Econet Media’s pan-African media company, Kwese, has acquired a significant stake in iflix Africa, to form part of Kwesé’s diverse broadcast offering across Africa.
The acquisition will leverage iflix’s strength as a leading entertainment service provider for emerging markets to deliver seamless mobile experiences to millions of viewers in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa.
It will also serve as the launch-pad for aggressive rollout in other parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
As a global company, iflix through its Africa arm, offers users the region’s most extensive collection of highly acclaimed local African and international series and movies, including first-to-market exclusive programming.
With its acquisition into iflix Africa and partnership with the global iflix, Kwesé’s broadcast operations and footprint will create an exceptional mobile offering for consumers on the continent. 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.”
The partnership between iflix and Kwesé ensures the delivery of relevant and compelling content on the best possible platforms. iflix Group Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mark Britt 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.”
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.