Kabul, 16th July 2015 – Afghanistan Broadcast System (ABS), an Afghan-owned media company based in Kabul, has achieved yet another milestone by reaching 100,000 fans on its Oqaab Facebook page in only 3 months. This is faster than any other Afghan company in the social media era was able to gather likes.
Oqaab has answered over 40,000 messages, 1,700 live chats and over 5,800 Emails. With around 9 Million impressions and answering 80% of incoming messages within 20 min, Oqaab is on the forefront of customer service and customer interaction in Afghanistan.
In April 2015 ABS launched its state-of-the-art Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) terrestrial service, branded “Oqaab” (meaning “eagle” in Dari), which allows viewers to watch television with clear, crisp picture and sound quality, up to High Definition (HD) via house antenna. The DVB technology eliminates the static disruptions, poor quality, and signal interference.
With a high interest in attracting the attention of an Afghan youth demographic that has become increasingly tech-savvy in recent years, the Oqaab Social Media Team achieved success by posting content that was both informative and entertaining. This included details on where to purchase the digital receivers, set-up instructions, and humorous videos illustrating the downfalls of traditional analogue TV viewing.
“Oqaab reaches over 4,5 Mio people in Kabul alone which is significant higher than any other TV channel was able to achieve before. The level of engagement on the Oqaab fan page is a clear indicator that Afghan television consumers are ready for change,” explained ABS Chief Operating Officer Andreas Wilmers. “TV consumers in Afghanistan have suffered from unreliable terrestrial transmissions for years and with Oqaab we are leap-frogging to the most advanced television system in the world. Of course Afghans are going to be curious about what this means, and have been drawn to our Facebook and Web page to get more information on the technology and coverage areas.”
With a multi-million dollar investment in infrastructure and personnel, ABS has launched the service initially in Kabul, to be followed shortly by subsequent service launches in 20 provincial capitals within the next three years.
For more information about Oqaab and how it works, please visit www.oqaab.af, our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/oqaabaf or call 880 to reach the Oqaab contact center.
+++ For High Res pictures and footage please contact Mukhtar Hussain (mhussain@abs.af, 0793124124) +++