Web content generation will be the next big business in Africa as the continent’s Internet penetration peaks, and in due time, local content will be preferred to foreign production.
Currently, Africa’s web content is filled with foreign content and given the growing bandwidth in Africa, local and relevant will be on high demand, meaning all content providers in Africa have to begin shifting their focus on generating their own.
In addition, development of apps and other enterprise software that leverage on the existing local platforms will offer a base for growing bigger companies in Africa.
Christian Kaufmann, a spokesperson for the cloud platform and content delivery network provider Akamai, shared the same sentiments.
He said: “Video will be the next big thing of the Internet”, says Kaufmann. “Industry predictions say that by 2015 more than 90 percent of web traffic will be video and as appetite for HD video continues to increase and the number of devices explodes, consumers expect a high quality experience on any device, anywhere.”
In recent years, we have seen good content from Africa get viral views. The latest being the animated adverts for Faiba, a broadband connection product from Jamii Telecom in Kenya, that received thousands of views days after launching.
The switch to digital television offers another huge platform for content providers. The announcement to switch to digital in Kenya has attracted local broadcasters with the latest entrant being Fountain Media, which will be exclusively available on the digital platform.
Local people react to local news with much enthusiasm. We can take an example from iROKOtv. It has spun the minds of investors within and without Africa, with the platform attracting millions of viewers.
