By Fikremariam Tesfaye
A new, privately-owned pay TV service by the name of GTV- Gateway Community Television GTV is poised to enter the broadcasting market with the main objective of educating and entertaining the Ethiopian public, its senior official said on Monday.
Managing Director and founder Julian Mcintyre said the service has already be legalized by the countrys Broadcasting agency and would go functional soon.
“We have a vision at GTV to pioneer a fresh and innovative approach to television in Africa. We believe that entertainment is not a luxury but an essential part of living a full and happy life for all the people,” he said speaking at a media launch of the Pan-African service at the Sheraton Addis.
“And television is a major form of that entertainment, stimulating all of our human emotions-passion, excitement, joy, romance and awareness.” He added.
He said the Channel aims to transmit exclusive, live sports like the best of Barclays Premier League, 24 hours of news from around the world, Hollywood and Nollywood movies, including kids shows, religious programs, music and more.
The Managing Director said the company was operating in Africa and was offering the service with a charge affordable to Africans.
He said he believed the same will be true with Ethiopian viewers.
Asked on the content of the TV service the Director said the channel will not just receive programs from the Western World and transmit them in the continent, but it would also make it a point to entertain local programs.
GTV service said it will announce details of prices, channels and service offerings through Metro Plc, its official agent in Ethiopia.
“With an innovative model that champions African consumers demands, GTV is completely redefining the pay-TV market and home entertainment,” the company said in press release distributed at the event.
“Challenging existing services across sub-Saharan Africa, GTV s low level pricing and focus on customer service means that for the first time, TV viewers can get real value for money,” it added.