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As Smartphones and Internet Connections Rise in Africa, So Does Entertainment Streaming (qz.com)
Growing smartphone and internet penetration across many African countries saw global streaming companies make a deeper play for audiences here this year. From a report: Netflix signaled its interest in Africa by hiring a content producer for the region and took on the MultiChoice, the continental satellite TV giant owned by Naspers, Africa's most valuable company. The Los Gatos, California company spooked MultiChoice with everything from trolling online ads to billboards placed conspicuously close to their Johannesburg headquarters. MultiChoice has clearly taken notice and has called for Netflix to be regulated. No African regulator has shown the appetite to rein Netflix in, though. Indeed, Netflix has bolstered its library of African content with a first original movie from Nigeria's Nollywood movie industry and committed to producing its first original African series.
[...] Altogether, there's clearly a growing market as content consumption habits evolve among Africa's youth -- a majority of the continent's population. For example, Nigerians are already consuming more video on mobile devices than on television. Platforms like Tv2Go, which launched in South Africa in November, are experimenting with free mobile platforms, but may find that increasingly discerning streaming audiences need binge-worthy content to attract them.
[...] Altogether, there's clearly a growing market as content consumption habits evolve among Africa's youth -- a majority of the continent's population. For example, Nigerians are already consuming more video on mobile devices than on television. Platforms like Tv2Go, which launched in South Africa in November, are experimenting with free mobile platforms, but may find that increasingly discerning streaming audiences need binge-worthy content to attract them.
MultiChoice has clearly taken notice and has called for Netflix to be regulated.
Unless it can be used to limit competition. Then they like it.
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
Africans use the internet to spread knowledge of greenhouse gasses.
Greedy Silicon Valley bastards are primed to cash in and remake the culture so they can cash in even more. You people are the most sheepish the world has ever seen. Silicon Valley and the coasts ARE our 21st century colonialists.
Let's see how many comments do these "news" about Africa attract.
In the meanwhile, a white genocide is ongoing in South Africa.
As access to something becomes increasingly available, use of that something increases as well.
When you didn't have the means to stream video and music, it was, necessarily, limited.
It should be "took on MultiChoice" and not "took on the MultiChoice".
A lot of people already find plenty of African made movies are binge-worthy. However, they mostly rely on Video-CDs - which bring a new perspective to "Ultra low resolution" unequalled even by VHS.
Pay TV is a big deal in most of Africa - in the unlikely event that you have an electricity supply. Solar will eventually fix that.
Binging on online movies will not be a big thing unless the networks cut the price of data a very long way indeed.
Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
Formula 1 drivers always make race-ist comments.
#DeleteFacebook
Yes, they *love* regulation. If it's *their* regulation.
And they only hate it, if it isn't. Which, in America, equals it being some other company's regulation.
Because obviously, for profit-maximization purposes, they prefer a complete monopoly over a market where others can put up some resistance.
As they are only interested in themselves. (Even though half the point of humanity's success is, that teamwork is vastly superior.)
And they are only interested in profit. (Even though profit is not a purpose in itself, let alone something that improves humanity, but merely a means that can be used to achieve that. Which, and that's the problem, companies don't. They just use it to make even more profit. Making the whole thing utterly pointless.)
I'm wondering how their networks will support this, assuming that they are primarily wireless. It really amazes me how much entertainment is streamed every which way across the internet compared to the efficiency of traditional broadcasts. I guess we've got fiber to burn here in the U.S., but not so much in developing countries.
Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K.
Happy kwanzaa yall
...and they're genociding each other as per usual.
It's a funny old world, eh ?
Well, I am sure the smartphones and net connections are due entirely to the innovation and technical know-how of native Africans, and definitely not white people or foreign aid from majority-white nations.
Corporate overlords to divide and conquer.
The continent is in perpetual turmoil and you're going to saturate them with more divisive propaganda masquerading as 'entertainment'
In before they know what hit em eh? Cruel.