20 Sep 2022

Botswana will finally switch off from analogue to digital transmission of TV on October 2, a development that will also see the Department of Broadcasting Services introduce three new channels on Botswana Television (Btv) through the use of set top box.

In an interview, deputy permanent secretary; Information and Broadcasting in the Ministry for State President, Mr Oshinka Tsiang said the switch to digital transmission was part of the Geneva 2006 agreement to which Botswana was committed.

“Since then, we have been steadfast on rolling out digital terrestrial transmitters and in total P200 million has been channelled towards the digital migration project, which has been running since 2010,” he said.

He said the latest development provided an opportunity to transform the broadcaster by taking advantage of digital technology, hence the introduction of three new channels.

Mr Tsiang said the set top box would see the introduction of the news and current affairs 24-hour channel, which would broadcast kgotla meetings addressed by the President and cabinet ministers, Parliament proceedings and major announcements while the other channel would focus on entertainment including sports, drama and music.

“The set top box will carry other licensed broadcasters to enhance content. It will also broadcast radio Botswana and RB2 as well as other radio stations,” he said.

Mr Tsiang said although viewers would have the option to continue using DSTV to view Btv, they would not enjoy the benefits of all the channels offered by the local broadcaster through the set top box. He also advised on the advantages of the set top box, saying it did not require one to subscribe each month to stay connected.

He said the new channels had prompted the need to ensure availability of resources, which would be managed by including commercial adverts to enable the broadcaster to run with revenue generated from such.

“We have also roped in freelancers to support the broadcaster while the ministry of youth has come on board through NOW TV, which will help with content for entertainment,” said Mr Tsiang.

He said having many channels would help support the creative industry, noting the Department of Broadcasting’s commitment to the 80/20 principle of playing local content in their broadcasters.

Mr Tsiang explained that the move had also compelled the department to find ways of forming partnerships to see how best channels could be kept alive and interesting in terms of content.

“We have created a platform for creativity and this translates to engaging many local creatives,” he said, adding that a lot of movement and activity sparked by the development was expected at Mass Media Complex, which housed Btv along with other government media.

Mr Tsiang said time had also come to look at the percentage divide taking into account how much was previously put into the budget given the challenges.

He said more emphasis on budget creation also meant refining the department’s marketing strategy and content and emphasised that it should not be about getting money from government, but looking at sustainability and return on investment to justify the budget.

He noted that rolling out the digital transmission was not a walk in the park, citing resources and finance for public education among the challenges.

“We also had to look at the affordability of set top boxes in certain areas and also ensured  that we have service providers who can sell, maintain and service them to ensure continuity,” he said. For his part, broadcasting services director, Mr Raymond Tsheko said the three new channels, which coincided with the switch to digital transmission, marked a milestone as the department also unveiled a platform through which the creatives would offer their content.

“It unbundles content so that the local creative industry can take part meaningfully while it also helps us to fulfil our obligation as the department on the third party agreement,” he said.

He said broadcasting with one channel often times led to disruption of the agreement, especially during important national announcements, adding, ‘it was not pleasing for the business community, especially those who have placed commercial adverts’.

Mr Tsheko said the aim was to make Btv a platform of choice as more channels would mean more space for content, which had forced them to enhance production capacity so as to bring more ideas and reduce the costs.

As part of the build-up, he said the department had already engaged freelancers in April to have them ready for the new channels and to capacitate operational functions such as camera, lighting and graphics.

“Where there are opportunities to employ people, go for it, especially that there are many people trained in this field,” he said.

Set top boxes including an aerial can be purchased from SARONA at 74 137 387 / 74 344 547, BLUE MEL at 72 718 747 / 76 671 776 and DATAMIND at 311 1811. ends