Airtel, Ericsson Launch ‘Nuvu’, Video on Demand Service

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Airtel Africa Q2 profit falls 37% to $145 mn, Customer base grew by 12.0% to 116.4 million

Customers of Airtel Nigeria can now access thousands of local and international Tv series, film titles, music videos and kids’ series, courtesy of a partnership between the telecommunications services provider and Ericsson, a world-class telecommunications and equipment company.

As part of the partnership, Airtel has announced the launch of Nuvu, a subscription-based video-on-demand (VOD) service.

Nuvu will provide subscribers access to more than 3,000 local and international TV and film titles, empowering Airtel customers to download content directly to their smartphones or tablets at no additional data cost during off-peak network times.

Also, subscribers will be able to access the content off-line for up to 30 days after downloading.

The service will launch initially as an Android app for smartphones. The app offers subscribers a personalized user interface with features that include bookmarking and personal recommendation.  The app will be available to other mobile platforms at a later date.

Speaking on the newly introduced service, Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Ahmad Mokhles, said “Nuvu is a glowing testimony and clear demonstration of Airtel’s commitment to revolutionize Nigeria’s mobile Internet space with innovative offerings that will enrich the lives of consumers and also empower them to succeed in their respective endeavours”.

According to him, Nuvu is a game-changer that will excite, delight, engage and entertain telecoms consumers, offering them original premium and exclusive content.

“Airtel is excited to collaborate with Ericsson to pioneer the new Nuvu innovation, a first of its kind in Nigeria. Airtel will continue to leverage on world-class partnership to create relevant and bespoke offerings that will reward telecoms consumers in Nigeria”, said Mokhles.

Commenting on the partnership, President and Managing Director, Ericsson Nigeria, Rutger Reman, said “According to a recent Ericsson Consumer-Lab Report, only 30 per cent of Nigerians are satisfied with streaming over the internet. Nuvu, a download service that attracts no additional data charge during off-peak downloads, is very apt for this market.  The built-in ability to distribute content to consumers during off-peak periods minimizes data costs for both the operator and consumer, addressing the cost challenge that has, so far, been an obstacle for video-on-demand uptake in Africa. Nuvu is a more inclusive VOD service than most alternatives currently available in Nigeria. We applaud Airtel’s foresight in being the first to launch this innovative service to their consumers and are glad to have partnered with them on this”.

Airtel’s customers can download the Nuvu app from Google Play store https://goo.gl/xtzcQC on their android devices to start enjoying the service.  Customers get free 14 days trial with access to unlimited content after which they can subscribe to either weekly or monthly subscription packages.