The news
- Vodacom has announced the launch of Prime Video Mobile Edition in partnership with Amazon in South Africa.
- According to Vodacom, this is the first partnership of its kind in Africa. Amazon first launched Prime Video Mobile Edition services in India, partnering with telecoms giant, Airtel in 2021.
- New subscribers receive a 30-day free trial with additional 10 GB of data. Only Vodacom subscribers can use the service.
The Prime Video Mobile Edition is a single-device, mobile-only plan available in select countries via its partners.
It is cheaper and can only be accessed on a smartphone, and Prime Video Mobile Edition users cannot use the service on a laptop or Smart TV. It is similar to Netflix’s Mobile Plan, but unlike Netflix, because the service is offered through select partners, it is only available to users of those partners. For example, in India, only Airtel users can use it.
This is true in South Africa too. It is only open to Vodacom subscribers, prepaid and contract. The service costs R29 ($1.6) per month. The telco also offers a package for R59 ($3.2) per month, which includes 3GB of data.
New subscribers receive a 30-day trial for Prime Video Mobile Edition with 10GB of data for the month. Vodacom customers can activate one Prime Video or Prime Video Mobile Edition subscription per number.
Vodacom also lets customers sign up for the standard Amazon Prime Video service at R79 ($4.3) per month and add it to their bill. New subscribers can get a three-month trial.
Like India, Africa is mobile-first, and this has informed the decisions of streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon on how to approach the market.
According to GSMA, by 2025, 615 million Africans will be subscribed to mobile services, and 4G adoption in sub-Saharan Africa will double to 28%.
However, as Techpoint Senior Editor, Oluwanifemi argued in 2020, cheaper plans might not be enough to attract more subscribers.