by Thinus Ferreira
Amazon Prime Video, the video streaming service of Amazon, is set to surge in both usage and subscriptions from next year, after Amazon announced that it will officially launch in South Africa in 2024.
When amazon.co.za goes live in 2024 it will fuel sampling, use, subscriptions and uptake of Amazon Prime Video in South Africa where Amazon has furiously been building out office and warehouse space, most notably Cape Town's River Club development.
Amazon's streaming service is battling the likes of MultiChoice's Showmax which will relaunch as a retooled streamer within months in partnership with Comcast's NBCUniversal and Britain's Sky, Netflix SA and Disney+.
To coincide with the launch of amazon.co.za, Amazon Studios has been ramping up local content TV production, commissioning a flurry of new shows to make Amazon Prime Video as sticky for consumers as the shopping portal, and vice versa, with viewers pushed to shop online and shoppers pushed to watch online.
Amazon.co.za that will likely soon headhunt motorcycle delivery people from Woolworths, Checkers Sixty60, Pick n Pay's asap, Spar, Takealot and everywhere it can find them,
Confirming the biggest ongoing open secret for years, on Tuesday, Robert Koen, general manager of sub-Saharan Africa for Amazon, in a statement said "We look forward to launching amazon.co.za in South Africa, providing local seller, brand owners and entrepreneurs - small and large - the opportunity to grow their business with Amazon, and delivering great value and a convenient shopping experience for customers across South Africa".
While a regular Amazon account is free, an Amazon Prime account requires a paid subscription. Amazon Prime however means faster delivery and in some cases free delivery, and access to Amazon Prime Video without an additional fee.
New Amazon Prime subscribers who sign up to get faster Amazon deliveries and other benefits, will therefore be exposed to Amazon Prime Video and become users and watchers of that streaming service.
