By Princewill Ekwujuru

…To strengthen SVOD service

Pay-TV company,    Kwesé, has announced an expansion of its partnership with iflix, by acquiring a significant stake in iflix Africa, a leading entertainment service for emerging markets.

Kwesé said the stake in iflix    will form part of Kwesé’s diverse broadcast offering, as the core vehicle to deliver seamless mobile experiences to millions of viewers in Africa.

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 the evolution, but are leading the movement.”

According to Masiyiwa, “the deal cements Kwesé’s commitment to deliver premium content through unrivalled TV programming, leading sports, up-to-the-minute news and the latest in entertainment. This coupled with iflix’s vast collection of international and African SVOD content, will offer users an unparalleled viewing experience, tailored to meet the needs of Africa’s diverse markets.”

Group Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of iflix, Mark Britt, who stated that the partnership between iflix and Kwesé will ensure delivery of relevant and compelling content on the best possible platforms.

In addition he said: “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.”