China’s Boomplay is the largest music streaming brand in Africa today. It is succeeding where iROKING (iROKOtv music streaming unit) and Spinlet struggled. This company is indirectly controlled by Transsion holdings, the markers of Tecno and Infinix mobile device brands. By bundling Boomplay in their devices, the brand gets straight to the end-users. It is doing very well; Apple and Spotify are not close. Today, across the continent, Boomplay commands about 46 million users and 5 million contents in its catalog.

When Chinese music streaming company Transsnet wanted to break into the lucrative African market, they partnered with parent company, Transsion holdings, the makers of popular phone brands such as Infinix and TECNO to pre-install their Boomplay app on their handsets.

By leveraging the popularity of these phones among African users, the company was able to market Boomplay directly to the consumer.

The app was officially released with the launch of TECNO’s first music phone Boom J7 in 2015.

[…]

Boomplay is forging ahead with its plans to dominate the music streaming business in Africa, after it raised $20 million in funding in April.

In Nigeria, specifically, as of May last year, here are the leading music streaming companies.

Boomplay (Android – 5 Million+ Installs)*

MTN Music+ (Android – 100,000+ Installs)

Spinlet (Android – 100,000 Installs)

iROKING (Android – 50,000+ Installs)

MyMusic.Com.NG ( Android – 50,000+ Installs)

LasGidi Tunes ( Android – 5,000+ Installs)

The Boomplay Strategy

Transsion Holdings is running a double play strategy here: it is selling us mobile devices and by the side it is building a great new business – entertainment startup. Provided more people continue to use its devices, it could simply emerge as the undisputed leader in African music streaming sector. With this model, Spotify has no chance and Apple with its fashionista pricing of its devices will not match the makers of Tecno.

I explained in the duality element that digital products which thrive are typically both products and platforms. It would be hopeless to build modern digital products without having a moat through platforms. Interestingly, the greatest digital ICT utilities have double plays in their business models: if Amazon decimates many brick-and-mortar stores, it would welcome many online to sell them cloud services. Alibaba welcomes you to its marketplace platforms, and you certainly have signed up for its (partly affiliated) payment processing solutions (Alipay) which command commissions.

This double play is going to offer asymmetric advantages to owners of hardware platforms. It was based on it that I proposed for iROKOtv to sell to Transsion Holdings (makers of Tecno phones) in 2017. In that piece, I should have been more specific to note that iROKING should be the entity that should be unbundled and sold. iROKING had since folded as a company. Music wins on hardware – and the very reason I believe that over time Apple will decimate Spotify if and only if Apple hardware products become largely more affordable. The maker of Tecno has full control in Africa not just in music but other areas where mobile devices are the core entry points to the ecosystems.

We propose for Tecno to buy iROKOtv and use the product to deepen its capabilities in Africa and beyond. Our core idea is that Tecno needs to open a unit to be dubbed Tecno TV. It will be one place for anyone in Africa to access television, delivering unified TV experience. This ecosystem will meet the needs for TV shows, movies and broadcasting contents, across the continent. It will be TV and movie content-ready. Through the iROKOtv brand, it will close partnerships with leading local content providers.

Tecno Mobile Should Buy iROKOtv

Linked Comment on Feed

Comment #1

China’s boomplay owners have clearly shown us the importance of foresight- preinstalling it app on Transsion holding product.

The company clearly understand that majority of the mobile phone users want a close-range Premium product ( $92- $151) and with 47.47 percent android device usage in Africa compared to apple 6.17percent usage of Apple music the company have an upper hand in market dominance.

There is a lot to learn from this first you need large maker dominance to strive-being a category king..

Second when you dominate the market space ensure that the market revolve around you.
Know what double strategy you need so just like boomplay & Transsion you would be on win win, Market preference regardless.

We hope irokoTv team are reading so they can make there product pre-installed just as boom play.

Comment #2

Well, our market here is far from maturity, and we do not seem to have certain laws in place yet.

If we allow hardware manufacturers to bundle their own app, giving them an unfair advantage from the beginning; we need to equally ensure that other players who rely on their hardware are not distorted unfairly.

Everything boils down to quality and experience on offer, Microsoft bundled Windows with IE, but you rarely see Windows users accessing the web via IE.

When our market matures, we should be able to draw a line between what comes with what and where true customer experience lies. For now, most people’s bank accounts thwart their ability to make informed choices.

Leading mobile payments company WorldRemit has entered into a definitive agreement to raise $175 million in a Series D funding round led by returning investors, TCV, Accel and Leapfrog Investments. Founded in 2010, WorldRemit is a global leader in smartphone and online payments – providing a convenient, low-cost alternative to expensive brick-and-mortar agents.

WorldRemit has disrupted an industry previously dominated by offline legacy players by taking international money transfers online – making them safer, faster and lower-cost. We currently send from 50 to 150 countries and operate in 6,500 money transfer corridors worldwide.

On the sending side WorldRemit is 100% digital (cashless), increasing convenience and enhancing security. For those receiving money, the company offers a wide range of options including bank deposit, cash collection, mobile airtime top-up and mobile money.

WorldRemit handles a growing share of the $700 billion remittances sent each year by expatriates and migrant workers to their home countries. Today, the company serves almost 4 million customers transferring money from 50 “send” countries to 150 “receive” countries.

The Series D funding round comes at a pivotal stage in the company’s growth. In 2018, the USA became WorldRemit’s largest send market, following the company becoming one of the first UK financial service firms to secure licenses in all 50 states.

WorldRemit will use this new investment to further drive global growth and diversify the company’s product offering for both money transfer senders and recipients. The company is also set to launch a new money transfer solution targeting small and medium-sized business owners who trade internationally, especially in emerging markets. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including FCA approval.

Source: Company press release

President Trump read a prayer delivered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as he joined world leaders in marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day – a pivotal moment in the Second World War. On June 6, 1944, Roosevelt went on national radio to address America for the first time about the Normandy invasion. The words:

“Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity … they will need Thy blessings.

“Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph …

“Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.”

This is how Francis Oguaju summarized this: “You see the kind of spirit people had, just for others and generations after them to live a better life”. Simply, an unbounded service to a nation! Nigeria needs that spirit and the mindset shift for the generations unborn.

By Nnamdi Odumody

Owing to the inadequacy of public transportation systems in Lagos State, provided by BRT and NURTW, the previous administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode conceived the Lagos Bus Services, a key component of the Lagos Bus Reform Project which will provide smart public transportation infrastructure to transform the commuters’ experiences in line with modern demands of smart cities. About one million commuters use the public transportation system in Lagos daily; the vehicles used in this system are supplied by both government and private entities.

The Lagos Bus Services is to provide an efficient alternative to the unregulated NURTW yellow buses, ride hailing taxis and the BRT. It will provide electronic ticketing to ensure prompt boarding of passengers and revenue protection from sharp practices as well as reducing the waiting time at bus stations. Its drivers and attendants will be trained and certified to offer passengers the best riding experience with safety and security guaranteed.

Lagos Bus Services Limited (LBSL) was incorporated on 1^st August 2016 as a Transport Asset Acquisition, Operations, and Advisory Services Company to provide a much-needed compass and guide to the operation of Bus Services in Lagos.

As Lagos evolves into a smart city, LBSL is positioned to create a very competitive space in the Transport Industry where urban mobility guarantees a market for mass transit transport operators; with availability and pricing as key decision drivers.  LBSL is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the orderliness, proper coordination and progress of the Transport Industry in Lagos.

The buses will have special sitting areas for the physically challenged, aged and pregnant women providing inclusion in public transportation services which is non-existent in Nigeria and has six emergency exits, first aid kit, free Wi-fi, inbuilt television, CCTV cameras connected to a remote operations centre which will monitor each activity which takes place. Also, it has USB charging ports on all the seats.

Its operations will be anchored through an Intelligent Transport System which will provide real time information to passengers such as estimated time of bus arrival and departure times as well as nature and cause of service delays.

The buses will be leased to reputable private bus operators who will use 3 smart depots located at Anthony Village, Ilupeju and Yaba for proper deployment, sustainability and maintenance while they will run special routes with smooth operational infrastructure such as bus shelters, laybys, bus flags, terminals and depots at strategic points along these routes.

The Lagos transportation paralysis will in no time become a thing of the past if the vision and mission behind the Lagos Bus Services is sustained irrespective of whoever mounts the saddle as Chief Executive of the state as it is essential in making the state a 21^st Century Intelligent Economy.