Raheem Akingbolu writes on how the introduction of mobile applications is changing the affluence of both Pay TV operators and subscribers, using ‘DStv Now’ as a case study
Apps have come to stay. Since the first Mobile Application Service, ‘Apps’, were launched in 1993 by the Apple Newton team, the service has undergone an evolution that has completely changed the way we live and interact with our mobile devices.
With the current fast-paced business and social landscape, apps are playing key roles in delivering efficiency. The app revolution has expanded and basically taken over and reshaped the way we carry out different activities. Apps have become a part of the mobile lexicon and can be used for practically everything. In the financial sector, for instance, customers are encouraged to conduct their financial transactions through mobile apps thereby making it much more seamless and reducing the interface with the human element. So regardless of whether it is a work day, weekend or a public holiday, customers can always access their accounts for cash and pay their bills whenever, wherever.
What app does
Through apps, multitasking is made possible and no one suffers for the other. There are apps for every aspect of life: school, social life, marketing and sales, entertainment, fashion and style, religion, advertising, games, the weather and even dating. They all serve to make peoples’ lives easier and work more convenient. This is why businesses are taking new directions with the use of apps to provide more value for their customers and at no extra cost. It is also why a working mum can shop for groceries with her app and also catch up on her favourite Telemundo series even while at work.
MultiChoice example
For a company like MultiChoice, Nigeria’s leading entertainment and video company, the customer is central to the business and providing world-class services is a critical ingredient of its proposition. Making use of modern technology is one of the ways by which this is achieved. For a company that prides itself as a leader in innovative services, the recently revamped mobile application, DStv Now further affirms this. The app offers lots of excitement and entertainment to customers on the go while also providing users the opportunity to catch up with their favourite programmes, regardless of the time and place. For DStv subscribers, the DStv Now app puts customers in charge and gives them control of their time.
Having DStv Now means customers are assured of never missing that important programme regardless of when it aired, thanks to the availability of the Catch Up service, which was hitherto available only on the decoders. As the name implies, this unique feature allows customers catch up on their favourite programmes even after the programme must have aired. When enabled, DStv Catch Up stacks favourite programmes; and as far as the subscription is still active, customers are able to watch those programmes at a convenient time or binge-watch an entire episode of their favourite movie series.
Recently, the company introduced this service to DStv Compact Plus and Compact subscribers at no additional cost. Previously it was only available to customers with an active PVR decoder and subscription however, it is now available to all Premium, Compact and Compact Plus customers irrespective of their decoder type.
In a statement from the company: the live TV and DStv Catch Up content on DStv Now will be tailor-made as per the subscriber’s package. DStv Compact Plus customers will have access to over 40 channels on the go, while DStv Compact customers will get over 30 channels. This includes live streaming of package-specific SuperSport channels, and access to their favourite movie and entertainment channels, documentaries and lifestyle channels, music plus a host of kid specific channels to keep the little ones busy.
DStv Now to the rescue
With the start of the English Premier League, which took off over the weekend, DStv Now is one service that is a must-have for customers who do not wish to miss out on any of the live action. In addition to the Premier League, customers can enjoy the different football offering on SuperSport, including the La Liga, Champions league, German Cup, Copa Del Rey, Carabao Cup (formerly called EFL Cup), English FA Cup and soon, the newly acquired World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and its flagship shows Raw® and SmackDown® as well as WWE specials, including WrestleMania® and SummerSlam®.
DStv Now ensures that businesses do not have to suffer while customers indulge in their passion. All the match excitement can be followed on mobile devices even while at work or in transit. SuperSport currently has the rights to broadcast the all EPL matches until June 2018 and all matches can be followed live on DStv Now or the Catch Up service.
For MultiChoice Nigeria’s General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Martin Mabutho, the DStv Now app is an entertainment service tailor-made for DStv customers. It is positioned to give the best live TV and Catch Up content anytime and anywhere and at no extra cost. Once the decoder is active, subscribers can enjoy same quality entertainment on the go.
“As trailblazers, we have deployed DStv Now, an app that allows our subscribers watch their favourite matches anywhere and anytime on their laptops, mobile phones and tablets. Subscribers are in for a bumper soccer season with SuperSport showcasing the world’s most exciting football leagues as Europe’s best players go to battle across the continent. In addition, SuperSport will showcase all 380 live and in HD international matches from the English Premiership and Spanish La Liga, which will also be available on the Family bouquet, not forgetting wrestling and a host of other football games,†enthused Mabutho.
Because MultiChoice is a company that upholds ethics and encourages family values, the app also comes with an added security of four-digit PIN (Personal Identification Number), thereby putting control in the hands of parents and guardians. This is to ensure that children are unable to view anything outside the kids section.
What’s more, the DStv Now app can be accessed on up to four mobile devices from the same account. So, even when you are on a road trip, you can stream a movie, or watch a live football match while the kids watch cartoons.
Setting up the app is very easy. Visit the DStv website to register and obtain a connect ID after which you download the app. The app can be accessed from the Google Play on your Android or App store on iOS mobile devices after which the registration is completed with your smartcard number and connect ID. The service is currently available only to Premium, Compact Plus and Compact bouquet subscribers for free. Entertainment will never be the same with DStv Now.
