Many people subscribe for monthly video services, yet they barely watch the movies or would probably watch two to four in a month due to busy schedules. This made diversified tech services firm, Ndovu Group, to bring a video on demand solution, Pesaflix, to users in Kenya and the region.
Pesaflix will be the first market offering that allows a Pay as you Go daily subscription, and micro billing model, thanks to Google Play Card and Mpesa mobile money payment options.
“You don’t have to pay monthly if you only need to watch movies with your friends or family one Friday evening for 24–hours all through Saturday night. It’s value for money via Pesaflix,” said Mr Fredrick Alunala, Ndovu Group MD and CEO.
The solution currently allows for a daily subscription fee of Ksh40 renewable every 24–hours, thereby allowing users to only pay and watch when they need to and not just subscribe for a longer period where they might not even find the time to watch the movies.
“We are processing payments via Mpesa and any other card linked to Google Play. We would however prefer having a primary bank card partner who would help push card payments from a regional perspective. This way we can grow the solution to the regional market together with the bank as our primary payment card partner for Pesaflix,” Alunala said.
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Being a subsidiary company of Ndovu Group Investments Limited, a seasoned regional Fintech provider, Pesaflix will now have inroad access in not only Kenya, but also, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Cameroon, among other 173 countries where Ndovu Group is present.
How did a tech company venture into a space where margins are very minimal considering the fact that it is doing micro billing, and users only pay when they intentionally want to watch? Does the business guarantee return for investment?
These are questions that Raj Gaurav, Chief Information Officer at Pesaflix takes pride in answering. Mr Gaurav says theirs is quite different from competition where a user can subscribe to a bouquet yet they remain passive during the month.
“Our model means our operating costs are at optimal. So, to answer your questions, the Return On Investment (ROI) is guaranteed upon hitting critical mass user numbers. This is why we have launched the service both regionally and globally to over 177 countries via Google Play and activation of Mobile Payments in Kenya via MPESA and Tanzania via TigoPesa/YAS,” said Gaurav, explaining that since the go-live of Pesaflix in 2024, major challenge has been how to transform user mindsets from the monthly payment model which is common, to ‘Pay as you go’ payment model.
Another major challenge has been mobile data which, depending on where you stand, could be a bit expensive. The solution needs mobile data or wifi to stream. Few months down the line, Pesaflix, has been looking for a telco partner or internet service provider (ISP) to collaborate with in data distribution and probably work out a revenue share model to help scale subscription numbers. “So, as we hope to slowly change the market perception, we are also open and exploring,” says Alunala.
He also noted that heavy demand from countries such as Kenya, Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo notwithstanding, consumption of video streaming solutions are expected to keep rising.
How the video streaming solution works
Simply download the ‘Pesaflix’ mobile app on Google playstore. No need to create an account. Once you have the app downloaded, proceed to preview the available movies and click on the one you want to watch.
Then select ‘Play Now’ and a window will open which will allow you to pay via Google Play Payment linked Card or a user can just enter a mobile number for Mobile Money Payment.
Pesaflix Google Play accepts global payments in over 177 countries. Mobile payment is currently in Kenya via MPESA and Tanzania via TigoPesa which recently rebranded to YAS.
Immediately the payment is received, in micro seconds, the movie auto opens on the device that initiated the payment and this whitelists that device for 24hours to allow the user access to any movie they want to watch for the next 24hours.
The solution also exists on web via https://pesaflix.com/ which is mainly used for PC/Laptop users or non-smartphone users and for mobile app users, download the app via https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gapps.pesaflix for Android Operating System phone users.
Victor Adar
The writer is a Nairobi based tech and business journalist who founded the www.businessbarometer.co.ke news website. Order a hard copy of his book: Time to Pivot @ Ksh1,000 . The book's sub title is, "Secrets to Building Enterprises that Matter".
