ReadyTV goes rural to reach MoBay, St Bess by July
Published:Wednesday | June 6, 2018 | 12:00 AM
Co-Chief Executive Officer of ReadyTV Christopher Dehring said that 15,000 households in St Catherine which comprise a traditional blind spot for television and radio signals will, by the end of June, begin receiving the station's 100 high-definition channels as well as the island's two traditional stations as the company commissions its second broadcast tower in Linstead.
ReadyTV is run by Digital Interactive Services Limited (DISL), owners and operators of Jamaica's first digital free-to-air and pay TV broadcaster.
Dehring told the Financial Gleaner that "this tower will serve Linstead and surrounding communities. The area is a valley and reception from even local TV stations CVM and TVJ has been impossible to attain. This tower will allow viewers to enjoy ReadyTV, which provides the local stations."
Dehring said that for the World Cup football games which starts next week, "that's going to be a huge boon for them."
He said two other towers, one in Huntley, Manchester and the other in Flower Hill, St James, will be commissioned by the end of July, further increasing coverage to 550,000 households across the island.
The tower at Huntley will provide coverage for Manchester, St Elizabeth, Trelawny, and St Ann; while the one in Flower Hill will give coverage to residents in St James, and Trelawny.
"Those rural communities which have never had access to digital content will be able to join into the digital world," said Dehring. The company is aiming to have at least 18 towers islandwide.
Dehring said ReadyTV has accelerated a US multimillion-dollar buildout of its network after receiving funds from Michael Lee-Chin's AIC Jamaica Limited, which has taken a significant equity stake in DISL.
While the company has not disclosed its current subscription base, it says it is targeting a total market of 880,000 households, of which less than 300,000 currently have access to cable offerings.
Key on affordability
According to the co-CEO, ReadyTV is the first to offer packages as low as $150 daily in Jamaica.
"The three things that we speak about as our brand quality are affordability, convenience and high quality. On the affordable front, consumers can buy packages for one, seven or 30 days and breaking the choice down into small-time packages makes it even more affordable," Dehring said.
"We have done away with the traditional offer where you buy a basic package and then you add on. If a movie pack is the only thing you want to buy, you just buy a movie pack. We also offer 10 free channels, irrespective of what you have purchased," he added.
Ready Set and Ready Go are variety packages comprising 25 to 30 channels with a mix of movies, sports and news and costs $150 for the day or $2,700 for a month.
Consumers can access the service by buying a set-top box, costing $6,300 including tax, which is available at pharmacies, supermarkets and other outlets. They then "take it home, hook it up yourself and you top it up with ready credit, selecting channel packages as and when you choose," Dehring explained.
While declining to disclose the value of the investment, the co-CEO said it is "several million US dollars" but the company expects to break even within three years. He said subscription levels, which the company plans to double this year, "are encouraging enough to expand the network right across the country."
ReadyTV's first tower was installed in Coopers Hill which covers Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine, parts of Mary, St Ann, and parts of Clarendon and Manchester.
Dehring notes that "just like CVM and TVJ, we are broadcasting from Coopers Hill, but instead of just one analogue channel, we are broadcasting 100 high definition channels."
He claims that "by coverage we are now the largest operator in the country. Our coverage extends to 280,000 households at the moment. We will be increasing that to about 550,000 households over the coming weeks as we turn on Linstead and towers in Huntley Manchester and Flower Hill in St James."
Dehring said expansion of the network represents an opportunity for dealers and small and medium enterprises which will retail cards and set-top boxes.