Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 25 | Page 39

for customers to have access to Kwesé iflix and Play. Although the writing could be on the wall for traditional broadcasting, superior user satisfaction remains at the core of business operations, now with the promise of diverse distribution platforms and lower costs of delivery. We are now seeing three predominant trends that are driving the evolution of television in Africa. Customer experience is now more personalised, innovation is helping to close the digital divide and curated consideration is building Africa’s content economy. Variety is the spice of life: Personalising the customer experience Today, user experience has transitioned into a personal encounter. This trend has been echoed across a number of industries. For www.intelligentcio.com “ THE CHALLENGE WITH TODAY’S DIGITAL ERA IS THE TUG OF WAR BETWEEN WELL CURATED, CONVENIENT PAY SERVICES AND FREE SERVICES THAT OFFER LESS VALUE. example, if you look at the photography industry, 50 years ago a family portrait was an event and 20 years ago film costs and development made photos a focus for special occasions. Today with the rise of the smart phone and selfies, a person takes an average of 150 photos a month. The television industry is experiencing a similar trajectory where it is moving away from cinemas to homes, personal computers and now to the pocket via the smartphone. Content consumption is now a personal choice and broadcasters are responding by offering greater content quality and diversity. For example, through Kwesé Iflix (an Econet Media-owned mobile video-on- demand sports and entertainment platform) customers could watch the FIFA World Cup on their smartphone anywhere in Africa. It was evident that consumers were fully embracing the combination of live sport INTELLIGENTCIO 39 39