Enough channels to keep you entertained
Easy to setup
Easy to operate
Readily available
Averagely priced
Annoying hitches
Expensive monthly subscription
Some channels are plain boring
After the tussles that existed between the major TV stations in Kenya, the government and the companies providing the digital services, people have now accepted that the digital migration has stopped being a thing we should do and become a thing we are doing. From the black and white Great Wall TV to the super slim… and super expensive flat screens, some of them going to hundreds of thousands for an additional curve, Kenya and Africa as a whole has come a long way.
Like the Wildebeests we have moved and now that we are where the migration was taking us, destination digital land, and digital set boxes have become the songs, the news and the poems of our everyday TV life, the main question is: Is GOtv worth my money? Soon after the digital migration song started playing; most people rushed and bought the necessary set boxes. The main problem was that there was no strategic plan and some suspicious deals emanated from the lack of planning. Initially the set boxes cost a lot because there were few service providers but now that there are many, the digital set box prices have fell miserably in effort to compete for the remaining consumers who are not yet digitized.
The Channels
GOtv is one of the digital set boxes that are used widely in Africa second to DSTV. The provider has done a great job in delivering quite an impressive bouquet of channels that will keep you entertained, that is if you are in love with Indian movies, and African movies, which for your information are repeated quite a number of times before the week comes to an end. The ultimate gift to sport enthusiasts is the existence of the Supersport Select 1 which airs matches from some of the major leagues in Europe including Championship league, EPL, LA Liga and their highlights. The only reason why most sports fanatics were looking forward to the digital migration is to bring the game to their homes for those game nights they’d rather not go to the local bar, and this to them this is heaven.
Time when people used to fight over the remote for a certain program is over thanks to the existence of the Telemundo station which airs soap operas around the clock. I just want to point out that the remote fights were majorly caused by the few soap operas airing at the same time other ‘important’ and less funny programs were on other stations, all pun intended.
I love animals and nature in general and so do many other people and this is why Nat Geo Wild is my favorite and thanks to GOtv I can be in my element once in a while. The discovery channel is also great, entertainment with an educational touch, and if there are channels that made me buy the digital box, then it has to be these two. The digital set box prices in Kenya are going down and GOtv is not an exception
The Setup
One main concern when it comes to digital things is the setup process. Here, GOtv scores some points because of the fact that they have incorporated the retailers into the setup process. Consumers get all the information they need from the retailer and the remaining part of fixing the digital box to the TV is a cup of tea for everyone, unless of course you do not like tea and for that matter it will a glass of juice and it will be easy for you to fix the box without help from any expert.
Problems
The main problem experienced by most people involves the channels constantly being interrupted by some kind of hitches. This is according to experience especially when there is a rainy kind of weather… or when it is pouring. Well I cannot speak for everyone but at least this is what happens to me. The monthly fees seems to be too much considering there are other providers promising free airing for quite a number of interesting channels. I don’t understand why I need to pay that kind of money for something I might not use every day and if I do it is only for a few hours.
Verdict
If you would like to get access to some of the most interesting and entertainment channels including BET, Sony Max, Swahili Movies, Afro Cinemas and local TV stations, then GOtv is a set box you should think about. Alternatively, you can opt to be watching movies and save up the money you would have used to buy the digital box and get yourself the latest Range Rover Sport SUV… yeah it will take years, but you will get there… no jokes!!
