African television lovers can now access local content in a new digital media space through Aza TV, an online platform that aims to deliver the best in entertainment, lifestyle, talk and inspirational television by Africans, for Africans.
Aza TV was launched on 20 May 2015 by media personalities Salamina Mosese and Stephina Zwane through their media company, Sorele Media, a 100 per cent female-owned African media content company.
Aza TV is an online VOD platform, with all shows on the platform available to watch at the viewer’s leisure whenever he or she chooses.
In a recent interview with the Gauteng Film Commission (GFC), Mosese explained the inspiration behind Aza TV. “We named it Aza TV, Aza meaning powerful in Swahili,” she said. “We wanted to approach TV production in a new way.”
Both Zwane and Mosese are passionate about providing alternatives to mainstream media distribution and consumption. “We wanted to see how best we could encourage people to consume media in a different way, and to find a way to ensure that the producer of the content benefits and not just the broadcaster,” Mosese said.
While Aza TV is very much still in the start-up phase, the two women are proud to have made it past the one-year mark. “It was a daunting undertaking, and every day is a learning opportunity for us,” Mosese said.
Aza TV has four channels – Talk, Entertainment, Inspirational and Lifestyle – with different shows under each of these categories, all of which are accessible through the website or the AzaTV App.
Mosese says their target market is Africans aged between 14 and 40 years old and the numbers indicate that they’ve already started reaching this market – Aza TV hit 100 000 impressions in its first year of launch. “So now we need to grow these numbers and keep our audiences coming back,” she said.
The early success didn’t come without its challenges, however. “Starting a business is always challenging,” Mosese said. “Raising funding was very time-consuming, and then operating it and keeping content fresh and current is another challenge. Another challenge will always be the cost of data,” she added.
“However, AzaTV is a whole new medium for South African producers, so it is exciting to be able to develop content that can be easily consumed and accessed. It presents unique opportunities to get even more creative.”
For more information visit the Aza TV website.
