As far as the phrase – come out with a bang – goes, TSTV arrived with a big, loud crash. Only the noise was not a big sound of victory but the sound of TSTV’s own crashing.
Apparently, TSTV also gave further meaning to the phrase – dead on arrival. The truth is that they weren’t just ready. The troubles began the moment they arrived. From transmission rights issues to general poor service delivery, everything is there to show that very little thought went into establishing something of that magnitude.
But it wasn’t only the company or the dozens of employees it had taken off the job market, or would have taken off the job market, that felt the blow. Many Nigerians also felt the pain of TSTV’s inability to measure up.
Nigerians have never shown more hope for any indigenous cause as they did for TSTV. Here it was, our own Nigerian-owned satellite TV coming right on time to take down the foreign-owned DSTV that has carved for itself a stinging monopoly in the Nigerian market.
I swear even the owners of DSTV were rattled by TSTV’s arrival noise. They were shaken so much that they were already putting measures in place in readiness for the competition that was coming. Little did we know that TSTV’s noise was just noise and no action.
Things started looking shaky the moment differing dates were set for the launch of their decoders. But, surprisingly, Nigerians made excuses for them – they are new and are coming with a whole lot of difference so delays are understandable.
TSTV had promised Nigerians internet and WiFi-enabled decoders – a first of its kind. The decoders will appear as a sort of modem – allowing video conferencing and data sharing. They even promised Nigerians cheap data (10GB data for just N3000 with an extra 20GB as bonus) – it all sounded too good to be true. Nigerians don’t trust easily but somehow we trusted TSTV. Perhaps the company’s only successful feat ever was getting Nigerians to trust them and actually believe they were bringing magic.
Finally, we got off the delays and the first batch of decoders arrived. It was nothing like they promised. No internet. No WiFi. No data. And from there it became a series of unkept and broken promises all through. And that’s when Nigerians stopped building castles on TSTV’s sky.
TSTV did not leave the same way they arrived. In fact, nobody gave notice to their exit. Nigerians just got tired and avoided them. People who bought decoders but couldn’t watch anything trashed the decoders and moved on. Somehow it looked as though Nigerians felt sympathy for them. Like gave them credit for even trying.
There were no massive protests against money spent for a service not rendered. Nigerians just forgave and forgot about TSTV.
Until today that we hear that a court ruling has ejected TSTV from its Abuja headquarters over failure to pay rent. To many Nigerians, this news is like the closure we all needed.
TSTV is gone and buried. We move!
