The academic qualifications of local hires are also high, 80 percent having an undergraduate diploma.

Star Times has comprehensive training for local workers, given that the technological standards used are all imported from China.

"By doing so we not only build a professional staff team but also help local people obtain skills," Liao says. "In a way that's also a technology export."

Low prices alone are far from enough to attract African consumers. The TV programs on offer play a key role in determining Star Times' share of the market.

One big draw is football, and the company has rights to broadcast games in several European championships.

Besides football and news, Star Times is a medium through which Africans are exposed to the daily life of China and the country's culture. Channels that broadcast in Swahili and Hausa carry programs mainly translated from Chinese.

The broadcast of one popular Chinese weekly drama series has been such that the station often receives calls from viewers asking for episodes to be repeated if they miss them. Programs about Chinese legends such as Kung Fu Warlords are popular, too.

Of course, much work has to be done to cross the linguistic bridge. "You need proper, high-quality translation," Liao says. The company has translation operations in China and Kenya.

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