Stakeholders in satellite pay television sector, including subscribers, have lauded the giant strides of Silver Lake Television (SLTV), indigenous Nigerian satellite pay television in ensuring that Nigerians enjoy good but affordable pay TV service.
They gave the commendation at a post launch reception organised by Camroll Quest Limited in collaboration with friends and associates of the SLTV during the weekend in Abuja.
The Federal Government, in a bid to offer Nigerians alternatives and enhance competition in the satellite pay television sector, n March unveiled SLTV, an indigenous satellite pay television.
The launch event, held at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, saw the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, stating that “SLTV would provide Nigerians with real value for their money.”
He commended Metrodigital Limited, the operators of SLTV, for their patriotic initiative and expressed the Federal Government’s full support for the venture.
Just two months after the launch, SLTV was already gaining popularity and acceptance among teeming Nigerian subscribers to pay TV service because of its relatively low packages, which made the company and its relevant stakeholders to organised a post launch interactive session.
Highpoints of the event was the presentation was the presentation of the ‘Salute to Courage Award’(SACA) to Dr Ifeanyi Nwafor,Managing Director of Metrodigital Limited, for his resilience and patriotic stance in ensuring that Nigerians enjoy good but affordable pay TV service.
Presenting, the award to the SLTV boss at the event, Hon. Princess Nikky Onyeri,Chief Operating Officer of Camroll Quest Ltd, said “the honour was in celebration of his doggedness towards ensuring that Nigeria has indigenous pay television.”
According to her, “Metrodigital Limited took bold and patriotic steps in conceiving SLTV for Nigerians to have alternative to monopolistic satellite pay TV service providers.”
“When nobody gave Nigeria a chance, Ifeanyi Nwafor and Metrodigital remained focused and resilient for us to have our own satellite pay television, and so today, we are recognising tenacity, we are recognising resilience and doggedness.
“This celebration and award came from many years of being in the battlefield as the opposition party tried everything possible to put Metrodigital away.I believe this is also the only award that is recognised by the government of Nigeria in the sense that the National Copyright Council has certified this award.
“For 13 years they were taken to court in Nigeria and they still took them to European courts for three years, all as part of plots to stop this patriotic vision, but Metrodigital won at the end.”
She added that ,“the fact that we are in the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu, has also given us another hope because this is happening under his government.”
Also speaking, Chairman of the occasion, Abubakar Jijiwa, former Chairman of Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), said SLTV was a better alternative that has emerged to respond to yearning of Nigerians by giving them value for their money.
He therefore urged Nigerians to “spread the message that there is now a Nigerian company that is providing pay TV services at a cheaper price than others.”
“SLTV has come to stay, but will must support it as our own, because our own will drive direct foreign investment and create jobs, and it is time for us as Nigerians to put our hands together to make our own work.”
In his remark, the Managing Director expressed appreciation for the recognition given to him and the SLTV team, adding that “I am very happy and humbled by this honour, and we promise not to disappoint Nigerians as we urge them to patrionise their own.”
He explained that SLTV has over 50 HD channels with 10 sport channels that show live football matches from the Premier League, Champions League, Laliga, Seria A, and UEL among others, with a monthly subscription ranging from N2,5000 and N5,000.
In his goodwill message, Mr. Benneth Igwe, Commissioner of Police for the FCT Police Command, pledged support for SLTV, as an indigenous Pay TV service provider.
As part of his support for the brand, Igwe promised to purchase an SLTV decoder for every police division in the FCT, totaling 58, adding that there was need to break the existing monopoly in the sector, and assured of the positive security status of the territory.