By Rose MOSES
When the Nigerian viewer audience has become sick and tired of terrestrial television due to the daily harvests of local tragedies that tend to dominate the space, the unveiling, by Globacom, of Glo TV couldn’t have come at a better time.
Indeed, sitting in front of the television set these days is becoming so depressing and boring, considering that the habit is getting quite synonymous with watching numerous heartbreaks that now dot the land, particularly as it concerns the high level of insecurity that seems to have become the order of the day.
The launch, therefore, of Glo TV by Globacom is indeed a bold step that will redefine the television viewing experience for all Nigerians. It is surely a welcome development, especially at this time. The innovative TV streaming service for watching live linear TV, video on demand and catch-up content has come at an opportune moment.
Data grandmasters, Globacom, has, as a matter of fact, promised premium television content for viewers of all ages as it launched a first-of-its-kind mobile television app on Android, IOS and web.
The service, which is powered by the Glo 4G technology and is accessible through Android, IOS and web platforms for prepaid and postpaid subscribers, was launched at the company’s headquarters in Lagos on August 24, 2021, as part of activities marking the GSM giant’s 18 years in Nigeria.
According to Nigeria’s first indigenous Global System for Mobile Communications operator and first private sector national carrier, which will turn 18yo on August 29, the latest innovation will positively alter the television landscape in Nigeria as it will stream highly sought-after viewer content to millions of subscribers via desktop and hand-held devices. Thus, with the Glo TV app on mobile phone, subscribers will have access to their favourite content on the go. That way, subscribers will not miss out on a real-time programme of choice.
“Glo TV brings engaging, interactive and premium entertainment content through a rich offerings, including hundreds of live entertainment programmes, music, documentary, news, original shows, fashion, lifestyle, kiddies’ interest channels and over 1,000 videos as the company continues to partner with content providers to address the needs of more customers across social strata,” the company said during the product unveiling.
And coming just a few days to Globacom’s 18 years of doing business in Nigeria, Africa’s telecoms giant, as it proudly calls itself, has no doubt been in a celebratory mood and toasting to what it describes as “18 amazing years of transforming lives and businesses, 18 years of empowering Nigerians, 18 years of enabling firsts.”
Management and staff of the company in Nigeria are beating their chest and sounding it loud and clear that since August 29, 2003, when the company launched into the Nigerian market, it has been at the forefront of revolutionary interventions that have shaped the growth of the telecommunications industry in Nigeria.
From the 2.5G technology and Per Second Billing platform introduced at launch to the 3G Plus technology, the 4G technology and a wholly-owned international submarine cable, Glo 1, the list, it says, keeps growing.
They are quick to recall that Globacom has consistently offered the best value for money by introducing the most innovative products and services for the robust calling and browsing experience of subscribers. Among some of the recent innovations, they say, are Borrow Me Credit, Borrow Me Data, Borrow for Others, Glo Berekete, Mega Data Plans, 22X offer, 777 magic number, 11/K second and Always On.
Expectedly, excitement and confidence over the roll-out of the Glo TV service were naturally palpable with the management saying: “With the launch of Glo TV, our network will cater to the content preferences of Nigerians across different socio-economic groups and offer them an exclusive opportunity to experience best-in-class TV content.”
How? Their ready answer is that subscribers, who are news lovers and want to follow international events as they happen, can catch up with news-on-the-go channels, including Aljazeera, Cable News Network (CNN), and France24, while subscribers who have an interest in documentary channels can watch CGTN and RT Documentary, among many other programming content.
Children’s interests are also well taken care of in this revolutionary service as regular kiddies’ channels such as ZooMOO, English Club TV and Lollykids are on offer to give healthy entertainment and robust education to children of all ages. This way, the kids are not only acquiring new knowledge but are also adequately entertained in line with the best practices of television broadcasting.
In other words, subscribers of all ages will, by this innovation, which offers exclusive content and premières to the delight of its viewers, have access to movie channels, including Nolly Africa, African Movie Channel, and Legacy Network, among others, said the promoters during the launch. All that is required for watching the live linear TV, Video on Demand and catch-up with premium content is to visit the website, myglotv.com, register and download the Glo TV app free of charge till September 30, 2021.
No doubt, GloTV will positively alter the television landscape in Nigeria as it will beam highly sought-after viewer content to millions of subscribers via their laptops, desktops and mobile handheld devices. And to guarantee a thrilling experience, the solely indigenous GSM company says it is partnering with numerous content providers to ensure that it constantly offers content that appeals to all categories of subscribers across social demographics.
But we know how poor GSM network can be in the country and the fact that fast and reliable internet is required to enjoy mobile TV content. In other words, if the internet is slow, it takes more time to load the video contents, a situation that can be so annoying to users.
Addressing this concern, promoters of the product noted that with Globacom’s 4G data, powered by Glo 1, subscribers are assured a pleasant streaming experience as the “exciting product is designed to ensure that access to television programming graduates from computer and television to include mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers and is available on the go and in real-time.”
At this juncture, the words of Mark R. Sullivan would ring a note. What can’t one do with the telephone? Sullivan, then San Francisco president and director of the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, was said to have opined way back in the April 11, 1953 report of the Tacoma News Tribune in the United States that there surely will be no escape from the telephone. And so we have moved far away from that analogue era and now digitally moving to something better.
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Everything said by Sullivan about the telephone, which then was as bulky as it could get, has come to pass.
Sullivan, in an address, where he asserted that there would be no escape in the future from the telephone, stated: “In its final development, the telephone will be carried about by the individual, perhaps as we carry a watch today. It probably will require no dial or equivalent, and I think the users will be able to see each other if they want, as they talk. Who knows but what it may translate from one language to another?”
True to Sullivan’s projection, today, with a GSM phone in your palm (now owned by both the poor and the rich), you cannot just make both video and regular calls; send text messages without passing through an operator that would connect to another operator at the other end as used to be the case in the past before you could talk to whoever you were trying to talk to. Glo subscribers, in addition, are assured of endless fun, education, and entertainment with the innovation, Glo TV.
And so, as consumers globally are migrating into virtual worlds at an unprecedented rate and are exposed to newer opportunities, influences, and greater ease of doing business, Glo subscribers will also be availed of the opportunities in the telecommunications market.
The service provider which prides itself as a network that is constantly re-inventing itself with innovative yet affordable products and services, said despite its many achievements, it will not rest on its laurels.
Instead, it promises to continue to enhance the quality of service and data speed, as well as expand network capacity to accommodate the new additions to its subscriber base on account of Glo TV and other numerous products and services recently added to its fecund stable.