Putting on a star performance in Africa

"We don't want people to think we are a Chinese company. We just want locals to recognize us as a pay-TV company. For us it is about implementing a strategy of full localization," he says.

He claimed that South Africa's DStv, after more than a decade in the market, has only 1 million subscribers, while StarTimes already has more than double that number.

"We have local employees, our customers are local, and our brand is considered a local one, too," he says.

Antoine Onezime, CEO of Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation, says African customers have welcomed the arrival of Chinese companies.

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"They have the capital, the technology and the talent, while we have content and stories; we can work together, either to advance our country's broadcasting industry or to shoot films or documentaries based on African materials."

Onezime adds that current StarTimes favorites are Africa Live, Talk Africa and Faces of Africa, as they send out a positive image of African people.

By February, StarTimes had 50 Chinese managers working in Africa, and more than 1,200 local staff. Guo says it plans to train more local managers, so it can further integrate with the local culture.

However, Pang adds broadcasting digital content is more expensive in Africa than back home. "The infrastructure can be poor and there is a lack of local TV talent, so it costs more to provide these services."

And money is not the only issue. Pang says some local pressure groups are also trying hard to influence the ongoing conversion process of analog-to-digital, so they can maintain their existing interest in some African countries.

"To make the transformation possible and let more African people enjoy quality digital TV, there has to be some competition in the market," he says. "But it is vital to set the bar high for digital transmission companies to ensure a professional level of service."

Pang says that African governments should allow foreign companies to have a bigger stake in the digital transmission industry. "It requires big investment to build a successful digital transmission system, so African countries should allow foreign companies to take larger shares so they can bring in the capital they need."

Zambia's information and broadcasting minister Joseph Katema said that Chinese companies such as StarTimes have made a big difference to his country's broadcasting industry.

Bob Wekesa contributed to the story.