Safaricom interest in expanding into fulltime TV broadcasting has gotten the approval of Kenya’s Communications Authority following the latter’s approval of Safaricom’s application for requisite licenses.
Safaricom applied for four TV broadcasting licenses, all of which got approved subject to objection from the public within a month, according to the authority’s gazette notice on Friday, effectively breathing life into its floundering Big Box Internet-enabled decoder launched on May 8.
Safaricom has gotten authority to offer commercial free-to-air and Internet protocol TV services as well as subscription management and terrestrial subscription broadcasting services. The commercial FTA TV licence allows Safaricom to now create its own content and air it both terrestrially and online after its application for Internet protocol licence was also approved.
Safaricom is also now free to venture into the lucrative pay TV market, dominated by South Africa-owned MultiChoice Africa, after getting the terrestrial subscription broadcasting and management services licences.
