4th NOVEMBER 2021
Kin is the Chief Executive Officer of Next Media Services, the holding company for NBS TV, Nile Post, Sanyuka TV, Next radio, Salam TV, Next Communication and Next Productions and a host of other companies as well as the sitting Board Chair of the National Association of Broadcasters and Soliton Telmec a leading telecommunication technology company in East Africa.
Here Kin spares a moment to answer a few questions from consumers…
Upon expiry of subscription on Pay TVs, even the local channels are disconnected. Isn’t NBS Television content free?
Once subscription on Pay TVs is disconnected, NBS Television content isn’t available on those platforms. However, NBS Television content is exclusively free on Afro mobile and Signet/Free to Air Decoders. It’s been two years since the start of the pandemic, but we continue to see the story of the second screen unfold. Because of this, we came up with the Afro Mobile App, a one-stop centre for all Ugandan Content. Staying at home for longer hours has undeniably led to higher content consumption to escape from reality, and the second screen (mobile phone) has come in handy.
The Covid19 Pandemic has meant our children stay home longer and, therefore, have more screen time. How is NBS Television protecting your young audience?
We have revised our broadcasting standards to ensure we have Parental Guidance (PG) on all shows. We have as well reoriented all our producers and on-air talent about the watershed period. Programming has been skewed towards educative Content throughout the day. Even if we’re not doing direct learning school content, we are exposing the minds of the young audience to things like the environment through the Taasa Obutonde campaign, tourism through the Travel Show, and school debates sponsored by Stanbic Bank. We further collaborate with key players in the market like the finance sector. We understand that many have either gotten into informal employment or taken to helping their parents in their businesses, so they must acquire financial literacy skills, among others, to help them through life.
Given the popularity of distance learning, is NBS Television planning on airing some educational content for school-going children and other learners?
We have always prioritized this. We are advertising learning platforms that students can use to get educational material. Critical programs like Youth Voice and Motiv educate youth about practical lessons and life skills that young learners can pick up. In addition, we reintroduced the UN ELMO that educates. In the future, we intend to evolve our platforms to be centres of learning by empowering young people to create Content for young people.
For more accessible consumer tips, tools and resources, get in touch with us via email at consumeraffairs@ucc.co.ug, toll-free on 0800222777 or Twitter @ConsumerUCC.
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