Nigerian startup iROKO and French television operator CANAL+ are launching an SVOD service for French-speaking Africa, bringing 1,500 hours of premium Nollywood and Télénovelas content to users.
The Android app – available now on the GooglePlay store – will be available across French-speaking Africa, and furthers the partnership between the two companies.
Disrupt Africa reported last month iROKO had closed content development and capital deals to the total value of US$19 million, with CANAL+ one of the investors, while late last year the companies signed a multi-million Euro deal paving the way for the launch of the SVOD service.
The app, iroko+, is free until June 1, and allows users to download movies and TV series as part of their subscription package. Titles currently available include Folie, Triangle Amoureux, Qui sera la femme idéale? and Télénovelas such as La Patrona and Le Corps du Désir.
All content has been dubbed into French, much of it for the first time, while iroko+ has been designed to optimise data consumption. The service will be aimed at building a new mobile-only subscriber base across Francophone Africa.