SA gets (another) new VoD service, but this one’s strictly local

The increasingly crowded South African Video on Demand (VoD) space just got another entrant. But unlike services such as Naspers’ ShowMax, or Times Media’s Vidi, SAVuka TV is strictly aimed at providing a platform for local content makers.

The service, which is accessible via an Android app, launches this Wednesday and will reportedly produce short-form dramas, reality shows, documentaries and other lifestyle programmes. According to a press release sent to Memeburn, the videos will be around eight minutes in length, with content producers sharing in the profits.

SAVuka says that subscriptions will range from R9.99 for a day, R19.99 for five days and R35.00 for a monthly subscription. There are also pay-per-view options and a video magazine for people without smartphone access.

Read more: Orange to launch South African VoD service next year

The app is the brainchild of Pecil productions, a local film production house that has been operating since February 2010. Founded by Percy Mthethwa and Siphamandla Kunene, the production house has until now offered services like High Definition video production, content development, animation, corporate videos, scripting, and delivery.

“SAVuka TV,” says Kunene, “is groundbreaking in that it not only gives people entertainment anywhere, anytime; it also gives multimedia creatives the freedom to be creative for its sake, and it won’t hurt that they’ll make some money in the process. The Sidla Sonke production funding model ensures mass ownership of content, with rights holders keeping them in perpetuity”.

“Furthermore,” he says, “SAVuka TV seeks to create and develop an audience that appreciates innovative, edgy and probing local content, directly on their mobile phones”.

The VoD service goes live with six reality shows – Soap Stars, Straight back, Out and Living It, Salon Nightmares, Diski Hits and Mrs, and Behind the Pulpit. These series features some prominent actors and stars in South Africa, including Motlatsi Mafatshe, Thato Molamu, Maurice Paige, Sisa Hewana, Babalwa Mneno, Sharon Dee, Tony Oseyemi, as well as Charnelle and Nathan Paulse.

Shows that are currently in production include a breakfast show with Sindy Mabe as well as other magazines and lifestyle shows. The service adds that there’ll also be entrepreneurial and spiritual content.

Read more: ONTAPtv.com: what you should know about South Africa’s new à la carte on demand video service

“SAVuka TV content primarily seeks to engage and entertain our viewers with content that is intriguing and filled with high drama and parables,” says head of content Percy Mthethwa. “We hope that this will provide some solutions for our viewer’s real life problems”.

“The content,” he adds, “projects a positive image of black South Africans and provides them with free educational information they desperately need to make informed decisions.”

It’s a noble vision to be sure, but the best intentions don’t always make for great business, especially in such a cut-throat industry and more especially when your website is still carrying lorum ipsum script a day before launch.