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StarSat is a digital TV provider about to celebrate ten years in the business after taking the helm from TopTV in 2013. John Yan has been the CEO of StarSat for the better part of the last decade. In this interview, he talks about company projects and prospects, plus a few announcements of content coming soon.
JAN HENDRIK HARMSE: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you end up being the CEO of StarSat?
JOHN YAN: I was born in Hubei, China, and started working for StarTimes in 2012 as a Marketing Manager. I soon became the CEO of the Ugandan branch of StarTimes, where we more than tripled subscriber numbers in under two years. I jumped at the opportunity to become CEO of StarSat in 2016 and move to South Africa permanently.
JAN: Speaking of SA, what attracted you to the country?
JOHN: The people. South Africa is such a diverse country. Very few places come close to the sheer variety of cultures, cuisines, mindsets, and perspectives. Despite these differences, most South Africans are jovial and want the best for their country. I knew they would teach me a lot, and they have not disappointed. Together with my South African colleagues, we’ve taken on the daunting yet exciting challenge of stabilizing StarSat operations by implementing a range of growth strategies in the face of rampant competition and digital transformation.
JAN: In a recent press article, StarSat declared they are “on track to return to profitability”. That must have been quite the challenge.
JOHN: It was and still is. StarSat has faced many challenges and achieved many successes, which we’re very proud of. South Africa’s ICT regulations have never been very fair. Pair this with load-shedding, disruptive practices by streaming giants, and the unpredictable rise in inflation; we have always had our work cut out for us. Luckily, we have a few things going for us, like our professional teams. Our management team is disciplined and passionate. Our expansive sales network offers unmatched customer intimacy, an approach embraced by our Call Centre. We’ve partnered with community-based partnerships to create an omnichannel marketing approach while effectively managing costs. We’ve come a long way, but there is a way to go.
JAN: Many journalists see StarSat as a digital TV provider aimed at ex-pats. StarSat claims to provide the best offering to the African diaspora. Is StarSat primarily for ex-pats?
JOHN: Our mission is to enable every household to enjoy and afford the beauty of digital television. To that end, we provide content in multiple indigenous African languages, like Yoruba, Swahili, Hausa, and Shona, which none of our competitors do. That does not mean we focus on ex-pats. Most of our channels are, in fact, either in local languages or contain Western content, including kids’ channels, Hollywood movies, Telenovelas, Bollywood, reality TV, cutting-edge documentaries, and news channels. We are also very proud of our music channel collection, which includes exclusive Soul music focus and trendy Hip Hop, Afro-pop channels and Classical music.
JAN: Unlike its competitors, we have not seen any announcements of local shows or movies by StarSat since the debut of the LGBT+ show “Proud” in December 2019. Is there anything to look forward to in 2023?
JOHN: As you may be aware, StarSat has invested very much into its Indigenous-Language Dubbing Project, where we translate and do voice-overs of world-renowned novellas. Because we do not have the deep pockets of those who trade in the open market, StarSat has to pick its local content projects carefully. We believe it is better to take proven shows and dub them into a language people speak in their homes, not only making it more accessible but doing our part to preserve the heritage of people and their home tongues. With the Indigenous-Language Dubbing Project becoming stable and reliable, our efforts will shift to various local content licensing and commissioning activities.
JAN: After a recent price increase, the StarSat Special bouquet is now on a similar level to the competitor. Why should people choose StarSat?
JOHN: Our entry-level bouquet, StarSat Special, has a few advantages besides exclusive Zulu dubbs of award-winning shows. For one, we have channels on our lowest package that our competitor restricts to more expensive options, like StarLife, ESPN, RTP International, and Sky News. StarSat also has a few exclusive channels; Besides our home-grown music and gospel content, StarSat has IQRAA for Muslims and EWTN for our Catholic viewers. StarSat Super, our value-for-money bouquet, gives you access to channels only available on our competitors’ far more expensive packages, including ESPN 2, CBS Justice, Dizi, and National Geographic. Our exclusive R&B and Classical music channels set us apart. StarSat Max provides endless pleasure by granting access to over 140 channels, including 21 Nigerian, 35 French, and 7 Indian.
JAN: When the price increases got announced, StarSat also announced some specials. Tell us about those.
JOHN: Gladly. We StarSat has three unmatched specials running until the end of August. The first promotion is an auto-upgrade deal for our Special subscribers: for every month of Special they buy, they will gain access to all the channels on the Super bouquet. The second promotion is for our Super and Max subscribers; For every month purchased, they will get a week for free. Our last promotion is for its long-dormant subscribers. If they rejoin StarSat, we will give them one month extra for every month purchased. All these specials are uncapped, so the more you buy, the more you get. The specials apply automatically, so all you need to do is make a full payment, and you will reward you.
JAN: Recently, StarSat lost the rights to La Liga, and its lack of EPL is complained about often. How does StarSat stay competitive when lacking these and other popular sporting leagues?
JOHN: South African pay-TV regulations allow larger providers to tie down rights to sports for extended periods. Without the backing of public investors, smaller competitors cannot secure the rights to the most popular sporting events. StarSat, however, continues to provide live sports of all sorts, from fighting to football and even Africa T20 cricket. Our live football is world-class. For example, StarSat is excited to bring our viewers top European teams battling it out in July and August. Eleven live club warm-up matches will be played live on ST World Football, featuring Real Sociedad, Inter Milan, and Benfica, amongst many others. In addition, our MUTV channel will play eight live games of Manchester United, taking on a host of teams, including Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Borussia Dortmund. Full fixtures are available on our Facebook page: @StarSatSA.
JAN: The StarTimes ON app is an OTT service for StarSat subscribers. Which features differentiate it from other streaming apps?
JOHN: Anyone can use the StarTimes ON app for a limited time for free without needing to log in, but if you want to unlock the app’s true potential, you should link your StarSat decoder to the app. Besides the standard features you’d expect like streaming channels live and a video-on-demand library, The StarTimes On App has a few extra features. For one, we take the high cost of data seriously. Our app uses a state-of-the-art codex to ensure it takes less data to view our content than mainstream competitors like YouTube. A progressive image-quality system starts at a low-cost data bit rate, enabling you to increase it if you have the data to spend. Unlike others, you can link up to three devices with one smart card. StarSat understands how dangerous it can be to travel to town, so we’ve integrated self-service options into the StarTimes ON app; You can change your bouquet, top up your account, and even get account statements from the couch. You can even unlock app features without having a StarSat subscription by purchasing the in-app MAX VIP bundle starting from R89 per month.
JAN: Is there anything else you would like to say to readers?
JOHN: StarSat has walked a long road and has faced many of the challenges also faced by its viewers. Despite this, StarSat remains determined to enrich lives by offering relevant content at affordable prices.
This post and content is sponsored, written and produced by StarSat.
