J. Basic. Appl. Sci. Res., 9(6)20-26, 2019 © 2019, TextRoad Publication ISSN 2090-4304 Journal of Basic and Applied Scientific Research www.textroad.com Corresponding Author: Samel Waitina Ririhena, Faculty of Economics and Business Universitas Musamus. Merauke, Indonesia. Email: ririhena@unmus.ac.id Strategies for Improving Competitiveness of Cable TV (A Case Study of Mitra Kita Cable TV) Samel Waitina Ririhena*, Semuel Batlajery, Funisia Lamalewa and Ramadan Indra Cahya Faculty of Economics and Business Universitas Musamus, Merauke, Indonesia Received: June 5, 2019 Accepted: September 27, 2019 ABSTRACT This research aims to make strategies that can be implemented by Mitra Kita Cable TV in order to improve its competitiveness. This qualitative descriptive method consists of the input stage, matching stage, and decision stage. The data were collected using interviews, observation, and questionnaires. There were 4 (four) informants in this research. The data analysis method used is SWOT. The findings explained that Mitra Kita Cable TV is in a growing and developing condition, so the recommended strategy is to optimize product development (intensifying advertising services offered to customers) and market penetration (always focusing on its main product, i.e. broadcast service on a subscription basis at affordable rates). KEYWORDS: Strategies, Improvement, Competitiveness. 1. INTRODUCTION The fact that the rapid development of technology supports the development of the media industry compared to previous times makes the need for information, entertainment, and knowledge enhancers very easy to access. One form of the development of technology used to meet these three needs is TV. The use of TV among the community has covered all levels of society, both the lower, middle, and upper classes. This is proven by several survey institutions which state that TV is the media that is currently the most in demand. Since Merauke City is located in the easternmost position in Indonesia, information media is necessary to help the people of Merauke City to know the development in both the Regional and International Sectors through subscription TV. The financial condition of the Merauke people that is diverse is one of the reasons why Cable TV is very suitable to be developed in Merauke City. The high competition in the pay TV industry requires Mitra Kita Cable TV to have a strategy in increasing its competitiveness to maintain its business and win the competition. In maintaining its existence, Mitra Kita Cable TV has taken various steps to attract customer interest and maintain its existence such as maintaining a good relationship with customers to create a sense of comfort when they have subscribed. The main problem with this business entity is the use of technology to support the products presented. To maintain the number of customers, Mitra Kita Cable TV maintains a stable picture quality up to the customer's home. The company makes the transition to outdoor support equipment periodically. Even though the efforts carried out are still not maximal, the company continues to make improvements to the service and broadcast in order to keep its business running. Based on the internal data from Mitra Kita Cable TV, the fee set for registration is Rp. 400,000 while the regular fee is Rp. 50,000. This rate is the result of a joint agreement formalized by the Merauke Cable TV Association with the range of cable TV network of the customers around the area of Gak Street, Onggatmid Street and Pendidikan Kota Merauke Street with a total of 415 customers in 2019. However, that number is still classified as standard compared to its competitors who have up to 600 customers or even 1,000 customers. Therefore, the Mitra Kita Cable TV must determine the best strategy to be able to win the long-term competition in the pay TV industry in Merauke City. Based on these problems, the title of this research is the "Strategies for Improving the Competitiveness of Cable TV," to determine how the strategies can be implemented by Mitra Kita Cable TV to improve its competitiveness. 1. Strategy A strategy is a set of policies or stages created by company leaders (managers) to achieve the company success or a common goal which will later be applied by a number of elements in the company [1]. A strategy is an action or capability that requires some decisions based on the policy of top managers and all elements of the company in large numbers. In short, a strategy is the action to achieve common goals. Assauri [2] stated the function of a strategy is to strive for all matters relating to the strategy to be implemented optimally. 20