By Irene Nantongo
BUSINESS-Digital Satellite Television service provider Star Times has moved to cut off television channels that it has been hosting in a new policy aimed at charging stations for hosting. For some time, Star Times was hosting television stations free of charge, presumably because they supplied content that it badly needed.
Some channels were performing, while others were not being viewed, forcing Star Times to change strategy. Moreover, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) introduced a new policy where licenses can be obtained by stations that only want to appear on pay television channels. This meant that Star Times, Go-TV, Zuku, Azam and others were in for business.
Officials at Star Times say they will now charge each station, USD 1,200 per month for hosting. Payments are expected to be made three months in advances. In some cases, they might trade the hosting fees with advertisements on the stations, where it is applicable.
Star Times is a Chinese owned pay television service provider, that has a low cost model. It is the provider with the highest subscribers in Uganda, while at the same time it is the platform that charges the lowest fees for subscription.
