Chinese pay TV group StarTimes wows audiences with World Cup

The 2018 Russia World Cup, which ran from June 14 to July 15, saw jubilant fans go wild around the world, including Africa - and amid the festivities, a Chinese company was active in the sidelines helping fans join the party in Nigeria.

In that country, millions of households paid only 1,300 naira ($3.60) to watch all 64 matches of the World Cup live through the StarTimes pay television channel, while the price of two other local digital TV operators was several times higher.

Little known is that StarTimes is a Chinese-funded private company and after entering the African market, the company really broke the mold for the pay TV market there.