Standard Group, Radio Africa sign 300 million deal to drive digital TV participation

Radio Africa group has signed a deal worth Sh300 million with Standard Group that will see KTN acquire a 50 per cent stake in Lancia Digital Broadcasting, the trademark owner of Bamba TV.Radio Africa Group C.E.O Patrick Quarcoo, Joe Mucheru the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology, And Sam Shollei the Standard Group C.E.O

Standard Group will make an added investment of Sh300 million towards attaining this stake in Lancia in the course of two years. The investment is in both equipment and cash.

”Through Bamba TV we will not only continue to offer the very best of KTN but now also, a multiplicity of competitive International and local channels for our viewers across the entire country. We are offering our advertisers increased variety from a channel perspective while ensuring a higher ROI with audiences that are targeted and specific,” said Sam Shollei, Standard Group CEO.

KTN has been in the Kenyan market for 25 years and has over this time shaped conversations of the TV industry. With Bamba TV, KTN seeks to continue with this trend, leveraging on their expertise in content development and understanding of the Kenyan market.

On the other hand, Lancia Digital Broadcasting launched Bamba TV, a free to view service, in December 2014. Bamba is accessible through a one-off purchase of a set top box currently retailing at Sh3,599. Thereafter the programming is free of charge for life. Bamba has already rolled out 13 broadcast sites across the country with 70 percent coverage of Television households. The service carries over 30 local and international channels, the majority of which were previously only available on Pay TV.

“We will be looking to roll out an additional 12 sites while optimising the current 13 sites that we already have in place over the next nine months. This signals the importance of developing partnerships that are underpinned by the resolve to provide solutions for common challenges,” said Patrick Quarcoo, Radio Africa Limited CEO.

The Standard Group and Radio Africa Limited have now become the first local broadcasters to fully embrace digital migration and offer a converged television solution made up of the very best local and international programming.

The partnership will also ensure that new content formats meeting audience needs and bring new viewing habits, all the time seeking to entertain, inform and educate our audiences.

Over the next five years, it is expected that the company will invest up to Sh 1billion in the service subject to regulatory approval.