Continuing the discussion from iROKOtv is trying to become DStv, before DSTv can become iROKOtv :
iROKOtv's New Channels On StarTimes Could Steal Some Of Africa Magic's Magic | TechCabal
Basically iROKOtv is going after Africa magic on DSTv, and StarTimes is their abettor.
My question is who is paying who here? Did iROKOtv pay Startimes? The other way round? Or is it a mutually convenient partnership? Because this is a coup for both parties.
For iROKO, potentially millions (Startimes has 4.6 million subs in 14 countries) of people who would never of heard of iROKO in the first place will suddenly be exposed to them now via StarTimes. This is clearly a case of taking the hustle offline, but doesn’t mean iROKO is giving up on internet. Not by by a long shot. They will merely onboard those people later. Unless Startimes itself innovates, it will lose its own subscribers to whoever becomes the Netflix of Africa (the jury is still out on who that is).
After DStv, iROKO’s nollywood catalogue is the largest, so it is obviously a great deal for StarTimes. First of all, the new Nollywood content provides an incentive for new subs that might be considering DStv because of Africa Magic. On the other hand, it will dissuade their current users from “upgrading” to DStv for the time being.
UPDATE: StarTimes is paying iROKO. #winning
http://www.jason.com.ng/post/116397293985/when-startimes-met-iroko
This wasn’t an easy deal to negotiate. Multiple years, millions of dollars of licensing and potential advertising revenue, technical integration, with the spirit of the deal at heart we negotiated in Nairobi, in Johannesburg, across tens of conference calls from Lagos and NYC to Beijing as we ironed out legalese. So around 6 months of constant conversations until we announced the emergence of two new brands to bring content Africans love closer to them.