Since the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus COVID-19 started at the beginning of this year, Africa’s leading digital TV operator StarTimes has been taken many actions.

These actions were all guided by the "4 Healthy initiatives” set by StarTimes’ chairman Pang Xinxing: Healthy Environment, Healthy Mindset, Healthy Behavior, Healthy Body.

Healthy environment

When the outbreak started, the StarTimes chairman’s first concern was to protect the company’s employees by creating a healthy environment.

As early as February 2020, StarTimes adopted internal guidelines to minimize the risk of the virus spreading among all offices across Africa and conducted employees training on how to protect themselves and their colleagues.

Since then, StarTimes has been providing a shuttle bus service to employees so they don’t have to take public transportation. The company is also planning to bring packs of face masks to distribute among employees and partners in Africa.

In Zambia, StarTimes donated a batch of supplies and is planning similar donation in other countries.

Healthy Behavior

Once StarTimes employees were able to work in a healthy environment, the following step was to make sure that other people in Africa could be made aware of what is a Healthy Behavior.

As soon as the outbreak started, rumors have been spreading, fake news have been circulating on social media and people have been acting irrationally at times on the basis of the fake news.

Fear and ignorance are the main dangers for the communities, especially during periods of a pandemic of the coronavirus proportion.

As a media group, it is StarTimes’ role to disseminate accurate and official information to help maintain calmness in society.

StarTimes’ employees have produced 30 short videos in 6 languages to raise awareness about the virus and to communicate about basic advices from the World Health Organization.

These videos are posted on Facebook and broadcast daily on TV. StarTimes also edited a set of 30 posters in 3 languages based on WHO advice aimed at raising awareness on the virus and at helping families to cope with the situation.

Through a better understanding of the virus and of the outbreak, people would adopt a Healthy Behavior, protecting themselves, their families and their community.

Healthy Mindset

Accurate information is a weapon against the virus. The virus can be beaten, it has already been proved in China and it shall be witnessed around the world. People need hope, they need to know what others are going through and have been through to beat the outbreak.

That is why StarTimes decided to produce the "StarTimes Daily —— COVID-19 Report”.

It shares on a daily basis world news, experience, testimonies, and advices in order to bring hope to people facing the pandemic. The report is produced in 6 languages and broadcast on 12 channels and on StarTimes ON streaming app.

Already in Guinea and soon in other countries, StarTimes is sharing this program with local TV station so hope can reach every household and people can keep a Healthy Mindset during the crisis.

Keeping a Healthy Mindset also means having children engaged while at home, especially since schools have been closed as a preventive measure against the spread of the virus.

Kids need to learn and to get entertained. StarTimes recently launched a new channel, Mindset Learn, and a new edutainment TV program on ST Kids called Home Schooling to keep the children stimulated. In Uganda and Kenya, StarTimes added new educational programs in partnership with local organizations.

Healthy Body

Lastly, as people tend to stay home amidst the lockdown also instituted to curtain the virus, they still need to live their lives. 

That starts by checking your health so nobody is put at risk. To help people know whether they need a medical examination, StarTimes launched the "COVID-19 Self-evaluation and Reference System” on StarTimes ON app as pre-diagnosed system.

Through a series of questions, users can get advice on whether and how to take actions afterwards, such as calling the helpline and be taken to the hospital. StarTimes is also about to launch a TV shopping platform that will provide a safe way to do shopping from home without the need to go out.

In the meantime, in some countries, StarTimes’ after-sales service has taken arrangement to keep operating and guarantee a high level of service during the crisis.

The door-to-door service is operated by StarTimes engineers with sufficient protection, dubbed as "heroes on the front line”.

StarTimes also reinforced its online payment services so people can recharge directly from their home through third-party partners and StarTimes ON. The StarTimes application has been opening its platform to subscribers, providing a hundred channels for free to users across Africa.

By making sure people don’t have to leave home to get access to services, StarTimes is trying to protect families around the continent, helping them keep a Healthy Body. Healthy Environment, Healthy Mindset, Healthy Behavior, Healthy Body.

Through the "4 Healthy initiatives”, StarTimes’ chairman Pang Xinxing has pushed StarTimes to new heights to support Africa while face this unprecedented pandemic.

About StarTimes

StarTimes is the leading digital TV operator in Africa, serving 13 million DVB subscribers and 20 million OTT users with a signal covering the whole continent and a massive distribution network of 170+ brand halls and 30,000+ distributors in 37 countries.

StarTimes owns a featured content platform, with 600 authorized channels consisting of news, movies, series, sports, entertainment, children's programs, etc. The company's vision is "To ensure that every African family can access, afford, watch and share the beauty of digital TV".