Ericsson has announced the launch of its first end-to-end subscription VoD content service, NuVu. The service will be marketed in close collaboration with service providers in Nigeria.

With this solution, subscribers will have access to around 3,000 local and international TV programmes and movies for a small monthly fee. They will be able to download content directly to their smartphones or tablets at no additional data cost during off-peak network times, and access the content offline for up to 30 days after downloading.

Ericsson and telecommunications services provider Airtel Nigeria are planning to jointly launch NuVu in the first quarter of 2016 to more than 30 million Airtel subscribers in Nigeria.

NuVu’s content offering, which is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, will span a wide variety of genres including Hollywood and Nollywood movies, TV series, kids, music, gospel and education. Ericsson is working with a number of leading international distributors to acquire TV and film content for the new service.

NuVu is a complete end-to-end technology and content service. The platform, which has been developed by Ericsson and leverages the company’s extensive over-the-top capabilities, will be fully integrated into the operator’s customer relationship management and payment systems. A core feature of the service is the built-in ability to distribute content to consumers during off-peak periods. This minimises data costs for both operator and consumer, addressing the cost challenge that has so far been an obstacle for VoD uptake in Africa.

The service will launch initially as an Android app for smartphones, providing subscribers with a personalised user interface, bookmarking and personal recommendations. Ericsson will continue to roll out the service on other platforms and operating systems.

Thorsten Sauer, Head of Broadcast and Media Services, Ericsson, says: “The launch of NuVu is a significant landmark for Ericsson and is uniquely positioned to help our operator customers to address a significant untapped market for video content. Africa has some of the highest mobile adoption rates globally, with ever-increasing levels of investment and infrastructure. However, downloading is currently preferred to streaming due to connectivity issues. We believe there is a huge opportunity to open a window to a world of content through mobile devices that may not otherwise be easily accessible. As one of the largest operators across Africa and the third-largest mobile operator in the world, Airtel is the perfect partner to help us launch NuVu. We are very proud to launch NuVu in Africa and we look forward to rolling out this service to other markets over the coming year.”

Ahmed Mokhles, Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, added: “At Airtel we are passionate about putting smiles on the faces of Nigerians, and this is one of the ways we achieve this goal. One of the key advantages of NuVu is the fact that customers will have the flexibility to enjoy a variety of entertaining content, including music videos, comedy, movie trailers, cartoons and sports among others, on their mobile devices – anytime, anywhere they desire.”

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