StarNews Mobile, the main mobile video network enabling celebrities and influencers to monetize their fan bases in Africa, has announced its agreement with Orange Content, a subsidiary of Orange SA, to give access to its high-quality video platform to 150 million Orange subscribers in 15 African countries.
Through this alliance, StarNews Mobile and Orange will fulfill their joint commitment to provide Orange subscribers with the most relevant local video content, while creating a new revenue model for the talented but too often overlooked African content creators.
The challenge is great: Africa has 650 million mobile phone users, more than the United States and Europe, and the vast majority of Africans receive their daily information on their mobile phones, which makes it one of the most important and dynamic markets for mobile telephony.
Mobile video offers the best content experience. However, the cost of a smartphone often remains prohibitive, reaching almost 400% of monthly income in many countries. In addition, video streaming uses a lot of data, the prices of which remain high for mainstream consumers. Due to these challenges, current mobile streaming solutions are inadequate for the continent and current business models are unable to deliver concrete income to the millions of content creators on the continent.
This agreement with Orange, the leading telecommunications operator in French-speaking Africa, marks an important step in the establishment of an economically viable model that will guarantee the creation of quality local content in Africa and its distribution to consumers.
“The partnership with Orange represents a real boost in our expansion strategy, as we continue to forge partnerships with countless talented creators across the African continent who work hard to produce high quality content, which ‘it’s about music, sports, comedy, entertainment, culture, etc., said Guy Kamgaing, CEO of StarNews Mobile. As StarNews’ services become more accessible and deliver a unique streaming experience to consumers through an affordable subscription, we believe that the consumption of local mobile content in Africa will take off in a massive way. We have been working with Orange in Cameroon for over a year now and they have shown us their willingness to support this movement. Thanks to Orange’s pan-African presence, we will be able to quickly offer this same opportunity to any local content creator, from Douala today to Abidjan, Dakar, Bamako, Conakry or Madagascar tomorrow. Thanks to Orange, the creation of a local content ecosystem in Africa will become a reality. ”
StarNews Mobile has built a service that excels in its simplicity, accessibility and attractiveness of its content. Using proprietary technology to facilitate a dual marketplace, StarNews Mobile helps content creators make money from their talent while allowing consumers to stream content to their mobile phones cheaply. Subscribers can enjoy content from a wide variety of channels, including daily news, entertainment, sports, fashion, food and more.
Launched in Ivory Coast in 2017, StarNews Mobile is an opportunity for any content creator to connect with millions of enthusiastic young fans across the continent and the Diaspora while creating a new sustainable source of income. The StarNews network represents a springboard and a spotlight for new and emerging content creators in Africa and around the world.
Today, StarNews is available in Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Congo, South Africa and Nigeria, and soon in Ghana, Benin and Senegal. StarNews has established partnerships with major pan-African mobile operators such as MTN, Moov and now Orange in order to distribute exclusive and quality video content directly to users.
