If you’re not launching a streaming service, what are you actually doing? South Africa is one video-on-demand streaming service richer, and it’s aptly named eVOD. That makes sense if you know that it’s developed by eMedia, the holding company behind e.tv, eNCA and Openview in a partnership with MTN.
eVOD is one of the only streaming services available to South Africans that features a free tier. Like Spotify’s free subscription, you’ll be served ads in exchange for free content streaming. In addition, there are also paid and transactional-based content.
This means users can opt to pay a monthly premium for complete access to the catalogue of shows, or pay a once-off fee to watch one particular show.
As part of the launch partnership, MTN will offer its customers 4GB of data per month to consume eVOD content. They will have to sign up for a subscription — and these include daily, weekly and monthly options:
- Daily subscription: R5
- Weekly subscription: R15
- Monthly subscription: R30
What you can stream on eVOD
Just like the big names — Netflix, HBO, Apple TV+, Amazon and even Showmax, eMedia is developing original movies and series for all its platforms. Just this time, it’s all locally made. This is likely where your subscription money is going, if you’re generous enough to pay for the content.
Otherwise, eVOD offers an extensive catalogue of local and international content. On the free plan, you’ll be able to stream titles like Is’Phindiselo, B&B, Beef!, Pawn and Ambitions.
If you deposit some cash into the app (available on iOS and Android, by the way), you’ll be able to treat your eyes to titles like Hustle, Atlantis, As Die Skoen Pas and Madiba. There’s also a decent blockbuster catalogue accessible through the premium subscription, which is a nice touch.
According to eMedia, its platform’s content will be streamed at an adaptive bitrate with a max resolution of 720p. Users will still have to pay for data when streaming (unless they’re on MTN and qualify for 4GB free), but capping the max resolution will cut back on the amount of data used per stream.
Source: TechCentral