Business thrives when factors such as sound economic policies, friendly environment, adequate infrastructure as well as a good management team are available. MultiChoice’s advent into the Nigerian business environment was at a time there was no template for pay-TV in the country. Its role was that of a pioneer, setting the pace and standard for the industry and enthroning best practices as obtained in other parts of the world where pay-TV was already well-established. MultiChoice knew the challenges and the prospects a pioneer faces and never shied away from taking responsibility.
This much was disclosed at a recent breakfast forum of the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce (NSACC), which held in Lagos, where John Ugbe, managing director of MultiChoice Nigeria, gave an account of the company’s 20 years of operation in the country, highlighting the milestones – numerous firsts – it recorded in the process.
The company known as MultiChoice Nigeria started operations in 1993 when MultiChoice Africa partnered Adewunmi Ogunsanya, an indigenous entrepreneur and company chairman. The company commenced operations as a joint venture via a single analogue bouquet of six channels in 1993. In 1996, DStv, a direct-to-home digital broadcast service, was launched with 24 channels. From that moment, MultiChoice took on the role of a true industry and market leader by providing cutting-edge technology and quality programming for the convenience and enjoyment of its early patrons. The launch of KU-Band W4 Satellite allowed for the introduction of 90 centimetre dishes compared to the massive dish through which satellite TV was introduced.
Setting up shop in Nigeria in the 90s was not a piece of cake because it was an era of not-so business environment. Hallmarked by military dictatorships, it was an era in which government policies suffered frequent shifts and in which many countries/investors were wary of dealing with Nigeria. Yet, MultiChoice weathered the storm, found the right employees, majority of them Nigerians, and empowered them. Today, the company provides employment to thousands of Nigerians directly and indirectly. There are over 700 staff in 11 MultiChoice offices nationwide; there are also 54 superdealers, who on their own operate via over 110 offices nationwide, provide similar services as customers receive at MultiChoice offices, and, in turn, provide jobs down the line to another set of Nigerians. Over 5,000 Nigerians are benefitting from the MultiChoice business as employees: either as dealers, retailers and installers, production cast and crew and many more.
Ugbe announced to the appreciation of members of the NSACC, the media and guests at the forum the considerably significant investment MultiChoice has made in the economy, stating that ascribing figures to the investments would be a daunting task. Among the major investments, as the company commemorates its 20 years of operation in the country, is its new office in Abuja. The Abuja office, according to Ugbe, will be officially commissioned in May. The office will open a new vista of opportunities for Nigerians, many of whom it will employ, and at the same time bring MultiChoice’s operation closer to Nigerians particularly in the northern region. This is expected to enhance the efficiency of its logistics and operations.
Another major milestone is its investment in the future of Nigerian children, which is put at over N350 million; this is in educational developmental programmes through its corporate social investment schemes. It has established 244 MultiChoice resource centres (MRC) in 24 states of the federation and the FCT Abuja. The MRC is designed to grant beneficiary schools access to special MultiChoice Education Bouquet with the aim of integrating the programmes into their curriculum to further enhance the teaching and learning processes. The media deployed include a TV set, a HD PVR decoder, satellite dish, a generator, stabiliser, a set of chairs and desks for the laboratory, and other instructional aids. The company also provides training for the teachers who deploy the Resource Centres for learning purposes.
Imagine a scenario where students and their teachers watch on BBC Education Channel how a robot is deployed to perform surgical operation on a human – something that they may not ordinarily witness were it not for the audio-visual learning aids. What MultiChoice has done is to provide the children with their favourite mode of engagement, which also doubles as a tool for knowledge acquisition and empowerment. It provides the children an opportunity to see the world in a different light other than what their immediate environment affords them and also inspires them to work hard towards achieving their dream of a greater tomorrow.
In the area of providing industry support and enhancing development, Ugbe rated MultiChoice high. MultiChoice Nigeria carries Nigerian TV channels – NTA, Silverbird TV, Channels TV, MITV and AIT – on its platform at no cost to the operators. This gesture allows the channels to be seen by viewers located in other parts of the country, who ordinarily wouldn’t have access to the channels because of their locations. What about investment in local content? DStv now has eight AfricaMagic channels that screen African content to the entire continent 24 hours of the day all through the year. The AfricaMagic channels derive a good percentage of their content and programming from Nollywood. The channels also serve as platforms for stakeholders in the TV and film industry on the entire continent. Last March, MultiChoice partnered AfricaMagic to inaugurate the AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA), to honour and celebrate stakeholders that have made AfricaMagic what it is today from a single channel in 2003. AfricaMagic has helped to tell African stories and has elevated African actors and actresses to global recognition where they are now compared to the very best in the world. Without AfricaMagic, Nollywood may not have attained the global acclaim it presently enjoys.
MultiChoice, alongside M-Net and SuperSport, has continued to invest in local content. These two great content providers for the DStv platform have consistently made huge investment into productions of wholly Nigerian-made content, thereby boosting the economy, showcasing Nigerian talents to more than 50 countries on the continent. Several billions of naira was invested into building high definition studios for both SuperSport and M-Net in Lagos, the first of its kind in Africa. The studios have helped to localise productions, thereby further boosting the fortunes of the entertainment industry.
M-Net’s numerous investment in local content includes the creation and production of soaps, drama, reality TV shows, game shows and many more. Tinsel, which is a wholly Nigerian production, began as a multi-camera, studio-based soap.
ABAYOMI AWELEWA
Awelewa is a staff of XLR8, a communications consulting firm based in Lagos.
