3 Ktv station manager, Emmanuel Nyamayedenga, says the independent national commercial television station has been able to create the right energy and vibrancy that has resonated with shareholder expectations, in the first year of operations.
Nyamayedenga said as the station turns a year old, 3Ktv continues to grow and explore more frontiers. “We have also been fortunate in the sense that on the technical side, our plan to roll out the equipment was strategic in that we were able to bring the best content to life.
“So the equipment helped us because it was high quality, high definition and high resolution that demanded that we produce quality content that resonated with the production capacity that we have right.” Nyamayedenga added that the station was also able to listen to what people want using digital platforms and that focus more on that input of viewers, as the critical shareholders.
“Our viewers were able to see that we were responding positively to their request and created content along the lines of their expectations. That’s how it has been, more of not saying what we want to do but more of saying what our stakeholders want and how we meet that expectation.
“The critical stakeholders, the viewer, is ultimately the key and we have always been striving to make sure that they get the right quality content and the entertainment value that they expect from us,” Nyamayedenga further said.
Turning to the access of the station on DStv and on the local platform, Nyamayedenga said viewers used to have challenges on that front
“We have made sure that we communicate challenges where there were signal issues as viewers were not able to access our signal, but over and above all that with our partnership with Dstv, we have made sure that we elucidate how people can get access to the channel 293.
“You know in Zimbabwe most of our decoders are South African registered, but our channel is geo locked and is only accessible only on Zimbabwe registered decoders, so that was vital information that the public didn’t have out there.
“And we made sure that through our digital platforms through Dstv digital platforms and even through some fliers and promos on television we communicated how best viewers can access our content and that has really pumped up the viewership numbers,” he further added.
On the station’s experience dealing with local content producers, Nyamayedenga said it’s been a fulfilling journey.
“We are the pioneers to a liberated broadcasting arena and that gave us a vantage point in that we were able to call independent producers and understand their expectations. “Eventually, we then engaged each independent producer at a local level one on one to understand what they could produce and whether it was in line with our expectations, as a channel as well and whether it resonated with the trajectory that we wanted to take.
“So believe you me, we were inundated with all those independent producers. At one time unsolicited pitches averaged 500 at any given time, but because we were a start-up and due to competing requirements we trimmed that number and took on board what was suitable for us as a launch pad for the channel,” he further said.
In every season, Nyamayedenga said the station was able to review and bring on board new producers. Turning to the issue of digital media as competition, the station manager said 3Ktv took alternative channels and an additional market segment. “For digital content producers, they can go on Youtube, Facebook with their content, but there was always the dominant traditional silver screen audience that was craving for that content and we were able to demonstrate that there is a huge market for their content.
“We experimented with one of our producers on series called ‘Complicated Affairs’ that has done so well on YouTube and we brought it on the silver screen and the producer has attested to the fact that he has gained popularity because he has got an additional platform now where people now identify with his productions,”
Nyamayedenga quipped. On competition from other broadcasters that are coming on board, Nyamayedenga said 3Ktv content sets itself apart. “From day one we knew we were going to be seven players in the industry.
So our strategy was based on being the best out of the seven, so whether they coming at the same time, ahead of us or on the day of getting the license, we were still mindful that we have got competitors, but when we are competing our strategy is to make sure that whatever we have done best or good we make sure we escalate it to the next level.
“Having gone a year first ahead of everyone has consolidated us as a brand and that consolidation like I said, is coming from the viewers who have accepted our brand and content and secondly, the commercial partners who are now investing in our content,” Nyamayedenga further quipped.