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SA gets its own Netflix in VIDI [Star, The (South Africa)]
[September 15, 2014]

SA gets its own Netflix in VIDI [Star, The (South Africa)]


(Star, The (South Africa) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) SOUTH Africa's first online streaming entertainment hub - |Vidi - launched last Wednesday. In fact, #VIDI was trending on Twitter.

Of course, this is great news for binge-viewing fans. And under-standably so. To date, the Pay TV offerings, monopolised by Multi-Choice's myriad channels and bouquets, followed by other entities like StarSat and OpenView HD, have been the go-to options for escapism on the entertainment landscape.



The other option was to illegally download the popular US TV series onto external HDDs. This, of course, means that some viewers are ahead of the offerings that haven't made |it onto South African screens à la Orange is the New Black.

Meanwhile, MultiChoice continues to remain ahead of the game by securing hit TV series that, literally, follow days (and now with Express on Explora) and sometimes hours after their US airing. In fact, last week they announced the launch of two new channels: M-Net Edge and Vuzu Amp.


With Vidi offering a new portal to TV series, movies and a kids' sector too, the landscape has expanded.

This pioneering venture by Times Media Group offers a mix of 72 of the blockbusters just off the cinema circuit (covering a span of two years), with a slew of TV series - some including the different seasons - of shows like Breaking Bad, Grey's Anatomy, Cougar Town, Brothers & Sisters, Missing, Lost and Friends. That's not forgetting other shows like Pretty Little Liars and Super-natural. And then there is the Kids Playzone corner on the easy-to-navigate webpage.

At this point in time, this platform is targeting the higher income groups as the online streaming entertainment hub requires a minimum of 1MB to connect. Also, you will need a modern internet browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 or later, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Mozilla Firefox Version 2 or later, or Microsoft Silverlight Player Plug-in).

The unlimited subscription costs R149 a month and/or to instantly rent the latest releases will cost R27 and R15 (for a selection of premier library titles).

Viewers can stream Vidi via their PC, Mac, laptop, Android tablets and smartphones via the app. There are plans to launch it on Apple tablets and smartphones, too. And viewers can connect to their big-screen TV with an HDMI cable.

At the launch, which was hosted by radio and TV personality Anele Mdoda, Andrew Bonamour, the |Chief Executive of TMG, along with Vidi Marketing Manager Taryn Uhlmann and TMG Business Manager: Broadcast and Content, Keshnie Moodley, revealed that the content will continue to expand to encompass local TV series and movies as well as sport.

Securing content isn't cheap. This is a fact widely known and explains why the SABC offers shows years past their peak popularity. However, TMG have confirmed their commitment to continuously add several new titles every month while also expanding their association beyond their existing relationship with several prominent international networks.

Andrew Gill, Managing Director of Broadcast and Content at TMG, said: "We have secured some of the very best available content from the biggest names in the industry. We will be constantly refreshing our offering with new and exciting films and series." And to celebrate Vidi's launch, they are offering a 30-day trial membership to South Africans.

The tagline is: "Your movies. Your TV Shows. Your Way." However, while Vidi has filled |a growing gap in the market, it remains to be seen if it surpasses the allure of the entertainment available on decoders. After all, "affordable and accessible" is all relative to |those without uncapped data.

l For info, visit: www.vidi.co.za.

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