Kenya begins march to digital broadcasting

According to the Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK), no more television broadcasting licences will be issued until the country migrates fully to digital technology. The liberalisation of Kenya's media industry has seen a growth in the number of broadcaster but CCK, the industry regulator has been unable to meet the demand of frequencies.

One analogue frequency is able to accommodate 10 - 12 channels in Mpeg4 format on the digital platform. The new technology is also expected to have a massive impact on Kenya's film industry as filmmakers will now have more outlets to show their work. Producers and scriptwriters will also be able to sell their content to the broadcasters who will be required to have programmes running 24 hours on the channels they will be allocated.

To run on the digital platform, broadcasters will be required to pay a monthly fee of KSh300,000 to Signet. The fee is based on the cost of running and maintaining the digital platform.