Zhai Xiufeng, Institute of National and Regional Studies, Capital Normal University
Wang Weijia, School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University
In recent years, the "Belt and Road" initiative led by Chinese enterprises to "go global" has become a trend, forming a number of new multinational enterprises with the world as the layout and the southern countries as the focus. What are the new characteristics of these Chinese companies?What do they bring to the countries of the South in their foreign cooperation?
This paper analyzes the African action of "StarTimes", a Chinese media company, and argues that in the context of the "Belt and Road" initiative and the steady progress of China-Africa cooperation, this company has successfully established a cross-network, cross-country, and cross-continent digital TV network transmission platform through continuous layout, and built a full-scale communication system in the pan-African region.
The article points out that StarTimes relies on projects such as "Digital TV Overall Conversion" and "Ten Thousand Villages" to transmit all kinds of program signals from all over the world to satellites in orbit, and then send them to the set-top boxes and TVs of ordinary people in Africa through digital satellite live broadcast and terrestrial digital TV transmission. This full-scale communication system that can "go to heaven and earth" has promoted the remarkable transformation of Africa's ** ecology with low ratings and a communication network spanning dozens of countries in Africa, and has also become a distinctive achievement in the implementation of China's "Belt and Road" initiative.
The author believes that the construction of Africa's digital economy and communication network is an important entry point for countries to develop their relations with Africa, which is of great geopolitical significance, and that in the future, Chinese communication infrastructure enterprises, Chinese operators, content service providers and Internet platforms should accelerate the layout and cooperation in the African market and contribute Chinese solutions to the digitalization process in Africa.
This article was originally published in the 6th issue of Culture in 2023, and was originally titled "China's Plan for the Popularization of Digital TV in Africa - The Road to Africa in the Landmark Era", which only represents the author's views for readers' reference.
China's plan for digital TV popularization in Africa
——The African Road in the Stada Era
Where can the Belt and Road Initiative take us?
After a long drive from the centre of Kampala, Uganda's capital, on a rugged and potholed loess road, we came to the village of Wakaliga on the outskirts of the city. The journey of more than ten kilometers took more than an hour, which completely changed our common sense about "distance".There are too many prerequisites for ordinary people to benefit from the ease of communication (transportation) technology. In the classrooms of the village primary school, children are using satellite TV equipment and a brand-new projection system**Local News. Entering the recess, the teacher switched the channel, and the screen was ** Stephen Chow's kung fu movie dubbed in Swahili, and bursts of jubilant laughter and applause rang out in the classroom.
Kibera, a slum in the heart of Kenya's city, is said to be home to millions of people. We cautiously walked through the mud-strewn, sewage-ridden path into a small courtyard surrounded by seven or eight houses. Local technicians hired by the Chinese company climbed onto the roof of a house, expertly operated the tools and installed the satellite receiving equipment. The "10,000 Villages" project, supported by "South-South Cooperation**", allows digital TV to be connected to ordinary people's homes at a low cost.
In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's state television, there are only a few rows of low-rise buildings in the courtyard where a high-signal tower erected by a Chinese company is erected, and the only OB truck in the station is parked on the sandy road with the words "China Aid" written on it. In the slightly cramped studio, the director of the station stood in front of the colorful backboard and introduced to us: the joint venture and cooperation with Chinese enterprises have gradually realized the digital transformation of the TV station from production and broadcasting to transmission, and also realized the long-cherished wish of spreading the country's voice to Tanzania's towns and villages through free channels.
In the construction of television networks in many African countries, it is a private enterprise called "StarTimes" in Yizhuang, Beijing. They started with China's digital TV transformation project, and after the "African World War" and the global financial crisis, they set their sights on the African TV market, and with projects such as "Digital TV Overall Conversion" and "Ten Thousand Villages", they transmitted all kinds of program signals from all over the world to satellites in orbit, and then sent them to the set-top boxes and TVs of the African civilian public through digital satellite live broadcast (DTH) or terrestrial digital television transmission (DTT). From infrastructure to content services, its low ratings** and transmission and marketing networks spanning dozens of countries in Africa have promoted the remarkable transformation of Africa's ** ecology, and have also become a distinctive achievement in the implementation of China's "Belt and Road" initiative.
In 2017, 2018 and 2023, the author led a research team to four East African countries (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda) to investigate the development of **, during which they interviewed the ministers of information and communication and national television stations in these countries, and went deep into the suburbs and villages far away from the central cities, and conducted in-depth interviews and group discussions with dozens of TV users, village heads, primary school principals, teachers, etc. I hope to understand thisThe impact of the actions of Chinese information and communication companies in Africa. This is a comprehensive phenomenon involving a wide range of issues, such as information dissemination, non-governmental benefits, the development of Africa's digital economy, the information autonomy of the host countries, and China's foreign cultural influence.
The Dilemma of Inclusive Capacity: A Prerequisite for China-Africa Television Cooperation
For people in most African countries, media consumption is still a basic and scarce resource. Due to the lack of significant funding to build national communication systems, how to ensure people's right to communication has become a significant dilemma for African countries. From the national radio and television transmission network to digital infrastructure, from the operation of the communication system to the ...... of content productionIn the context of the development of digital communication, African countries have been facing difficulties in their basic communication capabilities.
First of all,The reality of low electricity penetration in Africa has left the communication industry with no basis for operation and the possibility of developing users. According to the World Bank (2021), 24 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have less than 50% access to electricity, with South Sudan having access to only 77%。Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda are in the middle of Africa, but their electricity penetration rates are only 43 to 49 percent. Even in South Africa, where electricity is abundant**, or Kenya (76%), where penetration is high, power outages are commonplace. Since large-scale transmission infrastructure (e.g., launch pads, uplink stations) requires sufficient and stable power supply, this means that the construction of these facilities in Africa also requires sufficient additional power generation equipment, and the construction cost increases significantly.
Secondly,Most African countries have not yet established a national radio and television transmission network, nor are they in a position to complete the International Telecommunication Union（itu）Initiative of the overall conversion project of digital television(hereinafter referred to as "rectification").Compared with analog signals, digital signals have the characteristics of clear and reliable, strong transmission power, spectrum saving, good versatility, and direct service to the development of the digital economy. Digital transformation will radically improve the efficiency of radio frequencies, freeing up valuable frequencies that can be used directly for network broadband and mobile data transmission. ITU initially asked the signatories to complete the transformation by June 2015, and most African countries have also made the digitalization of radio and television a key social development goal. However,Rectification not only involves the construction of a huge transmission network, but also requires long-term operation and maintenance capabilities. In Uganda, for example, in March 2015, Uganda built 18 launch pads across the country, with a total investment of US$35 million. After its completion, the country had to open a tender in October of that year to find a partner who could finance the construction of additional launch pads (10) and operate the transmission network, because the national station did not have the financial and operational capacity. Taking into account the practical difficulties of achieving consolidation in African countries, ITU has since extended the consolidation deadline until June 2020. However, according to the African Union, only 16 of the 55 AU member states have the capacity to rectify. But the process of consolidation in these countries is also quite difficult. Among them, South Africa, which has one of the highest levels of media development in Africa, has started a transformation since more than 10 years ago, but the original target of 3.5 million households still has not completed the digital transformation. In view of this, the International Telecommunication Union's newly released International Telecommunication Union Regional Initiative for Africa 2023-2025 still lists digital transformation as the primary goal of Africa's regional development.
Corresponding to the limited national communication infrastructure, is:Serious constraints on the production capacity of official content in African countries。At the time of my research, the national television stations in Tanzania and Uganda each had only one obsolete telephon van, which came from external donations in the early years. The news production and film and television production capacity of these official television organizations is very low, and they cannot even meet the needs of daily and first-time broadcasting, and can only broadcast a large number of content from neighboring countries. The output value and talent situation of the media industry are also stretched, with the monthly salary of local film and television actors hovering at US$300,400. In the absence of a national radio and television transmission network, the only programmes available on these national television stations can only cover the capital and its suburbs, and rural areas are almost entirely excluded from the country's transmission capacity. Although these countries have more developed privatized media groups, these media capitals are not willing to take on the desired public service role. It can be said that national basic communication capacity building and the connectivity and availability of communication equipment have become an urgent and fundamental task for communication capacity building in Africa.
This situation also provides an important perspective for China's international communication. Since the 2008 Olympic Games, China's mainstream of foreign propaganda has actively increased its presence and personnel abroad, produced a large number of content based on international lingua franca such as English and French, and made many responses and rebuttals to China-related reports and discourses in the mainstream of the West. However, the international dissemination of these contents has encountered two significant practical dilemmas. On the one hand,In developed countries in Europe and the United States, the communication channels and discourse initiative are completely controlled by the mainstream of the West and foreign Internet giants"Made in China" content lacks both transmission channels and discursive competitiveness in the "home field" of the West. Some attempts to enter the Western market through media investment and financing often end in vain due to the strict supervision of the media industry in Europe and the United States and the "phobia of Chinese capital" in the local market. On the other hand,In the Belt and Road countries, including African countries, the content exchanges between China's mainstream and local officials are often limited to the official level, lacking the breadth of people-to-people bonds, and the long-term sustainability of project-based exchanges. The more developed privatization** in African countries (such as Kenya, South Africa, etc.) is usually closely related to international media capital such as the United Kingdom, France, and the United States. In Africa, not only is there limited space for the dissemination of "Chinese stories", but Chinese media companies are also regarded by local media groups as a predator who wants to carve up the African market. This is in stark contrast to China's extensive physical infrastructure investment across Africa.
This is clearly reflected in the fact that both China's international communication and the local communication in African countries have difficulty solving the problem of a universal reach rateThe uneven development of the global transmission system. From live broadcast satellites to transmission networks, from the radio and television industry to digital platforms, from news and publicity to film and television consumption ......African countries need a "full communication system" that is inclusive of all people. From China's point of view, it is not a problem to carry out the construction and operation of digital TV transmission projects in African countries at a relatively low cost, and the demand for international communication is very strong. On these premises,There is huge room for China-Africa digital TV cooperationChinese enterprises have also made bold attempts in this regard, and have preliminarily verified the localization value of the whole communication system.
Build a full communication system for pan-African digital television
Around 2008, StarTimes, a private enterprise located in Beijing, began to enter the TV market of African countries on a large scale. Africa is sparsely populated, has a low network access rate, and has a high cost of cable television. As such, the company positions its main business in:Digital terrestrial television transmission(dtt) andDigital Satellite Live（dth）。The former relies on the ground transmitter to work, which can effectively cover the surrounding signals, the investment is relatively small, and the user viewing fee is relatively lowThe latter has a large coverage and transmission capacity, which is suitable for the practical needs of large-scale communication in Pan-Africa, and the user viewing fee is relatively high. The ground-air cooperation between the two can ensure the overall coverage of radio and television signals.
After years of continuous investment and communication infrastructure construction, and relying on the China-Africa policy opportunities provided by the China-Africa ** and Liangyou loans, StarTimes has been able to establish a set of full-scale communication systems in sub-Saharan Africa to serve the development of all countries.
On the one hand, at the level of communication infrastructure, the construction of facilities for live broadcast satellites, program relays, and terrestrial digital television transmission has been realized. Among them,The live satellite platform can cover 45 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, about 9With a population of 300 million, the terrestrial digital TV platform covers about 300 million people in major cities. In order to ensure satellite transmission, the company relies on 16 earth satellite uplink stations around the world to upload programs translated from Beijing and local channel programs gathered by program centers in African countries to satellites. To ensure terrestrial coverage and user access, the company has built more than 300 terrestrial launch pads in Africa. Among them, the company's 23 ground launch pads in Kenya cover 90% of the country's population;More than $40 million has been invested in the 10 launch pads in Uganda, covering 60% of the country's population. To overcome the power supply problem, each transmitter is equipped with 1 2 generators (e.g. Nigeria is a major production and transmission site in Africa, but parts of the country have no electricity 24 hours a day), and the machine room is processed domestically and transported to local containers.
On the other hand, there is the transmission of television programs and the construction of network platforms. Based on the above system,Chinese companies have launched digital TV operations in 21 African countries and have become major content providers in the pan-African region. Through the purchase of international channels, self-built channels and transmission of local channels, its content transmission platform has nearly 700 channels of program content in 11 languages (such as English, French, Portuguese, Swahili, Hausa, Ebbor, Yoruba, Chinese, etc.), and has built its own platform APP. The company has 44 million digital TV subscribers and mobile Internet users, and has more than 15 million international social media fans. Based on this, the company has become the only operator in Africa that has four major platforms: program relay platform, terrestrial TV platform, live satellite platform and Internet ** service, and is the only platform that supports the development of digital TV services in the three major language regions of Africa, including English, French and Portuguese.
In the process of successively building this full-scale communication system, its benefits to African countries in communication capacity building and digital economy development have gradually become prominentIt will gradually help African countries in communication infrastructure, radio and television upgrading, digital transformation, cultural inclusion, education popularization, talent pool and many other aspects.
First, the communication infrastructure projects of Chinese enterprises are closely integrated with the needs of African countries to carry out digital transformation. With StarTimes' participation, Tanzania is the first country in Africa to complete digital consolidation. Before the rectification, the local TV station could only consider building its own expensive transmission tower to achieve digital transmission. After the rectification, the local channel in Tanzania only needs to pass the radio and television transmission network and signal transmission platform built by StarTimes locally to spread its own programs to users. As a result, the cost savings can be used to increase content production capacity and develop media talent. For this, the company received the "Digital Consolidation Contribution Award" from Tanzania**. Now, the spectrum dividends after the rectification is completed have begun to be gradually released, and the vacated frequency bands can be used by telecom operators through auctions and other means, directly serving the development of the digital economy. Based on this, the capital-intensive and technology-intensive emerging media market and digital industry will be able to establish and emerge. In order to achieve rectification, African countries have introduced a series of preferential policies, such as the establishment of special institutions, the provision of digital set-top box procurement subsidies for poor families, etc. Today, StarTimes has assisted Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda and other countries** to complete digital transformation, and has signed digital rectification contracts or reached cooperation intentions with 21 African countries such as Nigeria and Benin.
Second, Chinese companies have entered the market with preferential and low-cost products, breaking the existing market pattern of African digital TV, and helping to protect the cultural rights of African people by spreading inclusiveness. For a long time, the digital TV market in Africa was dominated by a handful of TV operators: Canal+ (a French company), Multichoice (a South African company with DSTV and GOTV), Zuku (a US company owned by Liberty Global), AZAM (Tanzanian Bacresa Group, mainly for East Africa), etc. These companies only focus on high-end users with outstanding spending power, and mainly provide high-cost DTH services. The total subscriber scale of several operators in sub-Saharan Africa has remained at about 10 million all year round, and digital TV is only a luxury consumption of a few wealthy people, and the degree of market development is at a low level.
In 2008, StarTimes began to provide low-cost DTT services, and in 2014, it began to provide DTH services. In 2015, the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) proposed the "10,000 Villages" project. The project aims to connect 10,000 villages in African countries to satellite digital TV signals, and StarTimes has become the implementation party of the project. This project provides a direct policy opportunity for this Chinese private enterprise to enter the radio and television industry in various countries. As of December 2022, the "10,000 Villages Connect" has been successfully completed in 21 African countries, covering 9,512 villages in Africa, directly benefiting more than 190,000 families and nearly 10 million people.
Before Chinese companies entered, East African users had to spend more than $200 on terminal equipment such as set-top boxes to watch digital TV, and they also had to pay about $47 a month for the lowest-end basic program package(Zuku, Canal+, DSTV premium packages up to nearly $200). For example, in a relatively affluent, trade-dder village on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya's capital, a monthly household income is 55,000 Kenyan shillings (about US$366). The set-top box provided by StarTimes is only $20, and the minimum viewing fee is $3 per month. In 2018, StarTimes developed 1.3 million users in Uganda, with a market share of more than 70%. Katherine Getao, secretary of Kenya's Ministry of Information, Technology and Communications, said that China's media infrastructure covers places that cannot be covered by its own country, and European and American countries are reluctant to invest. Under the competitive pressure of Chinese companies, Multichoice Group, which originally only provided high-cost DTH services, was forced to set up a DTT project in 2013 to compete with Star's terrestrial TV users. Kenya has completed the rectification and has given rise to a large number of new digital TV users, and in order to seize the short window of selling set-top boxes to these users, competitors do not hesitate to adopt the business strategy of buying StarTimes set-top boxes and destroying them, which shows the impact of Chinese companies on the market structure.
Third, the pan-African transmission network of Chinese enterprises provides program transmission services for local channels, helping countries build communication capacity, build social identity and produce media content. Due to the lack of communication infrastructure, national stations in African countries have long been able to transmit programmes in only a few urban areas. China's "10,000 Villages" and StarTimes' participation have changed that. There are a total of 20 public free programming channels provided by Uganda's "Ten Thousand Villages", of which 10 local channels cover Uganda national news channels, local religious channels, local entertainment channels, as well as international children's channels, some Chinese channels (such as CGTN, CCTV-4), and film channels and sports channels that are purchased and translated into local languages by Star. In addition, the local premium channels included in StarTimes' transmission platform have long occupied the top of the ratings list, such as Citizen TV in Kenya, Sanyuka TV in Uganda, Mambo TV in Tanzania, Channels TV and Wakaati TV in Nigeria. These local channels can help develop public television services, cultivate local culture and enhance national identity.
In addition to transmission services, Chinese companies also directly support the content production of the local radio and television industry through joint ventures and joint entertainment programs. For example, in Nigeria, StarTimes finances the purchase of local programs for the Orison channel, which is responsible for planning, arranging and broadcasting, and sharing the share of advertising revenue. Another example is the program broadcast by Uganda's local channel, Sanyuka TV, which is composed of local programs and Chinese film and television dramas translated and dubbed by StarTimes. It is worth mentioning that due to the large number of local languages in Africa, the audience's English and French proficiency is limited, especially the local language, and a lot of translation work has been carried out by StarTimes. Today, the company has 32 translation booths that can accommodate 200 people, with an annual production capacity of 10,000 hours of program translation.
Fourth, the popularization of digital television has directly promoted the inclusion of rural education in more than 20 African countries, and other programs provided by Chinese companies have further enriched the cultural life of African people. On the one hand, the popularization of television is conducive to improving the cultural literacy of the local people and improving the level of information access and education of the whole societyOn the other hand, it is direct support for children's education. In addition to household equipment, the "10,000 Villages" project also deploys first-class equipment in public places in various villagesOne of the most common locations is primary schools. A family of Kenyan traders who sell home textiles for a living, who could only watch one local national TV program before the installation of the "Wan Cun Tong" device, was able to watch 37 programs provided by the free program package, and his family gathered the children in the neighborhood every night. Farmers surveyed in Uganda want to show their children more ** programs and educational programs, while they hope to learn about agricultural information such as rice planting and farming skills, and they are willing to subscribe to more paid programs for their children.
Fifth, the Pan-African Communication System has cultivated a large number of media professionals and improved the living conditions of local employees. In order to ensure the system's all-round and daily operation needs for facility maintenance, media and public relations, content operation, film and television translation, business outlets, customer service centers, and door-to-door after-sales maintenance, Chinese enterprises have carried out a large number of technical trainings. StarTimes has more than 5,000 local employees in more than 20 operating countries, and the local supervisors are mainly locals. For example, the Ugandan branch has a total of 309 employees, of which 297 are in Uganda, and 25% of the employees are women. The Kenya branch has a total of 700 employees, of which 97% are local employees, and all middle management are local employees. Although the sheer number of these employees is not outstanding compared to large infrastructure projects, butThe importance of the growth of these professionals to the local media industry cannot be overlooked. These practitioners with media management and content production capabilities will be important reserve talents for the African radio and television industry and the future digital industry.
Sixth, a cross-border digital television infrastructure network is in line with the AU's expectations for pan-African cooperation, and also provides the possibility of interconnection for African countries. StarTimes' Beijing headquarters has hosted dozens of African heads of state, and the company's 2018 "African Digital TV Development Forum" was attended by radio and television leaders from 49 countries in Africa and Asia. With the continuous expansion of digital TV coverage and user scale, the network effect, scale effect and regional development value of digital TV network will gradually become prominentAs the use of mobile devices and internet penetration in Africa continues to increase, the digital TV industry and Internet information services will further converge.
How can China-Africa cooperation in the communication industry be stable and far-reaching?
In the context of the Belt and Road Initiative and the steady progress of China-Africa cooperation, Chinese media enterprises have established a cross-network, cross-country and cross-continent digital TV network transmission platform through continuous layout, and built a full-scale communication system in the pan-African region. This practice has been affirmed by the local **department**. According to an interviewee** from Kenya, "World Bank loans are often based on their understanding of 'development', and the World Bank has been more material-oriented in its past experienceSouth-South cooperation** has brought about a shift in the importance of spiritual needs”。She also said that "one of the strengths of Chinese companies is that they are in business, without political strings attached, and they are good at solving problems through communication and negotiation." It can be seen that only by practicing the main line of connectivity, truly facing the actual needs of Africa, and effectively serving the local people's livelihood and well-being, can the communication practice of China and Africa be sincerely recognized.
Of course, the construction process of this whole communication system is not perfect, nor is it all smooth sailing: many African countries have not yet completed the digital transformation, the implementation of communication projects has encountered many practical difficulties, the infrastructure needs to be more in-depth people-to-people cooperation, and China's participation in the African information industry is still quite limited......If China-Africa cooperation in the communication industry is to be stable and far-reaching, it needs to start again on the basis of careful review.
First of all, it is necessary to pay more attention to the subjectivity and practical needs of African countries. In the survey, the interviewed **departments** in many countries expressed a common idea. They expect China's investment in the local communication industry to be integrated with China's Vision 2030 and Vision 2040, and China's local projects should not be just one-time assistance, but can be mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation to promote the development of local industries. This kind of long-term exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation is also what Chinese companies want. In the future, Chinese media companies should fully and deeply understand the actual needs of African countries, and promote investment deployment on the premise of respecting the subjectivity of each country, which will help form more in-depth and lasting cooperation.
Secondly, relevant departments should pay attention to the dynamic tracking and problem response support of overseas Chinese-funded enterprises. Overseas projects of Chinese enterprises are not only commercial projects, but also have significant diplomatic overtones, especially those established through the Belt and Road Cooperation Summit Forum and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. The signing of bilateral agreements and the completion of the exchange of letters were only the first steps in the implementation of the project. If it is difficult to move forward in the future, it will not only directly lead to the stranding of the project and economic losses, but also damage the overseas reputation of Chinese enterprises and the image of China.
Thirdly, we should optimize the allocation mechanism of international communication resources and policies, and give full play to the unique value of private media enterprises in people-to-people bonds. On the one hand, compared with China's official government, private enterprises have the advantages of weakened political color and less local policy restrictions in international cooperation. On the other hand, there are significant differences in the business types of different international communication entities, and it is necessary to provide targeted policy support by category.
The construction of digital economy and communication network in Africa is an important entry point for countries to develop their relations with Africa, so it has significant geopolitical importance. In late 2022, Biden-Harris** released the New Initiative for Africa's Digital Transformation based on the U.S. Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa. Under the initiative, the United States will invest in Africa's digital industry through more than 10 departments, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM)3More than $500 million and assisted in financing more than 4US$500 million for digital infrastructure, human capital development, and digital empowerment. In recent years, with the surge in mobile phone users, web services and mobile payments have grown rapidly in Africa. StarTimes currently cooperates with 20 operators in Africa, mainly private capital operators in Europe, the United States or India represented by Safricom, Airtell, and Africell. Although China Mobile International has tested its business in Africa since 2015, only about 20 of its 230 overseas network service access points (POPs) are located in Africa, and they are mainly concentrated in a few countries such as South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, with relatively limited coverage and no market competitiveness to compete with other operators. In the future, it will meet the urgent needs of the African Union and African countries for digital transformationChinese communication infrastructure enterprises, Chinese operators, content service providers and Internet platforms should accelerate their layout and cooperation in the African marketActively contribute China's strength and solutions to Africa's digitalization process.
This article was originally published in the 6th issue of "Cultural Perspective" in 2023For the "Chinese Plan for the Popularization of Digital TV in Africa - The Road to Africa in the Silda Era".The article represents the author's views only and is for readers' reference. Welcome to share**, please contact us***