Digital Migration: Consumer Federation warns Kenyans against StarTimes STB decoder

As Digital Migration deadline draws nigh, a number of consumers with Pay TV seem confused on whether they should buy new Set Top Boxes (STBs) or not. Here at Kachwanya we have offered our advice on Available options from Pay TV providers on FTA and as such informed our readers that StarTimes has an offer where consumers willing to watch Free To Air (FTA) channels ought to buy a new StarTimes decoder that will allow viewers watch FTA channels without paying monthly subscriptions. The STB decoder by StarTimes is retailing at Kshs 5,000. This offer has attracted criticism from many consumers, and now Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek) has issued a warning to Kenyans not to buy the decoder in this statement:

YELLOW ALERT: StarTimes Kenya ad asks existing customers to buy a new set at Sh4,999. Only buy at your own risk. They are supposed to replace your existing one or upgrade your current one as it still receives FTA (Free To Air) channels such as KBC. Please read and understand your rights as a consumer under the Consumer Protection Act, 2012

This alert still takes me back to the question I asked about the offers by Pay TV on watching FTA. It is obvious that KBC (and a few other Chinese FTA channels) are always available on Dstv whether one pays for the monthly subscription fees or not. I do understand that all the other FTA channels also give their broadcast feed to Dstv and the other Pay TV providers freely. What barrier, if I may know, exists technologically that cannot let the Pay TV providers allow consumers watch the FTA channels without monthly subscriptions and without requiring them to pay special fees or buy special decoders?

CCK has tried to talk to the Pay TV providers so that the providers can give consumers the FTA channels for free. The talks are what culminated in Multichoice deciding to charge consumers some Kshs 2,600 in order to access FTA channels on Gotv. Similarly, StarTimes has decided to charge consumers Kshs 5000 in disguise that they are offering a new decoder capable of proving FTA without requiring monthly subscription. These to me look like the Pay TV providers are in some kind of scam to reap huge amounts of money from consumers. If there is indeed no technical barrier that prohibits the Pay TV providers from providing the local FTA channels within the current service and equipment setup then I suggest that Cofek and CCK should take the Pay TVs to court and force them to allow consumers on Pay TV receive the FTA channels freely, as they too get them freely.

As such the demand by StarTimes that consumers ought to buy a separate decoder in order to receive FTA channel should be scrapped. Similarly the requirement by Multichoice that Gotv customers ought to pay an additional Kshs 2,600 for FTA channel reception without monthly subscription should equally be scrapped and those consumers who have already paid the fees be refunded.

Cofek and CCK, hope you are listening.

In the meantime here is the list of approved STB vendors:

AS AT SEPTEMBER 2013

FREE TO AIR SET TOP BOXES

Free to air set top boxes (FTA) describes set top boxes (decoders) that do not require subscriptions. Allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the digital signal and view or listen to the content without requiring other ongoing cost or one-off fee.

INTEGRATED TELEVISIONS TV’s

With an inbuilt DVB-T2 tuner thus they don’t require a set top box

PAY TV SET TOP BOXES

Pay TV set top boxes give you access to television content after payment of subscription or a monthly fee