi said;

“Unauthorized use of spectrum amounts to an act of impunity and flies in the face of the regulatory requirement to provide an equal platform for all players.  It also denies the regulator of spectrum resources to address the policy objectives of plurality and diversity, and to cater for devolution requirements.

The six transmitter stations that have now been put off-air were located in Narok, Nakuru,Mukuyuni (in Ukambani) and Mabrui (Malindi), and were being operated by the Royal MediaServices. The stations are part of the 17 unauthorized transmitter stations that the Commissionissued a 30-day notice about on 3rd December 2012.

The notice directed the offending broadcaster (i.e. Royal Media Group) to cease operating the unauthorized frequencies or face thefull force of the law. In spite of the notice, Royal Media Services has continued to transmit broadcast signals from the 17 transmitter stations in total disregard of the law. The Commissionshall in the next few days shut down the remaining 11 illegal stations located in various parts of the country in order to ensure that players in the broadcasting and other market segments of thewider ICT sector operate within the law.”

It is the season of political campaigns in Kenya. The media in the country is far from neutral. The loyality is between the main contenders  Uhuru Kenyaatta or Raila Odinga. Daily Nation which is largely owned by the moneyed elite who support Uhuru’s candidature did a blunder today of photoshopping the image of Uhuru Kenyatta’s running mate, William Ruto, on to a photo of a crowd at yesterday’s CORD rally.

The embarrassing image has awaken debate on social media on the neutrality of the Kenyan media. Nation Media has totally refused to apologise saying that the images are different. The image is above and you can make your own judgement. The image in Daily Nation’s explanation is not the said image. It looks like one meant to cause more confusion.

Mohammed Ali Resigns from NTV Over Claims of Political & Business Interference

Japanese Electronics company Sharp has made an entry into the Kenyan market for the second time by  launching the first commercially available 80-inch LED TV and its latest Double French Refrigerator.

Sharp General Manager for Middle East FZE Tagami Yasuharu said these products are targeted at the Kenyan luxury lifestyle market. Sharp which is celebrating 100 years of existence this yea, is launching in the Kenyan market after a lull for some duration.

At the launch event, the company revealed that it is looking to grow its electronics market share to 20 percent by 2014 from the current less 5 percent, banking on the growing middle class and upmarket consumers.

Its flagship 80-inch AQUOS LED TV promises enhanced picture quality, impressive functionality, and energy-efficiency. It will retail at Sh1 million. The new Double French Refrigerator, on the other hand, carves a niche in the high-end luxury kitchen segment with its bigger size, attractive functions and impressive specifications.

Kenya is one the first markets in Africa to have the 80-inch TV, making the country a focal point in its drive into the larger East African market.

The two new products are part of the “From Bigger to Biggest” products line which rides on the 10^th generation LCD panel technology.

80 Inch “Real as life” Home Entertainment Specs

The full HD Japanese made panel, Sharp’s flagship 80 inch model LC-80LE940X provides more than twice the screen area of an average 55-inch TV. It features Sharp’s 4^th Generation Quattron technology for better 3D viewing, plus direct LED backlighting and Aquo-motion Pro (240Hz) to decrease blur during fast-moving videos. It also boasts advanced Wi-Fi capabilities, which are further strengthened by Sharp’s smart TV interface, allowing customers to enjoy applications such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The interface also allows customized preferences which allow users to send photos, music and videos wirelessly.

Sharp’s new Double French Refrigerator SJ-F80PE features 4 doors, a multi-function LCD screen and eco-friendly and long lasting LED lighting. It offers a total of 724 litres of usable capacity for food and beverages storage. In addition, the refrigerator is equipped with Sharp renowned Plasmacluster Ion technology (PCI) to ensure hygienic refrigeration and help keep food fresh for longer. Equipped with an Aluminum Hybrid cooling panel system and anti-bacterial honey-comb filter this fridge is a must-have for any modern household. PCI Technology reduces levels of undesirable contaminants in the refrigerator’s interior such as airborne mould, fungi and adhering bacteria, keeping food fresher for longer.

Pan-African satellite pay-TV provider, Multichoice, is expected to launch an internet connected decoder by end of the first quarter of 2013, according to My Broadband.

Quoting Aletta Alberts, Head of Content at MultiChoice, the South African online publication reports that the Multichoice honcho was responding to “a panel discussion about whether they are planning to launch an on-demand service or something close to Apple’s iTunes.”

Alberts is further quoted as saying that the decoder “will increase capacity for DStv’s “Catch Up” content from 20 hours to 175 hours.”

Multichoice Kenya GM Danny Mucira

MultiChoice Kenya has announced an offer for DStv subscribers in the wake of the festive season. Effective today, the Pay-TV provider will be offering a 10% special off subscription rates to interested subscribers who make payments before their subscription expires.

This means that each month a subscriber pays ahead of the service expiration, they get a 10% rebate on the subsequent month’s payment and this continues as long as the circle is unbroken.

For subscribers who take advantage of the special offer, the 10% discount translates to KSh 6,192 from KSh 6,880 (KSh 688 less than the normal rate) for DStv Premium; KSh 3,870 from KSh 4,300 (KSh 430 less than the normal rate) for DStv Compact Plus; KSh 2,322  from KSh 2,580 (KSh 258 less than the normal rate) for DStv Compact; KSh 1,548 from KSh 1,720 (KSh 172 less than the normal rate) for DStv Family; and KSh 774 from KSh 860 (KSh 86 less than the normal rate) for the DStv Access.

Annual subscribers will qualify for a slightly bigger discount – they are eligible for a 12% discount at the beginning of the annual period on condition that they pay on the last day of their subscriptions.

Multichoice Kenya GM Danny Mucira emphasized that DStv will continue to avail to its subscriber’s quality programming and more value. “Our investments in Kenya have translated in a better viewer experience as well as more value for money. We have started seeing some of the benefits, with new channel launches, local content and general entertainment content on DStv as seen across the African continent.”

Pan-African pay media giant MultiChoice Kenya has today announced the establishment of 25 MultiChoice Resource Centres in Kenyan public schools this year as it pushes with the vision that robust community development initiatives are essential for sustainable business.

The new additions will increase the number of beneficiary public secondary institutions to 150, drawn across the country.

Speaking while officiating the launch at Imale School, earmarked as a centre of excellence in Machakos County, the Minister of Education, Hon Mutula Kilonzo lauded MultiChoice Kenya for its interest in assisting to mould young minds through the use of world-class educational programming.

“This effort is aimed at supplementing the already commendable efforts of the secondary teachers’ fraternity by giving them and their students a window into the latest trends and developments on the international scene,” he said.

Under this initiative, Kenyan public secondary schools are provided with digital satellite technology and free access to the DStv Education Bouquet, which includes seven documentary, educational and current affairs channels.

“Technology and education can blend seamlessly as illustrated in the rapid uptake of the initiative by teachers and students over the years,” said MultiChoice East Africa regional director, Stephen Isaboke.

Selected by the Ministry of Education, the schools reflect a diverse cross section in far-flung counties among them; Isiolo (Isiolo Girls High School), Wajir (SabunleySecondary School), Baringo (Chepnyal Girls High School), Taita Taveta (Dr Aggrey High School) and Nairobi (Precious Blood, Riruta).

According to Mr Isaboke, the DStv Education Bouquet provides a rich and varied learning resource environment that encourages exploration and brings subject matter to life. “It is both a reference source and means for teachers to explain difficult concepts in a visual manner” she added.

The MultiChoice Resource Centre programme is implemented in partnership with the Kenyan Ministry of Education “While MultiChoice leverages its technology platform and content as a powerful learning tool, our partnership with the Ministry of Education ensures capacity building and ongoing support of teachers unlock the full potential of the resources in the classroom” says Mbatia.

South Africa’s Pay-TV provider, MultiChoice, is upping its delivery now to counter competition. With the launch of the new satellite covering Southern Africa, the company has added 7 new channels to its bouquet. Unfortunately, in East Africa we will only be able to get two new channels.

Newly launched channels;

• KykNet Musiek (channel 146);
• Mzansi Music (channel 321);
• Blackbelt TV (channel 129);
• True Movies 1
• Bay TV (channel 260);
• 1 KZN (channel 261);
• Dumisa (channel 340).

The two new channels available to East Africans – Blackbelt TV and True Movies 1 - will be available across all bouquets on DStv ( Access, Family, Compact, Compact Plus and Premium).

Blackbelt TV is a 24-hour martial arts television network airing martial arts fights, series, movies and animé and will be available on DStv channel 129. The channel will feature classic martial arts movies, great Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights from around the globe and MMA lifestyle oriented interviews from Hollywood.

Additionally, viewers will see Kung Fu movies. Films will include Drunken Master Slippery Snake, Fists of Dragons, Shaolin Fox Conspiracy and Ninja the Protector and feature fight choreography from the great Chinese masters.

True Movies 1 is film channel is dedicated to delivering a mix of remarkable true stories based on real people and actual events, 24 hours a day. With performances from a range of Hollywood stars from Meryl Streep and Glenn Close to Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie, True Movies 1 features a  diverse and emotional blend of award winning content from family relationship dramas, teen pregnancies and missing children to corruption, murder and miscarriages of justice. Launching on DStv Channel 138, True Movies 1 will draw from its extensive catalogue of true movies and true-to-life dramas to bring viewers a gripping schedule of weekly premieres, morning movies and themed days.

The new channels will go live on Tuesday 13 November.

Pay TV provider, Multichoice, through its mobile division, DSTV mobile, recently unveiled its 7″ version of the Walka device in some African markets. The 7″ display on the new Walka is double what was on the previous version of the Walka.

I have been using the Walka 7″ for a month and I must say that I am impressed that I only want more channels on the device and a wider coverage area.

First things first, the device is a bit heavier than the previous version or the  Samsung Galaxy 7 Plus. The device is not a replacement to the 3.5″ Walka. It is a desktop version while the smaller sister is a pocket device. Good!!

The Walka 7″ is available in areas where the DVB-H signals are live. Now that is Nairobi and Mombasa. This device might be so handy for Kenyans as the elections are almost here.

Getting to activate Walka 7′ is pretty straight forward. If you already have a DSTV account, you will just link the Walka to the account at no extra cost. As a stand-alone device, there are three packages; GOTV Mobile, DSTV Mobile and Mobile+(plus). The GOTV Mobile is available to GOtv subscribers.

The channels available on GOtv mobile are ;

KBC, NTV, Citizen, Sony MAX, Africa Magic Swahili, Africa Magic Family, Disney Junior, Nat Geo Wild, CNN, Channel O, SuperSport Select, SuperSport Blitz

For the DSTV mobile bouquet, you will get the following channels;

KBC, NTV, Citizen, Sony MAX, Africa Magic Swahili, Africa Magic Family, Disney Junior, Nat Geo Wild, CNN, Channel O, SuperSport Select, SuperSport Blitz, Supersport 9,

Dstv Mobile Plus bouquet has;

KBC, NTV, Citizen, Sony MAX, Africa Magic Swahili, Africa Magic Family, Disney Junior, Nat Geo Wild, CNN, Channel O, SuperSport Select, SuperSport Blitz, Supersport 9, Supersport 3 and Africa Magic.

The device still has the same resolution as the Walka 3.5″. The volume is also not so good but is enough for desktop viewing. I just wished that DSTV could do more about the resolution as the images looks stretched.

The device cost Ksh 10,250. The subscriptions are as follows;

• Free Tier (GOtv Mobile) – No subscription fee.
• DStv Mobile – Monthly: Ksh 400
• DStv Mobile + – No payment DStv Mobile + will be offered at no extra subscription cost to DStv Premium subscribers.

The next version of the Walka 7″ or 3.5″ should have an HD screen and DSTV should expand coverage.

Do you want a brand new DSTV Walka? Please comment below telling us why you really need the device. One person will walk away with a brand new DSTV Walka 7″.

DSTV seems to be either having problems with their channel encryption services in Africa or they have just pulled a huge marketing stunt in the continent. All channels on the pay-TV service have suddenly been opened for everyone including those who are not subscribed to full bouquets.

Users in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa have been tweeting how the service is free. Most of the tweeps are enjoying the free duration and most of them pray that the technical fault or whatever made the channels to be free, to continue longer.

Error or sweet kindness….DSTV has forgotten we dint pay 10k. Check ur channels folks. May dis error or kindness remain 4eva n eva!!!

— Ugochi Anyaka (@UgochiAnyaka) September 23, 2012

Hey @zuku_kenya, your competitors DSTV have unlocked all the channels for everybody. Hata kama me hulipa 999, si hata mnifungulie leo tu?

— Π™Lunatic® (@The_shinji_) September 23, 2012

I have reached out to MultiChoice offices in Nairobi and Johannesburg. I will post a response when I get it. In the meantime, enjoy it.

Nigerian soccer star, Jon Obi Mikel removed his Twitter profile after racist attacked him for a mistake which cost Chelsea victory in the opening match of their Champions League defence against Juventus.

From left; Shose Oyalo of Multichoice Kenya, Giteone Khobane the Africa Magic Marketing Manager and former BBA contestant Millicent Wambui

At two simultaneous gala dinner events held last night, in Lagos and Nairobi, AfricaMagic and MultiChoice Africa presented their latest joint initiative THE AFRICAMAGIC VIEWERS’ CHOICE AWARDS. The announcement was made during a special episode of the popular AfricaMagic magazine show Jara, which is screened to DStv audiences in 47 countries across the continent.

Created to celebrate African film and television talent, both in front of and behind the cameras, the Awards will feature several special categories in which viewers will decide the winners directly, alongside several categories.

In total, 28 awards in 26 categories will be awarded ranging from acting and directing to script-writing and cinematography. Other fields which will be honored include editing, make-up, sound, lighting and costuming among others.

In addition the awards will feature two categories – the Industry Merit Award and the TrailBlazer of the Year Award.

Awards will be handed out at two separate events to be held in March 2013 in Lagos – the first event will be dedicated to standout technical accomplishments while the main event will be a glittering, glamourous gala night. Both events will be screened to DStv audiences across the continent with the gala being screened live.

In order to ensure that the awards are transparent, fair and credible, AfricaMagic has recruited industry veteran Femi Odugbemi to take on the role of executive judge and has confirmed that all the awards will be verified by an independent auditing company to be appointed shortly.

With the Awards now officially launched by AfricaMagic and MultiChoice, the process now begins with a call to producers to make their submissions for consideration. Details of where and how to enter are available on www.africamagic.tv and the deadline for all submissions is Wednesday 31 October 2012 at 10PM. Entry is free. Once all submissions are received and evaluated by an expert selection panel to be named later in the year, the big announcement of the nominees for the first-ever AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards will be made public in early December at which stage public voting will begin.

East Africa’s Pay-Tv operator Zuku has unveiled a reward programme to its subscribers dubbed Zuku Hook Up.

Under the programme, Zuku’s existing clients will earn loyalty points by referring friends, family and colleagues to subscribe to Zuku.

The current subscribers will need to introduce a friend to Zuku products; either Zuku Satellite TV (which is available countrywide) or Zuku Triple play (which is available in certain areas within Nairobi)

Once the friend signs up and pays for a Zuku product, then the existing subscriber will start earning points which will be accumulated in order to receive the reward of a 32 inch Smart TV. Existing subscriber will earns 10 points for every new Satellite TV subscription and 20 points for every new Triple Play subscription. The Gold Prize will require a total of 50 points, while the Platinum prize, requires a total of 100 points in whatever combination,” said Mr Jeneby.

The programme is open to all existing customers who have been in the system and consistently paid for the past three months.

Current customers who have been inactive, can pay upfront for 3 months and therefore qualify to participate , a 5% prepayment discount is applicable.

The current subscribers will receive a call or sms/email notifying them that the person they recommended has registered with Zuku and the points they have earned.

There is no limitation to the number of TV’s one can be given as long as this is within the 3 month period ending 31^st Dec 2012.

For further details, contact Zuku on 0 205 205 205

Supersport is planning to launch one or two High Definition Outside Broadcasting (HD OB) vans in Kenya. The HD vans supplied by SONY will see Supersport have the capability to broadcast Kenya Premier League matches in HD in the near future. The sports broadcaster has been using the standard definition broadcast vans in Africa but started by launching the HD OB vans in Zimbabwe and Nigeria early this year.

The Supersport HD OB vans can support upto 13 cameras on the field backed up by 9 camera men. Each Camera focuses on a specific aspect of a game and can be controlled by robotic arms in the OB van. The robotic arms give the director control over clarity and other image aspects.

The vans also come with stump mics which pic unique sounds from the field and the stadium.

The 5 divisions of the HD OB vans are;

• Production and Director section
• Robotic Camera Section
• Visual and Replays
• Electronics and Switching (Routers)
• Sound.

The HD OB vans come with a 60KVA backup generator.

Safaricom is expected to launch a revamped Kenya Live portal on Wednesday night. The portal which will now be named “Niko Na Safaricom” Live has been a a platform where Safaricom engages with Kenyan musicians and entertainers. Through the platform, Safaricom subscribers can also download wallpapers, mp3s, customized SMS alerts & ringtones as well as get Facebook and Twitter alerts.

Through Safaricom Live (Niko na Safaricom), the provider also organizes live music shows throughout the country.

GOtv has announced a reduction on its monthly subscription and hardware prices.

Effective today, the new price structure will be as follows;

GOtv bouquet monthly subscription will be KES 599.00 (was KES 720.00) and the bundle offer, Decoder + 3 months GOtv bouquet KES 4,900.00  (was KES 5,500.00).

Announcing this new pricing, GOtv General Manager, Mr Felix Kyengo, said;

“Our aim is to deliver great digital television entertainment on the advanced DVB-T2 network using our exciting new brand GOtv we are offering an affordable digital pay television service with exciting local and international channels in great picture and sound quality at a price that everyone can afford.”

GOtv is the digital terrestrial arm of Multichoice’s DSTV.

Some of the channels available to GOtv subscribers include Africa Magic World, Africa Magic Swahili, Select Sport, One Gospel, E! Entertainment, Channel O, eTV Africa,  and local channels such as KBC, NTV, KTN, Citizen TV to mention but a few.

GOtv is currently available to subscribers in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

The new pay-TV provider, StarTimes is spreading its tentacles beating even DSTV and Signet in the process. Now the company has switched on digital TV signal live in Kisumu just weeks after DSTV launched its signal in the same town.

StarTimes is aggressively marketing its services in the country and introducing new products including the mobile devices similar to DSTV’s Drifta and Walka. The company has its services cost between Ksh 400 to Ksh 3,000 per month depending on the bouquet choice.

StarTimes offer connection to its services at an introductory price of sh2, 999 which includes a plug and play decoder and dish with full installation. The provider target densely populated towns in the in Kenya with roll-out expected in other towns before the end of the year.

The CEO of StarTimes media has revealed that the company intend to invest $ 75 million in the country by the year 2015 looking “not only guarantee world class television service in Kenya but also provide employment to over 1,000 Kenyans.”

Looking to deliver more value to its clients, Africa’s first Triple Play service provider, Zuku has today launched three new bouquet of packages of services in Kenya.

The new packages are dubbed Basic TV/R1 Internet (70 channels/1Mbps), Premium/R8 (87 channels/8Mbps) and Premium/R20 (87 channels/20Mbps).

Zuku Triple Play Managing Director Kamande Muiruri said that the introduction of the new packages have been informed by the company’s quest to provide more value even more affordably.

“Following a marketing survey, we realized most of our customers wanted faster internet connections at an affordable price. We therefore decided to discount the Premium/R8 package to make affordable to customers who previously subscribe to the 4 Mbps package.

Premium/R8 subscribers who have access to 87 TV channels, Internet speeds of 8Mpbs and telephony services has been discounted by Shs 1,000 from Shs 4,999 to Shs 3,999, which is a 25percent discount.”

The Triple Play service provider has also introduced a new Premium package for heavy Internet users with broadband speeds of 20 Mbps, 87 TV channels and voice, all going for Shs 9,999. The provider becomes the first internet services provider to offer 20Mbps.

Zuku has also announced an aggressive roll-out of services into Eastern and Northern parts of Nairobi.  Starting this month (August) the ISP is planning to roll-out her cable connection in Imara Daima, Dohnholm, Embakasi and Buruburu. The operator also plans to roll-out in Runda, Kiambu and Limuru by 2013.

The ISP currently covers close to 100,000 homes in Karen, Langata, Otiende, Nairobi Dam, Madaraka, South B and South C, Kilimani, Lavington, Westlands, Parklands and Ngara.

Zuku’s aggressive expansion is backed by a US$100 million investment kitty, it has secured from private equity funds and loan financing that will enable it rollout its Triple Play services across Nairobi.

The provider’s Satellite TV brand is currently available in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania with a planned launch in the rest of African countries in the coming years.

Nairobi’s urban radio station, CapitalFM is said to be having a few hitches here and there. According to Jackal News, Capital FM’s main studio collapsed last night after fire engulfed some of the equipment.

The site report that Capital FM has two studios, one which is in a state of disrepair for a very long time.

The station is said to be currently operating from its Outside Broadcasting (OB) van in Nairobi.

We have reached out to Capital FM and hope to get a response soon.

Source

After KBC through Signet announced that Nairobi is now well covered by the DVB-T2 signals, PanAfrican network trading as StarTimes Media has launched the second DVB-T2 signal. You know that the Kenyan pay TV market is very exploitative with South African owned Multichoice network charging as much as $100 for no unique offering but football and cartoons.

Zuku entered the market in 2011 and is gaining the East African market. So last week, StartTimes launched its Kenyan operations. The digital TV provider which used to operate in 9 African countries made Kenya its 10th market. The company claims to have invested over $75 in the Kenyan market to launch the service where it is looking to aggressively sell its offerings.

With around 70 active channels and looking to acquire more, StarTimes will give Zuku, DSTV and others competition since it uses the conventional aerial with only a set-top box which goes for Ksh 3,000 required for set up. It is however limited in coverage since its deployment is no different from terrestrial TV while DSTV and Zuku provide satellite TV services.

StarTimes boquets consist of Basic plus, Classic, Classic Plus, Unique, Unique Plus and India, with a price range from between Kes. 499 and 2499. The cheapest package, Basic, offers up to 40 channels as the starter package including the local TV channels.

StarTimes DVB-T2 signal is currently available in Nairobi. The provider looks to cover Kisumu and Mombasa from early July with more than 10 cities to be covered by the end of the year.