Smart TV upbeat as they prepare to roll out Ingwe show

By GILBERT WANDERA

Smart TV is set to roll out the eagerly awaited Ingwe TV, to broadcast material of 13-time Kenyan Premier League champions AFC Leopards, during a ceremony to be held on August 10, in Nairobi.

Dan Kagwe, the Smart TV CEO, said the launch would be the beginning of a bright future for local sport and TV viewership in Kenya.

"The bigger dream of Smart TV is to have mature family-based entertainment that takes care of the need for decency. Ingwe TV is part of this bigger picture because we want to grow local heroes," Kagwe said.

The new fully Kenyan owned pay television company announced their long term plan is to showcase most local sports activities which they say could generate revenue for the teams.

"The National Athletics Championships held recently was world class. It is the same Kenyans who would go on to dominate the World Championship yet nobody sold the event outside the country," Kagwe said.

He added: "Local sports need a helping hand from corporations and so is the entertainment industry which is not growing. We at Smart TV are doing our part. We have started with AFC Leopards and we will move to other teams and disciplines too."

Kagwe discounted any possible collision with Kenyan Premier League principal sponsors Supersport saying everything has been handled with AFC Leopards.

"If ever there would be any legal issues then it is good because will open up more space for whoever wants to partner with other teams. In any case we will not be airing AFC Leopards’ live matches on Supersport. There are so many other archived materials of the team, so there is no problem," he said.

Smart TV Production Manager Hezron Obadiah said the roll out of the Ingwe TV would be the beginning of an exciting era in local football and the sports in general given it would also be broadcast in Swahili language.

"Kenyans will have a lot to cheer for as 90 per cent of the content would be local and African which respects family values," Obadiah said.