The power of research in business by Strive Masiyiwa
If you’ve been following the developments on Kwesé TV using the Kwesé App, you’ve no doubt noticed that we’ve dramatically increased the number of channels. Soon we’ll have more than 60 high-quality channels where you’ll be able to watch movies, series, news, dramas, documentaries, sports and more.
Customers will be able to be view most channels using a mobile phone, a tablet, a computer, and even a normal TV. (Due to rights agreements, some programs can only be aired on certain devices.)
__If you live in Zambia, Rwanda, and Ghana, you’ve probably noticed that we’re now advertising the launch this month of our traditional satellite TV service, using a Set Top Box. We plan to roll out in 18 countries by June, so don’t worry if you don’t live in those three countries.
As an astute entrepreneur, have you noticed that we have actually launched four distinct services since we began this venture? I’ll give a special prize to the first 10 people to give me a list of the four services available from Econet Media.
As an entrepreneur, I’ve always urged you to do market and product research. When I launched Kwesé TV, I promised to use it as a case study so you could see how we make decisions based on research.
We used research on customers and their needs to design both the product and how it’s delivered. This is extremely important in business. Here are a few examples of how our research shaped the Kwesé TV service:
# We learned that people don’t want their sports and entertainment linked only to a TV set. They want to be able to view while on the move! In Africa more people have access to a smartphone (200m) than a TV set (60m TVs) so we spent a lot of time and money developing a “mobile-centric” strategy.
During the month of March, you’ll see most elements of this strategy emerge. Study it carefully and see what principles might apply to your own business strategy.
# We also found that most people don’t want to pay for hundreds of channels, many of which are poor quality, and which they never watch. They prefer a “slim bouquet” of high quality content they want to see! This is actually a global trend.
We’ve limited the number of channels to about 60 for the time being. Our focus has been to try to get content which most competitors don’t have, on an exclusive basis. Where we have channels that others have, they have to be “must haves,” such as news channels.
# We found that people who buy a Set Top Box and satellite dish feel penalized by the fact that, if they run out of money, they have no access to any content. We addressed this problem in two unique ways:
1. Our Set Top Box will always show our Kwesé Free Sports Channel, which has premium and exclusive content such as English Premier League and NBA basketball.
2. We’ll allow the customer also to access one local free-to-air national channel through the Set Top Box, even when they have no access to the Pay Channels.
# Our research showed that the payment method of a monthly subscription is too heavy for some people. They really want flexibility. I’ll be able to tell you more about our mobile pricing soon. Right now I can reveal that for those who have a Set Top Box and dish, they have the option of three payment packages: 3-day window, 7-day window and 30-day monthly subscription.
# Our research found that customers were often made to invest in a service without any knowledge about what content is on offer. The Kwesé App (which can be downloaded for free) is a “shopping window” of all our content… channels already available and all the exciting ones coming soon.
# Last but not least: Our research confirmed something we all know… that 60% of Africans are under the age of 30, with the mean-age only 19 years of age! Africa is a continent of “millennials.” This means, for one thing: they want to see and interact with a product or service through the Internet and social media.
What do YOU see as an entrepreneur? At Kwesé, we’re seeing beyond TV.
Next week, I’ll talk about Kwesé, Inc., our channel set up specifically for entrepreneurs!
Very soon we’ll also launch the Kwesé competition that I promised, to find two people who will intern with us for two weeks.
