ABIDJAN, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of people living in remote areas in Cote d'Ivoire and other African countries were able to watch the matches at home when the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicked off on Saturday, thanks to broadcast services provided by StarTimes, a Chinese digital TV operator.

A project aiming to connect 10,000 African villages to satellite television services was proposed during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2015. By December 2023, the project, undertaken by StarTimes, has helped 9,512 villages in 20 African countries receive digital TV signals. More than 190,000 households benefit directly from the project.