The demand for online content has significantly since the beginning of 2020. This has been largely due to the global lockdowns that swept across almost all countries. Though lockdowns have either been scrapped or been toned down, for the most part, the trend continues. Basically the past 2 or so years primed people into being avid consumers of online content. This has seen many streaming sites that offer video-based content enjoying high traffic. We have also seen a spike in Africans developing online content, Zimbabweans included. However, being able to propagate their content online in a monetizable way has been a hurdle. That is why platforms like Play Afrika TV are making room for African content creators. I recently talked to Nico Abote, a Co-founder of Play Afrika TV and this is what we talked about.

Play Afrika TV – The Background

Play Afrika TV was established on the pretext of what I said in my introduction. It was meant to create a platform where African content creators can propagate their content. The content I am referring to here is video-based (even audio-based too).

Nico Abote is the Co-founder of Play Afrika TV along with some individuals he partnered with. He is also the Executive Producer. He is part of a vibrant and dynamic team of directors, college interns, and tech experts.

They unveiled the brand in October 2020. He told me, “The video-on-demand idea started back in 2014 and we ran a couple of experiments that still needed more time for us to understand the market, our infrastructure requirements, content aggregation, and production. Fast forward to 2020, with the pandemic lockdowns, we were left with no option but to accelerate our plans. We launched the website version in October 2020 and the mobile app (Android) in March 2021. Plans are still in play for the iOS version to be released soon”.

What Is Play Afrika TV?

Nico Abote said, “Play Afrika TV is a transactional video on demand platform. Meaning, one can subscribe for FREE, watch either free or rental movies or TV shows available on the streaming platform”. This means Play Afrika TV is a video-on-demand streaming platform that uses a unique business model.

Here the platform is free for anyone to access. However, once you are on the platform you have two options – watching free content or paying to view paid content. The latter is essentially your pay-per-view (or rental) model. What this also means is that content creators have two options as well.

They can submit their content for free viewing or they choose for people to pay to view it. With all this said it makes sense why Play Afrika TV considers itself a transactional video-on-demand streaming platform. They also have long term plans to venture into original film or television productions. This will be something along the lines of Play Afrika TV Originals.

Content To Expect On Play Afrika TV

Play Afrika TV hosts African-inspired content, both curated and produced by them. The platform (web) can carry video and audio content formats, with the capacity to host Live Radio portals too. They currently have 6 Radio Stations broadcasting. They also carry exclusive France 24 African video on demand stories.

The platform has a wide array of film and television productions. 4 broad categories branch off into sub-categories. You have TV Shows and this includes documentaries, web series, talk shows, news, music shows, and France24 Hub. Some Movies comprise genres such as action, comedy, and drama. There is also content that you get to listen to (and or watch) such as live radio and podcasts. You have Live content as well such as France 24. Overall, there is an extensive spread of choices that the audience can choose from.

The Vast Reach Of Play Afrika TV

Play Afrika TV is currently in more than 100 countries across Africa and the world at large. The platform enjoys daily hits that average between 4000 and 10 000 and more than 1000 mobile app downloads.

Partnership With Inhouse Media

In 2021, Play Afrika TV entered into a partnership with Inhouse Media. Inhouse Media is a Zimbabwean media enterprise that specializes in film and television productions. They are one of the leading brands in coming up with video-based content tailored for television and streaming sites. This partnership gave birth to the first-ever Play Afrika TV Original. It is called Chisara and is a web series comprising 15 episodes.

Zimbabwe A Key Player

I urge local Zimbabwean film and television productions to leverage this platform. Nico Abote even pointed this out when he said, “Let us celebrate our stories. The beauty in Africa can only be shown by us; our narratives are a key way into a better and celebrated Africa. Zimbabwe is a key player in making sure this happens; join us in empowering the creatives”. To submit content you can email submissions@playafrika.tv.

Current Challenges

Nico Abote cited acceptance as the major challenge that they are grappling with. However, he is confident they will grow and align with trends. “Acceptance is still a challenge in a growing tech space. People are consuming content on easy social media faster than ordinary broadcast portals can release. The model we have is still growing and we will build as we go, to align with trends, current and futuristic”, he said.

Openness To Business Or Investment Partnerships

Mr Abote highlighted that a growing idea should be willing to be invested in. Thus he said they are open to anything that will take Play Afrika TV beyond our current imagination. If you are interested in any business or investment partnerships with them, they are waiting for you.

Getting to showcase their content on Play Afrika TV enables it to reach far and beyond. Play Afrika TV also serves as inspiration that it is quite possible to have our platforms in Africa. This is a welcome trend we need to see growing more moving forward. Play Afrika TV is available via their web app which you can access here. You get onto that site, sign up and that gives you a free account. I highly recommend that you check it out. There are engaging, high-quality film and television productions to enjoy there. They sell merchandise which you can buy via their website as well. You can also engage with Play Afrika TV on social media namely, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.