by Thinus Ferreira
BBC Studios is launching BBC Kids in South Africa in partnership with Switchmedia and MTN, where it will be accessible to MTN customers as paid-content through a daily, weekly or monthly subscription fee.
BBC Kids can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or the MTN Play Portal with BBC Kids which comes with a subscription fee of R5 per day, R15 per week or R25 per month.
BBC Kids carries award-winning BBC children's programming, curated according to age. BBC Kids has specific sections aimed at pre-school children and another for older primary school children.
For younger viewers, BBC Kids has series like Hey Duggee, Sarah & Duck, JoJo & Gran Gran, Yakka Dee and Swashbuckle, while older kids up to age 12 can watch Jamie Johnson and Harry Potter: A History of Magic, The Bagel and Becky Show, educational series like Horrible Histories and comedy like Gangsta Granny.
The BBC Kids app contains more than 100 hours of content for kids ages 12 and younger at launch.
"Switchmedia is thrilled to join forces with BBC Kids and MTN to bring safe, ad-free, education and entertainment to families across South Africa," says Mark Johns, Switchmedia CEO.
"Built using our award-winning MediaHQ solution, the dynamic new BBC Kids app features nearly 200 hours of content, a clean, easy to navigate interface and programme recommendations."
Nick Percy, BBC Studios president of global markets, says "BBC Kids provides parents with a go-to, trusted destination for award-winning children's programming that can be accessed anytime, anywhere. With inspiring, educational and exciting shows for preschoolers and older children at their fingertips, BBC Kids will be a welcome addition for families in South Africa".
BBC Studios' linear TV channel for pre-school children CBeebies (DStv 306) is carried on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa.
