With many rural homes still television-less, there is a real momentum to increase subscriptions
Antananarivo came alive with cheers as Madagascar’s football team made its way to the quarter finals of the Africa Cup of Nations this July. Everywhere, televisions were the centre of the attention and brought together fans. But not every set was able to bring so much joy: only those with a satellite dish from Canal+, the official outlet of the event for sub-Saharan Africa.
The French broadcaster has been inflexibly expanding on the continent for over 20 years and has over 4.1 million subscribers. On the red island, it was officially launched in 2010 with a special Madagascar “bouquet” (a package of local and foreign channels). Subscriptions to Canal + are seen as a sign of wealth, and “Canal+ subscription” signs on hotel fronts have become a common sight next to those promoting access to running water and electricity.
But all over the continent, competition has been toughening for the French broadcaster with Chinese giant StarTimes entering the race to earn most subscribers. In Madagascar, it has undercut Canal+ prices by 10’000 Ariary ($2.73) with a monthly subscription starting at 20’000 Ariary ($5.47) – a considerable amount of money in a country where 75% of the population live with less than $1.90 a day according to the World Bank.
Although Netflix may already be a cause for concern in other areas of the continent, on the red island, internet penetration is still far too low to allow that. Only 9.80% of individuals used the internet in 2017 according to the International Telecommunications Union, among the lowest worldwide. In Miarnarivo, 100 km west of the capital, there is only one cyber café but about ten Canal+ subsidiaries.
StarTimes subscriptions on the other hand, can only be set up in the next town, about an hour away. Still, the outlet doesn’t shy away from asserting its presence in other ways: “Satellite TV for 10,000 African villages” reads a publicity in bold letters between a Malagasy flag and a StarTimes logo on houses in the town. “One day the tenants came home to find the advertising painted on the wall” says a local, referring to her neighbour’s two floor building, “the owner possibly agreed on a price to have the painting on his façade”, she says and points to the bright orange StarTimes satellite dish crowning the building, clearly distinguishable from the black and white Canal+ dishes.
Where will these unrestrained ambitions lead? Although it may have taken over 50 years for a Confucius Institute to follow in the steps of the Institut Français, and set up in Madagascar, today the Chinese soft power is spreading quicker than ever with Sino channels and soap operas. And although orange dish subscribers weren’t able to watch the Malagasy Bareas’ efforts at the Africa Cup of Nations, they’ll be able to console themselves with the International Champions Club football games broadcast by StarTimes ... and partly hosted by China.