Netflix booted from Telkom’s set-top box as deal ends
MultiChoice has signed deals with Netflix and Amazon.com to offer their streaming services through its new decoder
11 October 2021 - 17:47
by Loni Prinsloo and Antony Sguazzin
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Telkom says Netflix will no longer be available on the phone and internet company’s set-top box from October.
A deal between the parties has come to an end and will not be renewed, content executive Wanda Mkhize said in a statement, without giving a specific reason. Other content partnerships will be announced in due course, she said.
The move comes after MultiChoice, Africa’s largest pay-TV provider, signed deals with Netflix and Amazon.com to offer their streaming services through its new decoder.
The continent is a small market for paid streaming video, with just a few million subscribers out of a population of more than 1-billion, and the US giants have targeted it for future growth.
Netflix has started to produce more local content, debuting SA dramas “Queen Sono” and “Blood and Water” in recent years. The US company has also appointed its first African board member, Zimbabwean media tycoon Strive Masiyiwa, in a bid to grow on the continent.
Bloomberg News. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Netflix booted from Telkom’s set-top box as deal ends
MultiChoice has signed deals with Netflix and Amazon.com to offer their streaming services through its new decoder
Telkom says Netflix will no longer be available on the phone and internet company’s set-top box from October.
A deal between the parties has come to an end and will not be renewed, content executive Wanda Mkhize said in a statement, without giving a specific reason. Other content partnerships will be announced in due course, she said.
The move comes after MultiChoice, Africa’s largest pay-TV provider, signed deals with Netflix and Amazon.com to offer their streaming services through its new decoder.
The continent is a small market for paid streaming video, with just a few million subscribers out of a population of more than 1-billion, and the US giants have targeted it for future growth.
Netflix has started to produce more local content, debuting SA dramas “Queen Sono” and “Blood and Water” in recent years. The US company has also appointed its first African board member, Zimbabwean media tycoon Strive Masiyiwa, in a bid to grow on the continent.
Bloomberg News. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
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