Price as Niche Strategy

Raheem Akingbolu

The last ten years marked the development and growth of the Nigerian pay TV market with players extending their frontiers through major marketing strategies.

Aside advertising, top players in the industry have explored other areas like promotion and sponsorship.
At the moment, things appear to be looking up for patrons of the various brands as the competition in the market has suddenly become blessing in disguise.

The latest news is how GOtv is using pricing and contents to change the game. Through the strategy, which involves taking into account segments, ability to pay, market conditions, competitor actions and trade margins, amongst others, the brand has appealed has taken care of the interest of its customers and competitors.

Besides, another thing that is currently working for the brand is the fact that it has cleverly combined pricing and sports -a unifying platform for Nigerians, irrespective of class and age.
Under the current regime in the market, GOtv appears to have become the cheapest way to watch premiership, LaLiga, Serie A and other football content. In a way, the price reduction appears to have played up the brand as one of the most effective pay TV brands in the market.

As the new European football season approaches, promoters of the the brand have given indication that a rich football buffet awaits fans on GOtv MAX.

If the promise of the brand is anything to go by, among other opportunities, subscribers can be sure of the full complement of LaLiga matches, Italian Serie A, the new playground of the great Cristiano Ronaldo. Also, subscribers have also been promised select matches of England’s Premier league and the UEFA Champions League.

“What you get is over 760 live games during the season, starting from 10 August when the Premier League begins to give you the chance of watching Mohammed Salah, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Allisson Becker, the world’s most expensive goalkeeper,” the company explained in a statement.

Meanwhile, as sports lovers await LaLiga, which kicks off on 16 August, with GOtv Max subscribers having unrestricted access to the games of the prestigious league, the expectation is high that the brand would enjoy more patronage.

Speaking on the expectation from the tournament, General Manager, GOtv, Akin Salu said; “The signing of Ronaldo by Juventus, sure, has changed the complexion of the Italian Serie A. The goal machine will seek to conquer the league branded the most tactical in the world and you can watch him do so right from the comfort of your home starting from 19 August.

“Of course, subscribers can watch two UEFA Champions League games per week this season-on GOtv MAX.
“Quality entertainment has always been a key focus on the GOtv platform and we are excited to continue offering more value while widening access to quality family entertainment,” he said

Package Offerings
Among other heartwarming revelations, the reduction in the price of GOtv Max, which is one of the packages on its digital terrestrial platform, from N3, 800 to N3, 200 which is 15.79 percent reduction which started on August 1, 2018, has been describe by pundits as a plus for consumers.

Considering the fact that GOtv MAX is the home of the Spanish league, with all the best games available on the package, handlers of the brand might have struck another deal with Nigerian consumers. For the Plus customers, it has also been announced that they can tune in twice a week for selected matches, while GOtv MAX viewers can catch up to two UEFA Champions League games per week from this season.

In the first series, it has also been indicated that GOtv MAX can comfortably embrace the Italian league’s introduction to the platform as they can also view all the best matches, adding that GOtv Plus customers can enjoy two games a week.

In addition to the reduction, the management of the company has indicated that there would be reduction on more live football from other leagues to the GOtv Plus and Max packages. Specifically, it said GOtv Plus customers, will now have access to over 220 live games per season, with two games each from the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A.

Since the announcement was made, market watchers have continued to describe it as positive response to the economic reality in the land as many customers are facing tough economic challenge.

Competitive advantage

The competition in the Pay TV market has, though gotten tougher in recent time than it used to be, with each of the players churning out various marketing strategies to outplay the other but GOtv appears to hold on tight to the segment it targeted from the beginning. Beyond riding on friendly price, analysts believe the brand is winning the game through innovation and multiple contents that spread to entertainment, news, sports and children channel.
Speaking on the price reduction, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe explained that the price reduction was effected to deepen customers’ access to the content on the GOtv platform.
“Our goal is to give more Nigerians access to the great content on our platform without compromising on quality or variety. With the new price on GOtv Max, our customers can now pay less to enjoy more,” he said.

The latest development has simply reminded patrons and market watchers of a series of campaigns deplored in recent time to further re-establish the brand essence of the pay TV Company. As a platform that was introduced to democratise the market about six years ago, the new set of campaigns are tailored towards consolidating its brand promise and aspiration.

With appropriate visual illustration and captivating messages, the campaigns play up the proposition of GOtv as well as speaking directly to the patrons of the brand. To further position the Pay TV Company as a family entertainment platform, the creative work touches on Africa Magic, Sports, Movies and other areas of interest.
For instance, one of the campaigns unveiled a year ago; ‘TV Wey Go Totori You’ is cleverly used to celebrate the Africa Magic, which over the years has reconnected Africans and their culture through indigenous home videos and programmes that focuses on African culture and heritage. Another one; ‘TV that Gets You Energised’ is deplored to capture the sports channels on the platform. This is also believed to be strategic, considering the positive attitude of Nigerians to sports, especially football.