Viacom to expand its distribution across Africa and Europe
The partnership in Africa will be between MTN and Arial View Nigeria Limited, they will launch several global brands including Nickelodeon, MTV, MTV Base and Comedy Central on MTN’s Shortz streaming platform for Nigerian subscribers.
Consistent with consumer trends in Sub-Saharan Africa that demand increased bite-size content, the new deal positions Viacom as a prominent player in long-term saturation in the region. AVNL will distribute and monetise licensed Viacom content to MTN, Africa’s largest mobile network operator. It has more than 200 million subscribers, with 57 million in Nigeria alone.
“We are pursuing a diversified and extensive multiplatform strategy,” said Raffaele Annecchino, president and MD of Viacom’s Southern and Western Europe, Middle East and Africa business cluster.
“We are a company that produces premium longform and short form content for every platform,” she continued.
“We are excited to be working with great partners like Amazon in Germany, MTN in Africa and Vodafone, as we continue to evaluate each market for new opportunities and unlock value through both traditional and non-traditional distribution partners.”
The MTV+ Prime Video channel now offers 24-hour music video programming, as well as numerous reality show hits, including Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, Fear Factor, Catfish: The TV Show and Just Tattoo of Us, Teen Mom, Geordie Shore and Ex on the Beach.
Subscribers will have exclusive access to new shows before anyone else. They will be the first to see the new season of Ex on the Beach US. Viacom plans to grow the library over time.
Source: NexTVAfrica.com.
