Online Streaming in Africa Q&A

GeoPoll: How has streaming impacted the TV and media market in Sub Saharan Africa in the past few years?

Kwesé iflix CEO, Mayur Patel: The future of TV is the internet and the home of the internet in Africa is mobile. More than 80% of broadband in Africa is accessed via smartphones and tablets, mobile devices are the place where consumers in our markets will increasingly connect with the content they love. Many of our users in the region have bypassed traditional linear broadcast TV, and their first experience of TV is on their mobile phone.

Entertainment producers are now partnering with mobile streaming services in order to access the growing market of mobile savvy consumers. We are now witnessing short form content being made solely for mobile users, along with streaming entertainment services gaining the rights to first time exclusives. People are also starting to consume live TV coverage, sport and entertainment, on their phones.

GP: What are some unique challenges of implementing streaming solutions in Africa?

MP: Some of the challenges our users face include the affordability of mobile data, storage capacity on their phones and the accessibility of subscription payment options. To help with this we formed partnerships with Africa’s leading mobile operators across our markets, from Nigeria to Zimbabwe. We have worked closely with them to create affordable video data bundles specifically for the Kwese iflix app, often with off-peak access, making it easier for our users to watch content on the go. For example, in Kenya during the World Cup, we partnered with Safaricom to launch the Giga Football Passes that gave users 24 hours unlimited data access to the Kwesé iflix app for less than a dollar.

To address storage capacity on people’s devices, we gave our users the choice to download content in three qualities – low, medium or high – so that they can decide what’s best for them. This allows users to download content at a small file size when using public WiFi and watch it at any point over the next 30 days.

On the payment side, we offer flexible options for users to access our full content catalogue. Individuals can buy a 1 day, 3 day, 7 day or 30 day VIP pass to suit everyone’s pockets. Users are used to buying data packs like this as opposed to having a rolling 30 day subscription. The result has been unprecedented growth in customer engagement.

GP: Where do you see streaming and on demand video moving in the next 2-5 years?

MP: In the next five years, mobile TV will be ubiquitous. The trends indicate that data costs in the region will decrease and it is likely that affordable uncapped data options will be more common for video consumption. With this shift, there will be an even greater influx of customers seeking out streaming services to suit their entertainment needs.

To stay ahead of the content game, Kwesé iflix has expanded on the traditional video-on-demand model and introduced new, engaging live, localised programming and features, targeting both mass market users and younger digital-savvy demographic groups.

User data reveals that local audiences have a strong preference for local content. To cater to this demand, we have increased the acquisition and commissioning of local content. We are excited to announce our Kwesé iflix Originals for East and West Africa which will premiere on the app in the coming months.

GP: Under the pay TV rights for the 2018 World Cup, your subscribers in various countries in Sub-Saharan Africa also had the option of streaming the matches, tell us more about this service, how it works, who it was targeted at and what the impact was on football fans in the continent

MP: Kwesé iflix made all 64 FIFA 2018 World Cup matches available live to millions of football fans throughout Africa on our mobile app.

Africa as a whole has the most engaged football fan base in the world, with over three quarters of the population interested in the sport. We wanted to democratise viewing of the sport people love, and give everyone who has access to the internet the ability to live stream games and enjoy post-match wrap ups, all on-the-go and on their terms. We also made all games featuring African teams, the final match and all the highlights of the games available for free.

The user reception amongst each of our markets has been extremely positive, indicting to us that we are on the right track with our live sport content and entertainment roll out. Consumers are embracing the combination of live sport and entertainment, all in one app. This was the first time that all the world cup matches were available on mobile in Africa and we hope to have set the bar for more great firsts to come in our markets.

GP: Was the engagement with streaming services during the World Cup higher or lower than you would have expected?

MP: In terms of scale – this was the single largest live mobile streaming event ever to take place in our markets over 30 days, and it took place on the Kwese iflix platform. We are grateful to the support from our partners and the users across our markets who selected Kwese iflix as their home for the best sport action.

By offering our fans unparalleled access to the games on their mobile device we saw more than 100 million minutes streamed throughout the World Cup. The Kwesé iflix app rapidly became the leading mobile sport and entertainment service in many of our markets.

GP: What are the biggest areas of opportunity for streaming services – live sports matches, news programming, entertainment, or something else?

MP: At Kwesé iflix we see the biggest opportunities in creating a complete mobile TV experience for our users – combining thousands of hours of top quality international and local movies and TV shows with premium live sporting events, news programming, kids entertainment, along with original content that resonates with the audience. We are the first app in Africa to provide mobile customers with standalone access to on-demand content, and a unique live sport and entertainment content offering via our live hub feature. This includes the largest pan-African linear local free-to-air and pay TV channels for mobile devices. We believe that opportunity lies in diversity and options for all.

For more information on Kwese iflix, please contact:

KATHRYN MECHIE

Regional PR & Communications Manager AFRICA

m (+27) 0711382253

e [email protected]

The post The Future of Online Streaming & On Demand Video in Africa, Our Chat With Kwese Iflix CEO appeared first on GeoPoll.

The Opening Ceremony

The 1hr opening ceremony was televised live by FIFA partner broadcasters across the globe, with viewers across Africa tuning in. GeoPoll examined audience share for select stations airing the opening ceremony and first match in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. Interest in the opening ceremony was high in Kenya and Tanzania, likely due to the fact that it was aired starting at 1600 in these countries, while it was earlier in the day in West Africa. In Kenya, Kwese Free Sports had a 14% share of all TV viewers during the opening ceremony, while in Tanzania TBC had the most audience, at 22% of TV viewers.

Russia Vs Saudi Arabia

The first game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup was played between Group A’s Russia, the host nation, and Saudi Arabia at 1500hrs GMT. In Kenya, peak viewership came at 1930, in the middle of the game, when over 38% of TV viewers were tuned into the matches on various channels. In Tanzania at the same time, over 32% of TV viewers were watching. Ghana also saw an increase of viewers from the opening ceremony to the first match, with a share of over 27% of viewers. Viewership in Nigeria was also at over 27% of total TV viewers.

In all countries, we can observe an increase in viewership during the game when compared to the opening ceremony. This signals more interest in the first game of 2018 FIFA World Cup and not the official opening ceremony.

A number of free to air channels and pay TV channels across the world are broadcast partners for 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Highest Viewership by Channel

NTV Kenya had the highest viewership in Kenya, capturing over 30% of TV audience in Kenya during the time of the match. This is an increase of over 400% of NTV’s typical audience during the same time period. Kwese Free Sports had a 13% audience share prior to the start of the match in Kenya, which dropped during the airing of the game. In Nigeria, NTA Nigeria and SuperSport also saw an increased audience size during the game, with SuperSport at 14% of all viewers and NTA at 13%. Tanzania saw TBC dominating audience share of the channels showing the games.

Second-day action sees the other Group A match between Africa’s Egypt and South America’s Uruguay kick off at 1200hrs GMT. Group B matches of yet another African representative Morocco and Iran follows at 1500h GMT and the day’s highlight game being former champions Spain facing off with European champions, Portugal at 1800h GMT.

GeoPoll will catch all the action and provide you with audience estimates on the 2018 FIFA World Cup, derived from the syndicated audience measurement product that is collected daily.

Our Exclusive World Cup Subscription Offer

We have a special world cup subscription offer for 6 countries (Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria, Uganda and Rwanda) Sign up and get access to our online TV viewership data portal for the two months (June and July) during which the matches will be played. The portal gives you real-time access to the media consumption data collected daily.

As part of the package, you will receive a weekly World Cup audience measurement insights report with a breakdown on:

• The number of people watching World Cup games
• Viewership numbers broken down by age and gender
• Comparison of game watching across countries
• Game viewership by tournament round

As for your Ad campaign evaluation, our post-campaign evaluation tool will give you the data on how your ad campaigns are doing, in terms of reach and the impact they’ve had on the target audience. This would be a good way to accurately confirm the return on investment on every campaign.

Contact us now to sign up for our exclusive World Cup offer!

Note: This blog article focuses on certain channels and countries airing the World Cup. In Nigeria, data is based on information from select states.

The post 2018 FIFA World Cup Kick Off: African Viewership appeared first on GeoPoll.

Well done @msk_kenya and @GeoPoll for this excellent event. #worldcupinafrica insights by African fans survey report launch pic.twitter.com/6nC6VemdFO

— Joel Karubiu (@joelkarubiu) May 17, 2018

The colorful event was graced by such sports personalities as Carol Radul, renown Kenyan sports journalists, media buying agencies, and marketers. It was an opportunity for MSK members and brand owners seeking in on the World Cup season action to get fresh insights into how Africans will be watching this global event in less than a month.

#WorldCupInAfrica. Numbers and insights on trends around the World Cup done by GeoPoll. pic.twitter.com/fKo5hJlj8m

— Warothe Kiru (@warothe) May 17, 2018

The 20-page report is the product of a multi-country survey conducted by GeoPoll in 6 African countries to gain an understanding of the popularity of the World Cup in Africa, predict viewership trends for the tournament, and give insights into what teams Africans are rooting for in 2018. The report includes in-depth data on World Cup enthusiasm from 6 Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania.

The evening event was held in Nairobi. The program included a presentation of the main report highlights, a panel discussion by media owners and sports enthusiasts and a World Cup trivia competition.

The report presentation by J.P Murunga, GeoPoll’s Senior Client Services Manager opened up the stage to a moderated discussion amongst the invited panelists. The panelist were: Monicah Ndung’u – General Manager, Kwese Free Sports Kenya; Carol Radull – Sports presenter & enthusiast, Radio Africa Group; Akinyi Okulo, GeoPoll’s Senior Client Services Manager – media. The session was moderated by Michael Kwambo, Media and Communications Manager at the Kenya Rugby Union. The discussion dwelt on what the insights meant for all the stakeholders, lessons learned, and the next cause of action for marketers, media owners and media buying agencies.

Some of the highlights of the panel discussion were: the lack of brand awareness amongst respondents of the survey; the growing interest towards football and the World Cup among female fans; the need for marketers to look at the event as one that happens every for years hence the need to find creative ways of appealing to fans beyond the 90 minutes of each game.

Team flags at the event of countries representing Africa at the world cup #worldcupinafrica @msk_kenya @GeoPoll nice touch pic.twitter.com/YGOEUdSs6S

— Joel Karubiu (@joelkarubiu) May 17, 2018

The World Cup Trivia session that followed the panel discussion was an opportunity for the guests to test their skills and knowledge of the sport as well as marketing around the World Cup season. GeoPoll conducted the 18 trivia exercise via a mobile web interface that contained multimedia based questions such as audio, videos, memes and photos. Analysis of the correct responses and the corresponding winners was completed within 5 minutes. Three Winners of the trivia walked away with some exclusive GeoPoll merchandise.

Download the full report here, or contact GeoPoll if you are interested in gaining access to our daily TV ratings during the World Cup or running a custom survey around World Cup activities, contact us

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