BOFINET Picks Mangomolo to Deliver OTT Video in Africa

Mangomolo, a full-service OTT video platform provider, has been chosen by UPICtv, Botswana Fibre Networks (BOFINET) OTT commercial wing to provide a turnkey solution for The Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport & Culture (MYSC) of Botswana to simplify and accelerate the delivery of OTT video across the country. Mangomolo’s end-to-end OTT video management platform enables MYSC to deliver its NOW! Online Channel across multiple devices with an optimised viewer experience.

NOW! enables viewers across Botswana to enjoy linear and on demand content anytime, anywhere. Viewers receive personalised recommendations making it easy to access the content they want while sharing their favourite content with their friends via social media platforms like WhatsApp, X and Facebook. The project was developed and delivered in collaboration with local partner, Plastique as well as regional partner Broadsmart, who acted as the project management lead.

“The rapid growth of smart devices across Africa is creating opportunities for broadcasters to deliver their content wherever their viewers want to consume it. Our work with NOW! is enabling more viewers across Botswana to access local video content and benefit from flexible and personalised experiences. We’re making it as simple as possible to consume content and grow audiences,” said Wissam Sabbagh, Founder and CEO at Mangomolo. “With NOW! we’re matching world-leading OTT video solutions with local content to create innovative viewing experiences.”

NOW! is a youth-focused channel established by MYSC to promote and showcase local talent in the areas of youth, gender sport and culture development. It is also focused on supporting the growth of the Botswana Film and Television industry. NOW!’s OTT video service will support MYSC in rolling out a variety of content to users, including docu-series, music shows, entertainment and kids’ programs.

“Working on the NOW! platform together with Plastique, Mangomolo and Broadsmart has been a game changing initiative for local streaming in Botswana. The team quickly understood our objectives and have been our guide on our digital journey. They made it simple and efficient to develop and deploy new services that are easy to manage in the backend and simple for viewers to navigate on the frontend,” said Ramphal Kgabanyane, UPICtv manager. “Mangomolo really delivers comprehensive solutions with true end-to-end support. Ultimately, this will benefit viewers and the TV and film industry of Botswana. NOW! gives our creative community a way to reach the largest possible audience across the country.”

Mangomolo is providing an end-to-end automated modular service that can adapt to NOW!’s new requirements and boost operational efficiency. The comprehensive suite of monetisation options and automation capabilities empowers partners to maximise their digital reach across all devices from a singular platform.

Botswana Fibre Networks (BoFiNet) is a telecommunications company that is wholly owned by the Government of Botswana. BoFiNet has been charged with the responsibility of running an important national strategic asset in the high capacity fibre network within Botswana as well as the international terrestrial links from Botswana to the rest of the world.

BoFiNet manages these fibre networks in order to create an open access wholesale capability, serving the telecommunications industry in Botswana and abroad. The intent is to drive the vision of Botswana by promoting an Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) enabled environment.

UPICtv is Botswana’s first commercial Video on demand platform pioneered by BOFINET to drive commercialization of Botswana’s local content creation. UPICtv also provide turnkey solutions to local service providers who are looking into launching their OTT platforms through cutting edge technology.