Afrinolly launches app to combat piracy of African films

10 Dec 2015

Afrinolly has launched MarketPlace, a pay per view, secured mobile platform for the distribution of Nollywood/African movies, short films, series and more to GSM users in Nigeria and the rest of the world, which is the first to tackle the issue of piracy.

Afrinolly launches app to combat piracy of African films

The US $5bn Nigerian film industry has been plagued with the issue of piracy and access for a long time. Producers have become weary but consumers across Africa and beyond want to watch stories they can relate to. Through this app, producers and creators in Africa will be able to offer their content via mobile phones and be paid for it without fear of piracy.

"This is an exciting moment for Nollywood and the African film industry as we launch MarketPlace; an African solution to the challenge of piracy, which has been largely ignored by established video streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Videos, YouTube Red and others," says Chike Maduegbuna, CEO of Afrinolly Limited.

"We believe African producers should be able to earn more from their content and African entertainment enthusiasts should have access to this content without the risk of piracy."

Users can stream content via the company's mobile site or via the app, as efforts have been made to keep video viewing experience consistent regardless of device or platform used. Content protection and convenient payment system are two key elements of the unique mobile distribution platform.

"We implemented multi-platform DRM technology and video optimisation solutions, using industry standards so content is protected on the Afrinolly platform and we introduced carrier billing (Recharge Pay) so users can pay for content, using airtime via their mobile network," adds Tope Omotunde, CTO of Afrinolly Limited.

For N100 (R7,30), users in Nigeria will be able to watch a movie while a short film is N50. GSM subscribers on MTN Nigeria network can pay for content via their airtime, while Airtel network subscribers will also be able to pay with their airtime in a few weeks. Users in other parts of the world would pay 99¢ for a movie via in app payment systems.

"Afrinolly is powered by Dynamic Transcoding Technology, which helps in identifying data speed of our users so as to be able to deliver smooth video viewing experience, regardless of network or device type. Our app is backed by our Intelligent Prediction Technology that recognises a user's video content preference based on their region, past content watched, searches they have conducted and devices used," concludes Omotunde.

For more information, go to www.afrinolly.com or download the Afrinolly app for Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone from an app store.