Description

The 2019 document on “Delivering on Digital Broadcast Media Mandate to the Public in Zambia – The Challenges and Successes” by Topstar – presented by Broadcast Media Africa (BMA) – discusses the implementation of Zambia’s digital migration policy. It outlines Topstar’s role as a joint venture between the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation and StarTimes of China, aimed at transitioning from analogue to digital TV broadcasting.

The document addresses the regulatory and licensing framework, the challenges faced by Topstar, including public education, resistance to carriage fees, and technical issues, and highlights the successes such as the construction of transmission sites, increasing subscriber base, and distribution of set-top boxes. It emphasizes

Topstar’s contribution to the digital TV industry and its strategies to overcome challenges like power load shedding.

Some key points from the resource include:
● Topstar’s role as a joint venture between Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation and StarTimes, focusing on digital TV broadcasting transition.
● Overview of the policy for shifting from analogue to digital broadcasting.
● The structure and guidelines governing digital broadcasting in Zambia.
● Challenges faced including public education, resistance to carriage fees, and technical hurdles.
● Efforts to build infrastructure for digital broadcasting.
● Increase in the number of digital TV users.
● Approaches to handle issues like power load shedding in the broadcasting process.