- Telkom, a South African telco, is covering the cost of subscriptions for its customers over time through a promotional offer or add-on for Amazon services such as Prime Video and Prime Video Mobile Edition subscriptions.
- The 12-month offer is valid from March 28, 2024, to March 27, 2025, and is only available to Telkom customers subscribed to one of the plans covered by the offer. However, the length of the promotional offer depends on the customer's subscription plan.
- Customers who do not cancel will have their subscriptions automatically renewed after the period ends, and Telkom will not cover the charges.
Amazon Prime Video entered the African market in 2016 but released its first original series, "Queen Sono," from Africa in 2020 and has since expanded its reach.
Currently, it is ranked one of the top three online video streaming platforms in Africa, with Showmax taking the lead after overtaking Netflix. In addition, Prime Video Mobile Edition was launched in South Africa in 2022.
To activate the Telkom offer, customers must first sign up for an Amazon service through Telkom, after which they will receive an activation link that will take them to the Amazon website to complete their subscription.
If a customer subscribes to Amazon and is eligible for the promotional offer, Telkom will cover the subscription fees for three, six, or twelve months, depending on their Telkom plan.
Meanwhile, after the offer expires in March 2025, customers who wish to continue with the Amazon Prime Video/Prime Video Mobile Edition subscription will cover the standard Amazon subscription charges– R79 ($4) per month for Prime Video and R29 ($1.53) per month for Prime Video Mobile Edition.
According to Telkom, “The promotions, including Amazon services, are not redeemable, transferable or refundable for cash and cannot be exchanged.”
Telkom announced this customer-only promotion a few days after the telecom "fortified" its financial position. Telkom sold its Swiftnet masts and towers business to Actis, a UK-based firm and Royal Bafokeng Holdings for R6.75 billion( $355.4 million). Also, the sell-off was a way of “reducing debt and enhancing liquidity,” the telco noted.
