by (@nigelrtg)
Econet has major plans for TV. That’s the long and short of what we’ve seen and heard, especially over the past fortnight. Strive Masiyiwa, the company’s founder and chairman announced the upcoming launch of a pay TV service called Kwesé TV.
Now, as part of a promotion for this service, Econet is zero-rating Kwesésport an accompanying sports website that was launched along with the announcement of plans for Kwesé TV
Under this promotion, Econet will be offering free access to all content on this website which includes the Copa Del Rey, a Spanish football tournament. Econet has pointed out that it has secured exclusive rights to Copa Del Rey, meaning that when Kwesé TV does launch sometime next year, it will be the only platform providing access to the tournament.
This is the first form of sporting content that Econet has expressed full rights to for Kwesé TV though it remains to be seen how much of a traffic driver and permanent drawcard this will be against MultiChoice’s Supersport which is Kwesé TV’s real competitor when it comes to sports.
Supersport is part of the DStv lineup and it has made a name as the best-placed sports platform for African viewers, something that has helped it maintain a firm hold on pay TV subscriptions.
Part of its lineup has included Copa Del Rey along with extensive coverage of different other leagues and tournaments that include Barclays Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga.
The free access to Copa Del Rey will get a lot of notice, no doubt. After all, it’s a free access to a soccer tournament with soccer giants like Barcelona and Real Madrid so the fans will always tune in. However, Econet will have to do a lot more than free access to Copa Del Rey to sell Kwesé TV.TECHZIM
