It looks like today is the day for launching platforms in South Africa as Mondia has announced a new offering called Monsooq. What makes it different from other entertainment-focused platforms that have launched in SA in recent years, is that Monsooq works on a pay-as-you-consume model.

Newcomers who sign up for the service will get 60 minutes of free access, thereafter they will be charged R2 per minutes on the platform.

“This unique time-based model allows consumers to buy entertainment time just as they would cellular airtime and use that time to consume any content they choose, including movies, series, games and music – all on a single, convenient, end-to-end entertainment platform,” explains Mondia in a press release sent to Hypertext.

It therefore seems like Monsooq is leveraging a pay-per-minute approach that can be tailored depending on the content people wish to consume.

“Whether a consumer wishes to play a game for 30 minutes while commuting, or binge a new series for six hours, they are able to load that amount of time to their profile securely debit or credit card. And when their time ends, they simply top up with more,” it adds.

Whether this catches on remains to be seen, but in short bursts, it could prove useful.

It also looks like Mondia is eyeing up expansion into other parts of Africa, should the launch of Monsooq prove successful in SA. This makes sense given that the African continent ranks via in terms of mobile phone use for consuming digital content, as well as the fact that other popular streaming platforms are yet to launch outside of the SADC region.

“Africa is the next frontier in regard to digitalisation. Our extensive footprint, increasing customer base and significant experience in the region make Africa a natural choice of focus for us. African markets are primed for the democratisation of content, and Mondia is firmly focused on changing the way in which people consume entertainment,” highlights Mondia CEO, Dr Amadeo Rahmann.

“Mondia has incredible reach and deep understanding of the geographies in which we operate, with 1.4bn potential users in the right emerging markets,” he adds. 

With a number of streaming platforms already vying for dominance, as well as local entertainment platforms seeing varying degrees of success, it should be interesting to see how Monsooq fares in the coming year.

If you’re intrigued by the platform, head here to check it out.

[Image – Photo by Omid Armin on Unsplash]