In 2013, Balancing Act, an online publication and consultancy company which
has a focus on Africa’s telecoms, ICT and audio visual sectors, conducted a
market report reviewing all VOD platforms related to Africa. MTN Play, a mobile
VOD offering which is being piloted in in the Ivory Coast was one of the 52
platforms listed. Associate editor Sylvain Beletre discusses the service with
Laurent Duprey, Head of Product and Services Department and Boubakar
Sorgho, Manager Consumer Project, at MTN Cote d’Ivoire.
MTN has been strategically signing deals for video and music content with
various content providers such as Afrinolly, Africa’s highest downloaded mobile
app which offers movie, music video and comedy content to its users. Afrinolly
has received over 3m downloads across the continent.
Released as a test market, MTN Play offers paid customers access to music,
apps, games, wallpapers, ringtones, e-cards, horoscopes and news while VOD is
an additional paid for service via streaming or download. Music, SMS and
ringtones are the main sources of the portal’s revenue, and VOD follows after
them.
Depending on the quality of their content and the traffic which it garners, audio
visual content owners earn between 30 and 60% of revenue share and receive
payment on a quarterly basis. Though earnings are currently small, with monthly
visitor numbers at 5,000, the potential for growth is evident.
“The type of audio visual content we are interested in varies, but it should be
adapted to mobile terminals’ screens. It goes from cartoons, gags, jokes, sports
to TV programmes short videos, mostly in French for the time being,’ said
Sorgho.
MTN plans to continue growing the portal by adding more relevant mobile
content and expanding to other territories in Africa, it has also launched a VOD
app in Nigeria.
“We now have the network capacity to support video streaming. Broadband
access is not an issue anymore,’ added Sorgho.
MTN Cote d’Ivoire is seeking content from rights owners of audio visual material
suited to mobile audiences and smartphones.
Visit the MTN
Play website for more information.
Contact Boubakar.sorgho@mtn.ci for more information.
