“Zuku has been very well received in Uganda so far and considering the pipeline of exciting content that we have lined up to offer, we are confident to reach more than one hundred households within twenty four months,” he said during the official launch.
Zuku TV is ramping up Ugandan distribution by boosting the team of resellers with additional agents that will complement the Simba Telecom outlets. “We successfully completed a training module for 150 agents today who will work closely with our partners Simba and installation team to deliver the product to your doorstep and provide after sales support,” he explained.
He explained that Zuku was uniquely positioned in this market as a truly dedicated African service made by Africans for Africa. “For the first time in the history of Uganda’s film and television industry, the local producers and creative writers have a platform to showcase their work not just for audiences in Uganda but across ten eastern African countries,” he noted.
Zuku is also set to put significant investment into local content across Uganda and have already kicked off by screening the popular locally produced drama series, ‘Hostel’ in all it’s territories after acquiring the rights to broadcast it. Viewers will now be able to watch content and from other East African countries.
He added that Zuku had established that the combination of growing middle-class, burgeoning local film industry, a great thirst for quality local & international entertainment and about 14 million TV households made this a highly attractive market for the affordable quality pay TV service.
“Survey statistics place the total national pay television penetration at less than 5% reflecting the market opportunity is therefore huge and the onus is on all of us to work together with the industry to create and produce great local content. Zuku will provide the platform for showcasing it,” added Bell.
He noted that Zuku had addressed the electrification challenge in the region and taken lack of grid electricity into account by bringing into the market decoders that can be run by a simple used car battery. “This demonstrates that we have a product for everyone whichever their geographical location.”
Following the official launch Zuku TV is set to take Uganda by storm, filling a yawning market gap for affordable quality home entertainment that is suitable for everyone.
