by Thinus Ferreira
As Amazon Prime Video continues to expand its localised presence in South Africa the video streaming service has now launched a mobile version of Amazon Prime Video for R29 per month in the country, in partnership with Vodacom which limits viewing to standard-definition (SD).
Amazon Prime Video Mobile at R29 will compete with Netflix SA Mobile at R49 per month without data, MultiChoice's Showmax Mobile at R39 per month without data, as well as Disney+ SA at R119 per month that doesn't have a cheaper mobile-only plan.
Vodacom is also making Amazon Prime Video Mobile available at R59 which includes 3GB of video data monthly, as well as for R79 per month for the full Amazon Prime Video service.
According to Vodacom South Africa all new, existing and
upgrading customers are eligible to subscribe to Amazon Prime Video or Prime Video
Mobile Edition, regardless of price plan, whether prepaid or post-paid through Vodacom.
At launch, Vodacom customers signing up for Amazon Prime Video Mobile Edition will get a 30-day free trial and 10GB of video data valid for 30 days.
Vodacom's Amazon Prime Video Mobile Edition gives access to the entire streaming service's content catalogue on a single mobile device, but streaming and downloading through the app is limited to standard-definition (SD).
"Research has shown that over-the-top (OTT) streaming in the sub-Saharan Africa
region continues to grow rapidly, with around 30% more subscribers between 2020
and 2021," says Jorge Mendes, Vodacom South Africa chief officer of consumer business.
"With that said, we strive to forge partnerships with the best
streaming services to ensure customers enjoy a variety of subscription
packages. As we continue transitioning to a pan-African technology company,
with the ambition of offering much more than telco products, this partnership
fits perfectly with our overall goal of enabling our consumers access
to video streaming content."
"Ensuring our entire customer base including prepaid gain access
to such services, without worrying about data is in line with our purpose of
ensuring we leave no one behind."
In July Vodacom shuttered its own Vodacom Video Play video streaming service it launched in July 2015, and said it's strategising to rather become an "enabler" of other video streaming services by becoming a platform to host streamers and allowing Vodacom customers to pay for these by adding add-to-bill functionalities.
Vodacom first partnered with Amazon Prime Video in November 2020 when it began to offer customers Amazon Prime Video for free for half a year.
