February 21, 2018
iflix, the SVoD service for emerging markets, and Econet Media’s pan-African media company, Kwesé have expanded their partnership in sub-Saharan Africa.
Kwesé has acquired a significant stake in iflix Africa, which will now form part of Kwesé’s diverse broadcast offering, as the core vehicle to deliver seamless mobile experiences to millions of viewers in Africa. Having set up operations in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa, iflix offers users an extensive collection of local African and international series and movies, including first-to-market exclusive programming.
Both companies have committed extensive resources with local and international expertise in mobile entertainment to serve Africa’s diverse markets. Econet Group Founder and Executive Chairman, Strive Masiyiwa remarked: “We are thrilled to deepen our operating partnership with iflix to lead the transformation of media in Africa. Our companies share a mutual passion for innovation, along with a deep understanding of the culture and evolution of digital businesses. Mobility in content consumption has grown exponentially in Africa and by partnering with iflix Africa we are ensuring that we are not only taking part in the evolution, but are leading the movement.”
iflix Group Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mark Britt added: “The strengthening of our relationship with Econet Group is a huge milestone for iflix. Following the initial phase of building our business in Africa, we have seen tremendous growth across our operating markets, far exceeding our expectations. Econet’s deep experience and success in media and telecoms, will be a huge advantage and enable us to continue to grow rapidly.”
Kwesé is currently available in 13 countries with its pay-as-you-watch pay-TV service, and has built the largest pan-African FTA broadcast network showcasing Kwesé Free Sport in over 25 countries. The operating partnership will see iflix drive Kwesé’s go-to-market mobile delivery in each of its territories. iflix is urrently available to over one billion consumers across 24 territories throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
