Affordability pressures and competition for household spending are likely to shape SA’s over-the-top video market growth. South Africa’s over-the-top (OTT) video market is forecast to grow more slowly than the markets in Kenya and Nigeria over the next five years, as SA’s entertainment and media industry continues shifting towards digital consumption. According to the PricewaterhouseCoopers…
Groupe Canal+ is gearing up to introduce its flagship streaming application across MultiChoice territories, including South Africa, following the recent registration of local digital infrastructure. Recent network visibility of a regional landing page indicates that the rollout is imminent, bringing a unified over-the-top (OTT) service designed to integrate third-party platforms like Netflix directly into the…
For years, South African consumers maintained expensive top-tier pay-TV subscriptions primarily to retain access to live sports, as international streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video lack local broadcasting rights for major sporting events. However, recent structural changes to MultiChoice’s product offerings, combined with strategic subscription-sharing features, have created a far more accessible…
The content regulator is combining human monitors, automated tools and international networks as it strengthens its online enforcement capabilities. (Image source: iStock) The Film and Publication Board (FPB) is planning to incorporate generative artificial intelligence (AI) into its regulatory processes, as it seeks to improve the monitoring, analysis and classification of the growing volume of…
Disney+ has launched a redesigned application in South Africa, requiring existing subscribers to transition to the updated platform by October 12, after which the legacy app will be fully decommissioned. Users accessing the platform will be prompted to download the new software and authenticate using their existing credentials, with on-screen prompts guiding account confirmation and…
An extended preview of Grand Theft Auto VI dominated Netflix’s streaming charts for the week of August 24 through August 30, claiming the top spot on the platform’s global movie rankings. Despite securing only a brief six-hour exclusivity window on August 27 before Rockstar Games uploaded the footage to YouTube, the nearly 30-minute video accumulated…
Nine years after shutting down its VU streaming video platform, MTN has officially launched MTN One TV, a video streaming service designed to broaden digital entertainment access across Africa. Introduced as part of the telecom operator’s Ambition 2030 strategy, the platform is undergoing a phased rollout across MTN’s regional markets, delivering a consolidated hub for…
Fox Corp is placing a massive bet on the future of cord-cutting, announcing a cash-and-stock deal to purchase streaming pioneer Roku for approximately $22 billion. The blockbuster acquisition aims to combine Fox’s premier live sports and news programming with Roku’s hardware and software footprint, accelerating Fox’s transition into the digital-first era. Read: Meta rolls out…
Fox Corp is buying Roku in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about US$22-billion in a bet that pairing its sports and news programming with a top TV streaming platform will strengthen its position as audiences shift online. The deal, announced on Monday, gives the cable TV-reliant Fox direct access to Roku’s large installed base of…
Robert Koen, Amazon’s MD for sub-Saharan Africa South Africans who subscribe to Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service will be automatically moved onto the company’s new and cheaper Amazon Prime membership, Amazon has confirmed. Prime Video has until now been sold locally as a standalone service at R79/month. The newly launched Prime bundle, which folds in…
