YoTV is an IPTV service from Albayan Media that launched recently in Uganda with a promise of offering live TV & radio on the go on top of movies. It has been able to deliver on this promise but not without some caveats.
We shall get to those another time but here are a few features that may prompt you to give the service a try.
PVR Functionality
YoTV allows its users to pause and rewind both live TV & Radio for unlimited hours. The feature has somewhat been associated with DSTV especially its Explorer decoders but you now have it in the palm of your hands.
Catchup
In case you missed any programming may be due to a busy schedule, YoTV can keep it for you for up to 24 hours thus the catchup moniker.
Cloud DVR
DVR refers to a digital video recorder. It is mostly associated with set-top boxes where the viewer records TV but the storage is mostly local, meaning it happens on the decoder itself. For YoTV, instead of recordings being stored on your smartphone or tablet, they will instead be stored in the cloud.
Personalization
What makes streaming interesting is that most services learn one’s watching patterns and go-ahead to offer recommendations based on that. YoTV does the same for one’s preferred programs, TVs, radios, and movies.
No Network Restrictions
Much as YoTV struck a partnership with MTN to bundle its subscription with data bundles, the service can still work with other networks and ISPs.
No Regional Restrictions
Most IPTV or streaming services offer content according to one’s location due to licensing restrictions but YoTV says it wants the same experience for every Ugandan regardless of where they’re in this world. Given, it is purely a Ugandan service, we suspect restrictions might apply to its movie library but hovering over different areas on a VPN seemed not able to deter their library.
Recap
Its immediate competitor is Airtel’s own Airtel TV and below is how both services compare to each other. Much as both try to offer more or less the same service, they’re noticeable differences, especially on the experience and usability side.
| YoTV | Airtel TV | |
| Channels | Local TV + Radio + International Channels* | Local + International Channels |
| Live TV Programming | Yes | Yes |
| Network Support | All Networks | Airtel Only |
| Original Programming | No | No |
| VPN Friendliness | Yes | No |
| Free Trial | 1 Month of the MTN Network | 1 Month |
| Pricing | 1 hour – UGX 500I day – UGX 1,000I month – UGX 10,000 | Free on the Airtel Network, counting against the available data balance. |
| Taking Screenshots | Yes | No |
| Casting Support (Miracast, ChromeCast, AirPlay) | No | No |
| Tablet Optimization | Yes | Yes |
| Web Support | Yes | No |
