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MTN has upped the ante in a bid to win market share in the lucrative video streaming market, offering a product that will cost as little as R30 a month.Known as MTN One TV, the service will initially be available in South Africa and Zambia as the mobile telecom group pushes into online media. Customers will have different access options depending on their market, including free-to-view content, advertising-funded viewing, pay-as-you-watch access, and subscription offerings. Registration for the service is free, with special data bundles available via the company’s Momo mobile payments service, credit card or as an addition to one’s postpaid bill.(Dorothy Kgosi) South Africa’s mobile operators have attempted — with varying degrees of success — to conquer the video streaming market. Still, MTN One’s pricing, which will range from free to “a low R30 a month”, appears to be targeting customers who find Netflix’s R59 or YouTube Premium’s R80 starting prices out of reach. In South Africa, it is only available to MTN customers with a valid mobile number from the operator.Customers can access MTN One TV on up to five devices linked to one account. However, you will only be able to watch/stream on one device at a time. A new device can only be added if one of the five linked devices is removed, the company said.Tapping growing demand Video streaming has enjoyed wide adoption across South Africa, with YouTube, the world’s largest video streamer, holding the top spot. Google Africa MD Alex Okosi told Business Day recently that YouTube had 25-million viewers in South Africa, a sign of the group’s dominance in local entertainment. The biggest competition is in the video-on-demand space, where players use film and television content produced by broadcasters and studios to compete. YouTube is a user-generated content platform, akin to social media, which means any person with a Google account can easily upload a video without the need for licensing, complex intellectual property agreements, distribution deals and other red tape. Access to the service is also free, with monetisation coming from advertising. Customers can choose to pay for an advert-free experience. With MultiChoice’s Showmax now defunct, the local paid video streaming is dominated by international services such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+. DStv Stream will soon be folded into the Canal+ super app. In the free-to-air space, SABC+, eMedia’s eVOD and Hong Kong-based Viu are the main providers. Online streaming has been a big driver of increased mobile data demand in South Africa. Ironically, it has yet to garner large user bases for mobile operators.The first major attempt was by Cell C in 2017. South Africa’s fourth-largest mobile provider reportedly spent R1bn on content for its Black video service before shutting the doors on the venture in 2019, citing low adoption while it was trying to preserve cash.Most recently, Telkom helped to set up the SABC’s streaming service SABC+. Initially dubbed TelkomONE, the fixed-line operator streamed the SABC’s radio and television content before handing over the platform to the state-owned broadcaster entirely in 2022 after two years of running the platform. In 2017, Telkom launched its LIT service, which — through special data bundles and a set-top box — enabled users to stream video from services such as DStv, Netflix, YouTube and Showmax, with music from Apple Music, Simfy Africa and Google Play Music.
