By Gugu Lourie
“One of the top activities for smartphone owners is watching video content, and one of the fastest growing video streaming apps aimed at Africans is Tuluntulu,” says van der Hoven.
Tuluntulu – a mobile streaming platform app that enables its users to watch TV anywhere and anytime – continues to grow despite mobile operators and media firms with big pockets launching video-on-demand (VOD) services across the African continent.
Tuluntulu is enjoying positive traction with significant milestones being reached since marketing commenced in August 2014.
The Tuluntulu app has now been downloaded over 110,000 times in 154 countries, says Pierre van der Hoven, Tuluntulu’s CEO. “The most popular being SA, Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Mozambique, Morocco, Ethiopia and Algeria.”
The cumulative usage numbers of the app since launch has reached over 2,5 million screen views, more than 500,000 sessions, with 100,000 active users and over 79% returning users.
Van der Hoven added that the company was planning to introduce two new categories in the platform, which include streaming radio and free downloads or podcasts are currently being tested.
Tuluntulu has seen this growth despite the rise of VOD in the continent as bigger players invest more money to capture customers. Its achievement was despite the growth of Nigeria’s iROKOtv, a leading video streaming platform and other platforms such as AfriNolly, DoBox, 9fix, IbakaTV
In SA, Tuluntulu is facing competition from Vidi, an online streaming service owned by Times Media Group, which is providing subscription-based VOD services at R149 a month without extra costs for data. Africa’s biggest pay-TV operator MultiChoice also provides the same services to its premium clients through DStv BoxOffice. MTN, Africa’s biggest-mobile phone operator, has entered the fray and is providing MTN FrontRow subscription-based VOD service, designed to target a niche market rather than the masses.
Africa is a continent with more 350 million smartphones and tablets. “One of the top activities for smartphone owners is watching video content, and one of the fastest growing video streaming apps aimed at Africans is Tuluntulu,” says van der Hoven.
Tuluntulu is a mobile content and advertising, and messaging platform targeting audiences across Africa with African focused content. The app can be used to reach people globally via their smart phones or tablets.
Tuluntulu, a free app from Android stores and iOS, offers users an affordable, uninterrupted viewing experience. For the end user usage is free; free to watch “TV” (no subscriptions), 100% free on Wi-Fi, with data costs only if connected via a mobile network. The business model, mainly advertising, is designed to maximize audience reach and engagement.
The platform currently has 15 x 24/7 streaming “TV” channels; News (Al Jazeera, ANN7, Deutsche Welle, Voice of America), Education (Mindset, Spark4U), Documentaries (Afridocs), Movies (Nolly4U), Sport (Mobile Outdoor), Fashion (Fleur), Lifestyle (Africa4U), Comedy (Good4U) and music (GUAP, Mafrik) and Religion (eLev8).
Tuluntulu was founded by van der Hoven, a serial media entrepreneur who was involved in starting numerous media companies including eTV, and YFM.
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