China’s mission to win African hearts with satellite TV

As African leaders convene in Beijing this week for the triennial China-Africa summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping may have something to brag about: satellite television.
Almost nine years ago, President Xi told the heads of state attending the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Johannesburg that China will offer digital TV coverage to over 10,000 isolated communities across 23 African nations.
The project is approaching completion, with satellite infrastructure installed in over 9,600 settlements.
The ambitious offer, made at a moment of warm China-Africa ties and supported by China’s assistance budget, was given to StarTimes, a private Chinese firm that already has operations in numerous African countries.

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It was a clear demonstration of goodwill, as well as a chance for China to exercise its soft power in a strategically crucial region.
PODCAST: Why does China provide satellite TV to 10,000 African villages?
As China’s economy suffers and Beijing rethinks its Africa policy, the BBC World Service visited four Kenyan communities to see if this “soft power” effort had been successful.
Nicholas Nguku gathered his friends and family in Olasiti, roughly three hours west of Nairobi, to watch Kenyan sportsmen compete in the Paris Olympics on television.

“I’m very happy to see the Olympics, which for many years we had not been able to see before we got StarTimes,” he said, speaking of the company’s installation of satellite dishes about four years ago.

He is not the only one who benefits from StarTimes’ presence in Africa. StarTimes, which first launched on the continent in 2008, is currently one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest private digital TV providers, with over 16 million members.
Analysts believe that low price originally helped to cement its grip.

Monthly digital TV bundles in Kenya cost between 329 shillings ($2.50; £2) and 1,799 shillings ($14; £10.50).

In instance, a monthly DStv bundle from MultiChoice, another key competitor in the African digital TV market, ranges between 700 and 10,500 shillings.

While subscriptions contribute to StarTimes’ basic earnings, the “10,000 Villages Project” is sponsored by China’s state-run South-South Assistance Fund.
The satellite dishes all have the StarTimes brand, the Kenyan Ministry of Information badge, and the red “China Aid” logo. During the installation of these dishes, StarTimes personnel claimed that they were a “gift” from China, according to numerous residents.

According to Dr Angela Lewis, a scholar who has written extensively about StarTimes in Africa, the initiative has the potential to create a good image of China among African viewers.
Villagers involved in the experiment purportedly received everything for free, including equipment such as a satellite dish, battery, and installation, as well as a subscription to StarTimes content.
According to Dr. Lewis, this was a “game-changer,” as isolated African settlements had previously only had access to choppy and unreliable analogue TV.

Many communities had never had access to satellite dishes before, and it changed the way they connected with the outside world, she added.
Subscriptions for community centers such as clinics and schools in Ainomoi village, western Kenya, remain free.
Patients at the local clinic may pass the time by watching a digital TV in the waiting area. Students at an elementary school like watching cartoons after school.
“After we finish schoolwork, we’ll all watch cartoons together and it’s a very enjoyable and bonding experience,” said Ruth Chelang’at, an eighth-grade student at the school.
However, some Kenyan homes polled by the BBC said the free trial was shockingly short.

Despite its low cost, many people viewed subscription extensions as a considerable financial hardship.
As a result, some of the project’s beneficiaries’ early excitement has faded, undermining China’s efforts to create goodwill.
“We were all very happy when we first got the satellite dish, but it was only free for a few months, after which we had to pay,” said Rose Chepkemoi of Chemori village in Kericho county. “It was too much so we stopped using it.”

According to people who no longer subscribe to StarTimes bundles, the only free-to-air channels accessible are the Kenyan Broadcasting Cooperation.
During the BBC’s visit to four separate villages that received StarTimes dishes between 2018 and 2020, several locals reported discontinuing their use of StarTimes when the free trial period ended. The leader of Ainamoi village stated that many of the original 25 houses that received satellite dishes in his hamlet chose not to subscribe.
The BBC contacted StarTimes for comment on the free trials, but received no response.
China’s influence extends to the material carried on StarTimes networks, yielding varied outcomes. Even the lowest bundles contain channels like Kung Fu and Sino Drama, which mostly feature Chinese movie series.

Ma Shaoyong, StarTimes’ head of public relations, informed local media that over 1,000 Chinese movies and TV episodes will be translated into local languages by 2023. In Kenya, in 2014, the business established ST Swahili, a channel dedicated to Swahili content.
Many villagers who have seen Chinese shows have complained that the programming is outdated, depicting Chinese characters in a one-dimensional manner, and that the shows frequently revolve on stereotyped themes.
A brief look through the database reveals a variety of dating or romance-themed shows, including the famous reality show Hello, Mr. Right, in which contestants search for their ideal partner. The premise was based on a similar show in China called If You Are the One.

For some, that material is an incentive to keep the membership. Ariana Nation Ngotiek, a 21-year-old from Olasiti village, is “obsessed” with particular shows, such as the Chinese drama Eternal Love, which has been translated into English. “I won’t go to sleep without watching it,” she told me.

Football is the real crowd-puller

However, football continues to be the most popular draw among African viewers. According to the Confederation of African Football, the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) had a record-breaking worldwide viewership of around two billion in 2023.
StarTimes, aware of this financial possibility, has made significant investments in acquiring broadcasting rights for football events such as Afcon, La Liga in Spain, and the Bundesliga in Germany.
“Sports broadcasting is where StarTimes made its name,” stated Dr Lewis.
However, competition is stiff, with SuperSport, a subsidiary of MultiChoice, allegedly paying more than $200 million (£152 million) each year for broadcast rights to the coveted English Premier League.

After French football superstar Kylian Mbappé announced his decision to join Spain’s Real Madrid, StarTimes took the chance and constructed massive billboards throughout Nairobi that stated “Feel the full thrill of La Liga,” followed by the company logo.
However, this is not suitable for everyone.
One football fan told the BBC that he would “rather enjoy the thrill of the Premier League.”
“The majority of Kenyans are not interested in La Liga; the English Premier League attracts the audience,” observed Levi Obonyo, a lecturer at Nairobi’s Daystar University.

While China’s international-facing official broadcaster, CGTN, is included in the lowest subscription, it does not attract viewers like the BBC and CNN.
“Yes, we have Chinese news, but I don’t watch it,” said Lily Ruto, a retired teacher from Kericho County. “What is it called again?” C something N? “T something N?” she chuckled, shrugging her shoulders.
Dr Dani Madrid-Morales, a lecturer at the University of Sheffield, agrees that StarTimes has not transformed the [African] news landscape.
Most locals say they prefer local news stations. StarTimes understands this. In reality, according to a corporate spokeswoman, it wants to promote itself as prioritizing African voices by employing over 95% of its 5,000 African employees locally.

According to one adviser to Chinese media businesses in Africa, StarTimes is attempting to prevent a replay of what happened to TikTok and Huawei, both of which have faced intense scrutiny in the West due to their overt Chinese identity.
Dr. Lewis’ analysis of news items from 2015 to 2019 supports this, finding that the majority of StarTimes-related pieces made no mention of China or China-Africa ties. The corporation appears to be careful not to overemphasize its Chinese heritage.

From talk of the town to a footnote

StarTimes has seen significant success as a private firm over the years, and the “10,000 Villages Project” has catapulted the corporation to new heights of popularity.
However, as Beijing hosts another FOCAC, the image-building effect that China had hoped for has not materialized.
“There was an attempt for the government to rebalance the information flow that would put China under a positive light, but that has not materialised,” said Dr. Madrid-Morales. “The amount of money that has gone into this hasn’t really benefitted the Chinese government all that much.”

The BBC spoke with several locals who were largely worried about content and expenses. The project, which was once the talk of the town, appears to have been reduced to a footnote in China’s soft-power effort.
“Yes, we know it’s from China, but it doesn’t matter if no one uses it,” said Ms Chepkemoi, who has terminated her StarTimes membership.