Ivory Coast-based startup StarNews Mobile, a mobile video network allowing celebrities and influencers to monetise their fan bases in Africa, has partnered mobile operator Orange to provide its high-quality video platform to Orange’s 150 million subscribers across 15 countries in Africa.
Launched in July 2017, StarNews Mobile targets the mass market with a network of over 50 mobile channels offering celebrity-based content priced at low daily subscription rates.
Users can subscribe to their favourite celebrities’ channel through their operator for as low as US$0.10 per day. Once subscribed, they receive a video link via SMS to watch exclusive videos daily. The revenue generated from the subscription fee is then shared between the operator, the content provider and StarNews Mobile.
The startup deployed in Ivory Coast in partnership with operators MTN and Moov, and has since launched in Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and South Africa, passing the five million subscriber mark.
It has now signed a further telecom partner agreement, this time with Orange, the leading telecommunications operator in Francophone Africa, in what it says is a significant step towards providing an economically viable model that will ensure quality local content is created in Africa and delivered to the local consumers.
Through the partnership, StarNews Mobile and Orange will provide Orange subscribers with local video content while creating a new revenue model for talented – yet often overlooked – local African content creators.
“The partnership with Orange represents an enormous boost in our expansion strategy as we continue to create partnerships with countless deserving content creators across the African continent who work hard to produce beautiful content, whether it’s music, sports, comedy, or entertainment,” said Guy Kamgaing, chief executive officer (CEO) of StarNews Mobile.
