DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Friday, September 7, 2018 CHINA 5

Communications New Chinese TV ‘star’ rises across

results, affinity and good faith A digital in its African policy. In Pang’s view, the benefits African peo­ broadcaster is ple can gain from such cooper­ ation are fundamental to the forging links principles. StarTimes is expanding and of friendship accelerating its localization year by year. Currently, it between China employs more than 4,000 peo­ ple in Africa, with locals and people in accounting for more than 95 percent. countries across Meanwhile, there are more than 7,000 StarTimes agents the continent. Li across Africa, and they have generated around 50,000 jobs. Zhihui and Cao “Any company that really wants to take root in Africa Pengyuan report should make an effort to boost social and human develop­ for Xinhua. ment in Africa. Creating more jobs is part of its social respon­ rancis Tchiegue’s busy sibility,” Pang said. life is becom­ ing even busier due to Priceless happiness what he calls his “mis­ China­Africa relations have Fsion”. reached a stage of growth In addition to filming TV unmatched in history. shows such as Francis Tells While an increasing num­ Tales and Francis’ Tricks for ber of Chinese are visiting Chinese at the headquarters of Africa, many more Africans StarTimes in the city, Tchiegue are choosing China as a desti­ also revises multilingual nation to work and live. scripts and drafts. Gabon national Bolabola The Cameroon national has Residents take part in the Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages project in Suswa village, Narok county, Kenya, last month. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Joelle Zita has worked as a lived in China for more than a fashion host and voice actress decade. In 2003, he won a at StarTimes’s headquarters scholarship to study for a PhD ordinary families. Initial for 17 months. in Beijing as part of an installation cost $10, while the Zita earned a bachelor’s at exchange program sponsored minimum TV package which Beijing Language and Culture by China and his home coun­ offered more than 10 channels University and a master’s at try. cost $1 a month. the University of Science and As a huge fan of Chinese cul­ Customer­centered service Technology Beijing. ture, Tchiegue speaks Manda­ was also crucial for StarTimes’ Back in her home country, rin fluently and he has become prosperity in Africa. Zita was a government a TV celebrity adored by Chi­ The unstable voltage and employee who dreamed of nese audiences. frequency of electricity in working in the fashion indus­ Six months ago, he started many African countries meant try. to work full time as a host and TV sets and decoders broke However, until she joined consultant at StarTimes, one down easily, but few operators StarTimes she never imagined of the largest TV service pro­ offered aftersales services to that her dream would ever be viders in Africa. ordinary people. realized. “I came to China to see what “When we first started the “I appreciate the opportuni­ I could do for media and cul­ business in Africa, we were ty and environment that tural exchanges between Chi­ quite dismayed by the high StarTimes has offered to help na and Africa, and StarTimes rate of aftersales mainte­ me grow as a TV host. It is a has been dedicated to this nance. However, to our great company that is willing to kind of work for years and surprise the local people were teach and listen to you,” she years. That is why I chose to very grateful because every said. work here,” Tchiegue said. “It time they returned a broken Now Zita’s makeup show is my mission.” TV we gave them a makeshift S­Belle is broadcast to Afri­ In 2002, StarTimes set a one and fixed the problem as can audiences via StarTimes goal that distinguished it from quickly as possible,” Pang said. channels, and it can even be other television operators in StarTimes’ aftersales service seen in small, remote villa­ Africa at the time: To provide was revolutionary. The whole­ ges. affordable and excellent digi­ hearted effort in solving tech­ “Although I have to get up at tal TV services for every Afri­ nical problems for local people 5 o’clock every morning and can family. quickly saw the brand become capacity of 10,000 hours, the work all day, I never get bored That goal has now taken popular and trusted in many center dubs programs into or tired, because I am doing root in the continent and won countries. eight languages: Chinese, something I love. TV shows wide recognition from the This game­changing service English, French, Portuguese, give me a better understand­ public and various govern­ and business model was Swahili, Hausa, Yoruba and ing of the different cultures in ments. underpinned by StarTimes’ Luganda. Africa and the world,” Zita StarTimes has also regis­ technology. To attract more talent, said. “It is amazing, isn’t it — tered and set up subsidiaries Since 2008, the company StarTimes also holds TV dra­ I’m getting to know more to provide digital TV services has seized the chance to boost ma dubbing competitions, about Africa while in China.” for nearly 20 million users in investment in TV technology and the winners are offered Brice Icigumije, from Bur­ more than 30 African coun­ and built four basic networks, jobs at the company’s Beijing undi, has lived in Beijing for a tries, including , comprising signal relay, direct headquarters. year. He works on a TV show Nigeria, Kenya, , broadcast satellite, digital ter­ “One principle we always called 100 Cine which focuses Uganda and South Africa. restrial TV transmission and stick to is that we will never on movies. As its name suggests, Star­ online video. StarTimes’ TV lower our standards in the “I try to give African audien­ Times is a rising star on the signal now covers the entire African market. Providing a ces a glimpse of the latest mov­ continent, presenting images African continent. less qualified service would ies from across the world and of the world to households More than 480 programs in not only be disrespectful to the encourage them to go to the across Africa. 11 languages, from local sta­ audience, but also disrespect­ cinema,” Icigumije said, with a The sight of a family gath­ tions to China’s mainstream ful to the arts,” Pang said. smile. “This is a job I feel pas­ ered in front of the television media, world­famous chan­ On its 43 original channels, sionate about.” enjoying time together is now nels and StarTimes originals, home­produced dramas, kung During the 2018 Beijing increasingly common in Afri­ are broadcast via the platform, fu shows and dubbing compe­ Summit of the Forum on Chi­ can countries. with topics ranging from news titions are all popular with na­Africa Cooperation, which to sports, along with movies African audiences. concluded on Tuesday, Tchie­ Game­changer and fashion. “Compared with many oth­ gue spent time helping Afri­ In 2002, when Pang Xinxing, StarTimes is now striving to er foreigners, African stu­ can embassies in China with founder of StarTimes, and his promote its digital TV services dents are more gifted in receptions and arrangements team traveled to Africa to in rural areas of Africa as part learning Chinese, either in for meetings. assess the market, they were of its effort to carry out the terms of pronunciation or “Many of my friends didn’t surprised to discover that there Access to Satellite TV for comprehension of the lan­ understand why I went to Chi­ were more opportunities on 10,000 African Villages project guage,” Tchiegue said. na rather than European or the continent than in the Euro­ initiated by China in 2015. That’s part of the reason American countries, but now pean and American markets. It is a challenging task, but African voice actors and they are all happy for me After much consideration, for many African people it is actresses have few cultural because I have finally found they decided to compete in the an amazing gift and a gateway barriers in dubbing Chinese something I enjoy doing digital TV market. to the outside world. TV series, especially family which is not about money,” he “At that time, digital TV ser­ Joseph Runyenje Lopeyok, dramas. said. vices were a luxury enjoyed by an ardent soccer fan, lives in The connection between “Through the TV shows we only a small number of peo­ Likii village, Laikipia county, Chinese people and Africans make together, I hope the Chi­ ple,” said Pang, noting that the in central Kenya. constantly inspires StarTimes nese can get closer to the real initial installation fee in many He was able to watch this to move forward. Africa and Africans to the real African countries was as high year’s World Cup tournament To make more Chinese TV China.” as $200 and the monthly sub­ thanks to the clear signals shows accessible to African Tchiegue is also an enthusi­ scription ranged from $50 to guaranteed by the StarTimes audiences in rural and subur­ astic cultural ambassador. He more than $100. decoder installed in his back­ From top: A family in Suswa watches StarTimes’ Kung Fu Channel on TV. StarTimes’ engineers install ban areas, StarTimes sent out makes tours and delivers The root cause was monop­ yard. a satellite dish in Marracuene, Mozambique. Students from No 1 Primary School in Marracuene show TV caravans to provide broad­ speeches across the world to oly, as large corporations “Even my wife and daugh­ their appreciation of the engineers’ efforts. cast services. help people learn Chinese and divided and dominated the ters, who are not normally soc­ Wherever the caravans get closer to Chinese culture. African market, crushing any­ cer fans, were enticed by the went, children chased after When we met him, he was one who challenged them. games,” Lopeyok said. “Once I asked an African That answer is echoed in and Her Mother­in­Law and them and danced to the music looking forward to taking part However, the arrival of leader what the most complex traditional Chinese culture The Journey of the Flower, they played, while villagers in the people­to­people and StarTimes changed the game. ‘A natural connection’ human relationship in the and countless TV shows. dubbed into different langua­ would sit on chairs they cultural exchange events at Acting on the philosophy of The first time he traveled to world was, and without a sec­ StarTimes’ Sino Drama ges brought with them, happily the summit. serving the people through Africa, Pang felt a kind of “nat­ ond thought he said: ‘That channel is a big hit in Africa. It In 2011, the company estab­ waiting for the show to begin. “I will definitely participate business, StarTimes’ subscrip­ ural connection between me between a mother­in­law and broadcasts popular Chinese lished a translation and dub­ China has been adhering to in the events,” he said. “It is a tion was reasonable for most and the African people”. a daughter­in­law’,” Pang said. TV dramas, such as Doudou bing center. With output the principles of sincerity, real kind of priceless happiness.”