Free entertainment TV launched in Kenya

The Channel 2 Entertainment TV station is a joint venture with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation to air movies, soaps, music and other entertainment programming 24 hours a day across Kenya for free.

The Channel 2 Group Corporation (Africa) Ltd, CEO Mr. Tom Mshindi, said the programming will be wholesome and cultural sensitive to reflect community interests and aspirations.

"Our programming philosophy is that all categories of viewers need to be addressed and that is why we will provide viewing at different times to emphasize adults, children, youth and young adults and materials will be carefully selected to reflect socio-cultural sensitivities" said Mshindi.

Channel 2 Group Chairman Ajay Sethi said the UAE based company was keen to radically change the look and content of the free to air TV market in Kenya.

"The leading stations are doing an excellent job in serving an increasingly discerning and discriminating consumer market. However the market is defined by heavy emphasis on news and analysis and we see this as an opportunity to enter the market with a specific focus" said Sethi.

The entertainment TV station will offer programmes targeting segmented socio-economic grouping for maximum impact.

Mshindi said the station will seek to minimize the time taken for popular box office movies to get into free to air stations.

"We have concluded negotiations with top entertainment TV content producers from across the globe and we are happy to promise that we will be as aggressive, as everyone else in to bring into this market new releases immediately they are in the market as free to air content" said Mshindi.

Mshindi said Channel 2 group has set aside a budget that will identify and support Kenyan talent by encouraging local content production.

"We are committed to nurturing local content production and will shortly introduce an initiative that will support the production of local programmes at a reasonable cost" said Mshindi.

The initiative will build on local production ingenuity in local movie and drama production.

Mshindi said drama and local movie entrepreneurs have shown that one does not need millions to make nice wholesome movies.

"We will find ways of working with these entrepreneurs and talent to grow local programming and put same on air."

The Channel 2 Entertainment TV is a joint venture with KBC that will offer Kenyans for the first time wholesome entertainment and use Kenya as a stepping stone to other regional countries.

Mshindi said research has shown that a TV station can run on wholesome entertainment and must not be driven by news.

"We are challenging conventional wisdom that content can only succeed if anchored on news" said Mshindi.

Sethi said that entertainment in Kenya was expensive, where it is only available to the few who can afford cable networks which is why the free entertainment idea was borne.

"The market is now ready for high quality free entertainment to be driven by international standards" said Sethi.

Sethi said Group 2 will use Kenya as stepping stone to other regional markets that are increasingly demanding for segmented entertainment.