Key highlights
- TStv stopped broadcasting in February and shares no communication with its subscribers regarding what happened.
- Subscribers who have paid ahead for more than a month’s subscription are counting their losses.
- The company’s silence worsens the plights of its customers as the blackout passes one month.
Subscribers to Nigeria’s indigenous Pay-Tv company, TStv, are ruing their losses as the company stopped broadcasting in early February this year and remains offline for over a month now. The subscribers’ woes are further compounded by the lack of notice or any information from the company regarding the disappearance of the service.
Most affected by the Pay-Tv’s service blackout are the subscribers who had paid for more than a month’s subscription ahead. While some of the subscribers had paid for a one-year subscription, some are either on 3 months or 6 months subscriptions, which are yet to expire before the outage.
The lack of communication from the company has also sparked fears that TSTV may have gone for another long-term break, having disappeared after it first launched in 2017 and coming back in 2020 through a re-launch.
Subscribers’ complaints about TSTV
Lamenting that the company places no value on its customer by not communicating, the subscribers who took to social media to express their frustration said TStv has breached their trust.
One of the subscribers, Edacheolohi Boniface, said:
- “One month ago, TStv went offline. The company is yet to speak on it 4 weeks after. No single respect for customers. Nigerians have several companies in and outside the country competing with their competitors, none is behaving this way. We have all moved on. If you like remain blank. You will soon attend some court sessions for this breach of trust.”
While noting that the company may not regain the trust with its latest disappearance, another subscriber, Augustine Jegbefume, said:
- “It is a shame that TStv could go off air for over a month without explaining the reason to its numerous subscribers. Their action is not in tune with good business. Most of us stuck with them in the most difficult times; when they came and left subsequently. On their final return, we welcomed them with open hands. Suddenly, they left, making a mockery of us. I begin to wonder how they can bring back all their valued customers who by now must have switched over to other satellite providers. Do they feel that we can afford to stay away from television endlessly? I pity them a lot.”
For Adekunle Jacob, the problem is not that the company has issues but its failure to communicate them to its subscribers.
- “This can only happen in Nigeria, a country that didn’t value its citizens that is why everyone comes in a dubious character and get away with it, even though you have an issue information is key, we bought this with our money and we should get what you promise us rather reverse is the case,” he said.
TStv’s response -Technical downtime
When Nairametrics contacted TStv to find out why they have been off the air, the company said it was having a ‘technical downtime’, adding that its engineers were working to resolve the issue. An official of the company, Esther Okaja, responded to the inquiry by saying:
- “We are having a technical downtime at the moment. The technical team is on it and once they are done, all channels will be up. The transmission will be back hopefully this week. We are currently working on the signals. We are committed to meeting the needs of our customers. We value their patience.”
TStv’s tortuous journey: Touted as the first and only fully indigenous Pay-Tv operator in the country, TSTV came into the industry on October 1, 2017, with mouth-watering offerings that raised the hope of many Nigerians. Indeed, its decision to launch on the country’s Independence Day was said to be symbolic of a declaration of ‘freedom’ in the Pay-Tv industry. But the company disappeared after the launch.
It, however, made a comeback on October 1, 2020, with a promise to offer Nigerians the best experience in Pay-Tv service in Nigeria.
Addressing journalists at the relaunch, the Managing Director TStv, Bright Echefu assured Nigerians that the company had rebuilt its brand to deliver the same value and content earlier promised in 2017, but with advanced technology and model beneficial to all.
He disclosed that out of the 180 channels to be rolled out, 80 of them were High Definition (HD) channels, adding that TStv was the first Pay-Tv in sub-Saharan Africa to adopt H.265 decoder, which streams at a higher quality. According to him:
- “The last three years gave TStv the opportunity and time to carry out internal restructuring to build a brand that will be better appreciated by the generality of Nigerians.
- “On 1st October 2017, we had our official launch with great expectations but the Pay-Tv environment was a bit choky. We were able to wriggle our way, though there were many challenges, to redeem our lost relationship on October 1st.
- “TSTV is ready for business as a major player in the Pay-Tv industry. Having studied the market and minds of Nigerians critically, we are creating a model that will benefit all Nigerians.
- “We know that most of the channels in a bouquet are not watched and with this pay-per-view model, we have broken it down for Nigerians to book their bouquet by getting the channels they want and select the bouquet that suits their demands for as low as N2.00 to N5.00 per day by loading the TStv vouchers.”
What you should know
As the only Pay-Tv operator in Nigeria with a pay-per-view subscription plan, a model which other players had said was impossible, TStv was to challenge the likes of DStv and Startimes in Nigeria. However, the instability of its network has forced many of its potential customers to go back to the competitors. With the current long blackout, it is uncertain if TStv will regain the trust of its customers when it eventually returns.