Mortimer Harvey has rebranded its business and has added several new offerings to its portfolio. Michael Bratt found out more about the most exciting one, Stream.Digital.
This new offering is a mobile video distribution business, where content can be created, aggregated, packaged or simply hosted. Luisa Mazinter, group chief innovation officer at Mortimer Harvey, says the best feature of this business is that it targets low-end feature phones, the kind of devices owned by many people in Africa.
“This product was built in Africa, for African audiences. It is a combination of on demand content and live streaming,” she explains.
Julian Von Plato, digital video originator at Stream.Digital adds, “We had to build our own platform as we were working with international partners, but they were pushing high res video, which doesn’t work in Africa. We’re trying to provide the best quality video on devices. Many people say they’re reaching the lower end of the mobile market, but their videos look rubbish.”
Content to feature phones
The major unique selling point of Stream.Digital is that it is one of a few platforms to deliver content to feature phones at a zero-rate to the consumer. It has also been developed in such a way that data usage is minimised, and consumers are made aware of how much data they are using. Another unique selling point is that the consumer can take ownership of the mobile video content platform, branding it in their own way and managing their content themselves.
In a presentation Mortimer Harvey said the offering allows clients to “go to market faster and at a fraction of the cost”. Stream.Digital content can be viewed on any digital device, including smart TVs, computers, tablets, smart phones, and (African USP) feature phones, anywhere in the world at any time.
The mobile video content can also be directly video messaged to the mobile phones of consumers. Again this content is zero-rated and consumers are told how much data they will be using when viewing the video and that it is free to them. This allows brands immediate access to their targeted consumers with relevant video messages.
YouTube free for all
“It’s no longer just a YouTube free for all, it’s more targeted. You can create a character and drive and curate content for specific audiences. Management of content is key so it’s not just a free for all, it’s the ability to curate, manage and control content,” says Von Plato of the appeal to brands of Stream.Digital.
Another product under the Stream.Digital stable, which ties in with the mobile video distribution business, is BoomTV, a white label mobile TV network designed to offer an alternative video consumption experience anywhere, anytime. Content is streamed directly to devices, either via the consumer’s mobile network or using a free Wi-Fi zone.
And for any journalist or in-the-field reporter out there, Stream.Digital has another product, which will definitely make their lives easier, Pockit EYE. This offering is an app for on-the-go content creation and delivery. Video and audio can be recorded directly onto the video delivery platform and even live streaming can happen. As with the mobile video product, clients can publish and manage their own content.
Mazinter says, of the aim of these products, “Our mission with stream digital is distribution, distribution, distribution, via mobile. But content has to be compelling, entertaining and relevant”. Von Plato concludes, “These products are not rocket science and they are not new. We just recognised how to do it smartly for the African market. We’re worked at this to get it right.”
Follow Michael Bratt on Twitter @michaelbratt8
